Area conservation officers receive annual awards

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is announcing the officer of the year award winners for the districts in our area.

In District 6, Conservation Officer Trevor Sager has been selected for the honor. He has been a conservation officer for three years and serves as a field officer, field training officer, remotely operated vehicle search operator, passenger for hire inspector, public information officer, and background investigator for the division.

Sager has served as a conservation officer for three years in Monroe County.

District 6 includes Bartholomew, Brown, Johnson, and Shelby counties.

In District 8, which includes Jackson County in our area, Officer Claire Jenkins has been chosen for the award. She has been with the department for two years, and serves a field officer and a public information officer in Scott County.

In District 9, which includes Jennings and Decatur counties in our area, Conservation Officer Steve Kinne, has received the award. He has been a conservation officer since 1985, and was part of the agency’s investigative division for 11 years before returning to field patrol in Switzerland County.

They are all now in the running for the James D. Pitzer Award for the statewide officer of the year. The award recognizes Pitzer who was fatally shot in 1961 while investigating illegal hunting in Jay County.