Local game warden receives national award
By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
Randy Lusetti, a game warden for the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), has been named the National Wildlife Officer of the Year by the North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association.
The annual award was given to the Reno based game warden in a ceremony held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada during the organization’s annual conference July 20.
The award is given every year the nation’s top game warden, and Lusetti is the first Nevada game warden to receive the top honor.
"Nevadans can take pride that we have wildlife officers like Randy Lusetti at work in our state," said Governor Brian Sandoval. "The task of protecting wildlife through the careful and fair enforcement of our laws is an important part of a mission that also includes the promotion of hunting and fishing safety."
Lusetti patrols vast areas of Northern Washoe County.
He has made significant cases for the department and spends many of his nights, weekends and holidays watching out for Nevada’s wildlife.
Lusetti stressed when accepting the award that he is part of a committed team, a sentiment echoed by NDOW leadership.
“We have always known that Nevada game wardens are some of the best in the nation,” said Ken Mayer, Director of NDOW. “This award is both an honor and a validation of the commitment of all of our officers.”
The North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association is an 8,000 member organization of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement officers from across North America.