18 THE AUDUBON (BU DET ara 
The conservation officer is the Illinois Department of Conservation as 
far as the average person is concerned. A sportsman seldom has an op- 
portunity to talk with a wildlife technician or a conservation administrator, 
but the county officer is no farther away than the telephone. And in the 
officer’s home, the telephone rings day and night. The conservation may 
concern the registration of a duck blind in public waters, it may be about 
illegal hunting or a highway deer kill, or it may be an attempt to settle 
a 2 a.m. tavern argument on whether or not channel catfish will eat wild 
grapes that fall into streams. 
Apprehending violators is one method of law enforcement, and pay- 
ment of a fine is sometimes the only way to convince some people that 
they must not hold state law in contempt. Another way to prevent violations 
is to inform people of the law, a process of education. Conservation officers 
talk to sportmen’s clubs, service organizations, and other groups on regula- 
tions and other aspects of conservation. 
Illinois ranked fourth among the 50 states in the number of outboard 
motors in use last year. ‘Chicago is the second largest market for boats and 
motors in the nation. The waters of the Chain-O-Lakes and the Alton- 
Wood River areas are considered to be some of the most congested in the 
United States. In 1960 the Illinois General Assembly passed the Boat 
Safety Act, a law that required all powered boats to be numbered. The 
Act made it incumbent upon boat operators to observe safety regulations 
and demonstrate common sense when boating. Conservation officers were 
handed the responsbility of policing Illinois waters. 
Boats in use have increased since the Act was passed, but the number 
of boating accidents has decreased. Fully 128,000 boats were registered in 
1961. There were 106 accidents reported that year; 81 people were injured 
and 37 were killed in Illinois. In 1963 there were 95 accidents; 58 boaters 
were injured and 32 killed. There were 161,068 boats registered in Illinois 
last year. Better law enforcement, the zoning of water for special use, 
warning byoys to travel at “no wake” speeds in fishing areas, regulations 
to keep clear of swimming areas, and education of boaters on safe handling 
are reasons for the decrease in accidents. 
Another important educational phase of the conservation officer’s job 
is hunter safety. In 1963 there were 34 hunting accidents involving guns 
in Illinois, and five were fatal accidents. About a half million hunting 
licenses are sold every year in Illinois, and so it is evident that hunt- 
ing is safer than most people realize. Accidents are avoidable. Guns 
are not responsible for hunting accidents; when the man behind the gun 
doesn’t think and doesn’t realize the potential of the weapon he carries, 
the stage is set for an accident. Hunter safety education is the best way 
of reducing gun accidents in the field. The Department of Conservation 
conducts safety schools in cooperation with the National Rifle Association. 
Conservation officers who complete 16 hours of class work and pass 
a written examination are certified as hunter safety instructors. They in 
turn organize schools and teach hunter safety. Since the start of the pro- 
gram, 1,071 adults have been qualified as instructors and 8,330 students 
have been qualified as safe hunters. 
Last year the Izaak Walton League honored county conservation officers 
considered to be doing an outstanding job by local chapters of the League. 
Four Illinois officers received the award. They were Merlin Howe, Whiteside 
County; Hank Hannah, Rock Island County; Bob Ericson, Knox County; 
