Justice and Public Safety
September 26, 2016

Protecting Our Wildlife Resources

Minister Parsons Recognizes Recipient of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officer of the Year Awards

At a ceremony yesterday (Sunday, September 25), Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officer Glenda Bateman was named this year’s recipient of the Provincial Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, 2015. Officer Bateman was also named the 2015 Shikar-Safari Club International Wildlife Officer of the Year for Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Congratulations to Officer Bateman on this great achievement. On behalf of all residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, I thank you for your dedication to your work and the passion you clearly demonstrate for protecting our province’s valuable wildlife resources.”
- The Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General

Officer Bateman is originally from Rose Blanche. She began her career with Fish and Wildlife Enforcement in 2013 and currently works in the Springdale satellite office. The Officer of the Year Award was presented to Officer Bateman on behalf of Minister Parsons by Brian Warr, MHA for Baie Verte - Green Bay.

“As a former police officer, I appreciate the contribution fish and wildlife enforcement officers make to stop illegal and organized poaching activities, often working in challenging conditions, covering a large geographic area. It is certainly a pleasure to present this award and acknowledge the great work of all officers in the field.”
-Brian Warr, MHA for Baie Verte - Green Bay

The Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officer of the Year Awards are presented annually to provide formal recognition for officers who demonstrate high standards of work and dedication.

The Shikar-Safari Club International Wildlife Officer of the Year Award is presented annually to wildlife enforcement officers in North America throughout the United States and Canadian provinces and territories. The award honours wildlife enforcement officers whose efforts during the previous year reflected outstanding performance and achievement.

In addition to the Provincial Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, presentations were also made to Officers of the Year for each of the Wildlife and Enforcement Divisions. Glenda Bateman has been named Officer of the Year for Western region, Mark Pritchett is Officer of the Year for Labrador region and Doug Hayes is Officer of the Year for Eastern region.

A brief biography for each of the award recipients is included in the backgrounder below.

QUICK FACTS

• Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officer Glenda Bateman has been named the provincial 2015 Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officer of the Year.
• Officer Bateman also received the 2015 Shikar-Safari Club International Wildlife Officer of the Year for Newfoundland and Labrador
• Mark Pritchett received the Officer of the Year Award for the Labrador region and Doug Hayes is Officer of the Year for Eastern region.

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BACKGROUNDER
Biographies of Officers of the Year

Provincial and Western Regional Officer of the Year – Officer Glenda Bateman
Officer Glenda Bateman is assigned to the Springdale satellite office. Glenda was part of the original group of officers that helped establish the Springdale office just two years ago. Despite staffing changes, Glenda continues to show dedication, hard work and professionalism in everything she does and has taken the lead role in a number of prominent files in her area. Although Glenda has only been a Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officer for three years, she has had an immediate impact and has shown tremendous leadership. Glenda has been the lead on key investigations including a major salmon poaching operation on the Baie Verte Penninsula. She organized patrols and surveillance, availing of assistance from other detachments and within five days, two suspects were apprehended. Officer Bateman volunteers with the local Search and Rescue team, assists with Special Olympics fund raisers, and is a director on the Newfoundland & Labrador Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association.

Labrador Regional Officer of the Year - Officer Mark Pritchett
With over 20 years of service to the Provincial Government, Officer Mark Pritchett is the Detachment Supervisor at the Wabush Detachment and Churchill Falls satellite offices. Mark has also provided supervision to the Happy Valley-Goose Bay Detachment and L’anse au Loup satellite offices. Given the geographic enormity of Labrador, the challenges associated with this task cannot be understated. Officer Pritchett supervised all staff in Labrador for most of 2015, and did so with excellence and has mentored younger staff providing guidance and direction. In addition, Mark has been extremely engaged with all major files in Labrador, most notably the ban on caribou hunting. In addition to his enforcement duties, Mark has represented Fish and Wildlife Enforcement at numerous community events in Labrador West, and promoted the importance of community involvement to his staff. This includes the “Toys for Joys” campaign at Christmas in which toys were collected and donated to the less fortunate, a “Pumpkin Patrol” at Halloween to help ensuring the safety of children trick-or-treating, and the 44th Lab West Regatta where Mark and fellow officers provided boat services for rowers.

Eastern Regional Officer of the Year – Officer Doug Hayes
Officer Doug Hayes is assigned to the St. John’s Detachment office. He has served as a law enforcement officer in a number of capacities and organizations before returning to the Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Division in October of 2013. Doug has demonstrated his skills and ingenuity in apprehending poachers especially in the deployment of surveillance cameras to capture illegal activity when officers cannot personally monitor an area. His success on files has led to other law enforcement agencies requesting him to pass along his knowledge to their officers. In 2015 Doug’s persistence and sense of duty led to the development of a working partnership with divisions of the Canadian Forces Base St. John’s to restore and commemorate a dilapidated monument in the abandoned community of Little Bona, Placentia Bay. This monument was originally erected in honour of Private Michael John White of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who paid the ultimate sacrifice on October 3, 1918, in Belgium.

2016 09 26                              11:55 p.m.