The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) has been selected as the silver recipient of the 2023 Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) Diversity and Inclusion Award.
The SEAFWA Minorities in Natural Resources Conservation Committee (MINRC) honored the department with the award for “outstanding outreach and workforce initiatives that demonstrate the level of intentionality necessary to create diverse, inclusive, and safe spaces in the outdoors.” The MINRC also recognized the department for “demonstrating their commitment to the inclusion of underrepresented populations in Louisiana.”
“This award is extremely meaningful to this department because it shows that we are doing critical things to build an inclusive community inside and outside of the agency. Those efforts have been a key element of this administration,” said LDWF Secretary Robert Shadoin, who, earlier this year, appointed Col. Rachel Zechenelly, a 24-year veteran of LDWF’s Enforcement Office, as the first woman to head that department.
SEAFWA is an organization of agencies with the responsibility for management and protection of the fish and wildlife resources in 15 states. Several other states include Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
“This citation from SEAFWA is especially important because it shows that LDWF’s committed personnel and community outreach efforts are impressive and noteworthy to outside observers,” Shadoin said.
Here are some examples of the department’s efforts:
- The Enforcement Division established a recruiting section in 2017 with a focus on attracting and retaining the best, brightest, and most talented candidates by proactively looking for diverse individuals to become a part of the division. Since then, the recruiting section has grown with two full-time recruiters and 16 agents across the state tasked with part-time recruiting.
- The recruiting section has also added a college internship program that provides students at the undergraduate level with relevant experience in conservation law enforcement. The recruiting section recently launched a mentorship program that offers a structured setting to develop relationships between incoming cadets and established agents.
- LDWF has designed several programs that provide opportunities for outdoor knowledge, use of outdoor resources, and outdoor career opportunities.
- LDWF has fishing outreach programs that provide easy and affordable access to quality fishing locations close to cities and towns. The department collaborates with local governments and community organizations to stock public fishing ponds with catfish in the spring and fall and rainbow trout in the winter. The department also partners with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation to present Fishing 101 Workshops across the state.
- LDWF also administers the Archery in Louisiana Schools program, sponsored by the Louisiana Wildlife Agents Association, and is a part of the National Archery in Schools Program. This program teaches international target archery skills to students in grades four through 12.
- The department also offers Beyond Becoming an Outdoors Woman and Families Understanding Nature Camp workshops that provide women and families opportunities to hone their outdoor skills.
