The state added 10 new game wardens to its ranks at a graduation ceremony at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro on Friday. The wardens will fill 10 vacant positions in districts across the state.

The newest Maine game wardens and their districts: Alan Curtis, Kennebunk; Tony Gray, South Paris; Ryan Fitzpatrick, Rumford; James Babiarz, Jackman; Tom McKenney, Ripogenus Dam; Dan Christianson, Topsfield; Charles Brown, Oakland; Josh Smith, Monticello; Preston Pomerleau, Ashland; Adrian Marquis, Madawaska.

“The Maine Warden Service has a history that dates back over 125 years, and I am pleased to say that with the addition of these new game wardens, the future of the Maine Warden Service is in good hands,” said Roland D. Martin, Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife commissioner.

The graduation marks the culmination of 32 weeks of training for the game wardens, including a 20-week Basic Law Enforcement Training Program followed by a 12-week advance warden service academy.

The advanced warden training is designed to provide newly hired game wardens with the basic skills necessary to perform their duties as a District Game Warden.

It encompasses a number of topics, including but not limited to search and rescue, warden patrol techniques, wildlife and fisheries management, equipment maintenance, public relations, public speaking, fish and wildlife law, investigative techniques, and a practical exercise.

Beginning Sunday, the new game wardens will continue their training with an eight-week field training officer program.

Each of the new wardens will work under the direct guidance of an experienced game warden and will be evaluated by field supervisors. During this training, new game wardens are evaluated while performing their duties and critiqued daily as to their strengths and areas in need of improvement.

Upon successful completion of the Field Training Officer Program, the wardens will begin their patrols under the supervision of a sectional sergeant.

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