This has just been released about the Washington State DNR beginning to add Enforcement Officers to their number.  My father who worked managing DNR for years would be rolling over in his grave.  Here is the press release:

From Flicker, Open Source accessed August 15, 2012

New officer assigned to state trust lands in South Sound

 OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the appointment of Jim McCarthy as its newest commissioned law enforcement officer. At a brief ceremony conducted this morning by Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, McCarthy promised to uphold the state and U.S. constitutions.  (Let us help him remember his promise)

“Officer McCarthy joins the DNR Law Enforcement Service to assist our mission to protect Washington State trust lands and resources, and to educate and protect the members of the public using those lands,” Goldmark said.

McCarthy, who served with the Washington State Patrol for 25 years, fills a newly created position that increases DNR’s law enforcement and response capacities on state trust lands. His primary duties will focus on DNR-managed lands in Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pierce, Thurston and other counties in western Washington. His patrol area includes thousands of acres of forested state trust lands and conservation areas.

DNR law enforcement officers are commissioned Peace Officers, certified by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission.

Working with other law enforcement agencies and the public, DNR officers enforce state laws and safety regulations on state trust lands. Their duties include:

Enforcing vehicle speeds and regulations on state trust land roads and trails

Investigating and preventing vehicle accidents, wildfires and theft of natural resources, such as timber and other forest products

Educating the public about safe and sustainable use of public lands and resources

Monitoring the use of the state’s Discover Pass on vehicles visiting DNR-managed recreation lands

DNR manages more than 5.6 million acres of state-owned forest, range, commercial, agricultural, and aquatic lands. The department also provides wildfire protection for 12.7 million acres of private and state-owned forestlands and administers Forest Practices rules.

The problem is I wonder if we the public will be notified when his job expands to include other enforcement activities such as enforcing Agenda 21 treaties.

From the trenches,

Celeste