Two Choctaw County men are the newest Conservation Officers with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. William Evans of Ackerman and Hayes Wood of French Camp recently graduated with several other members of the M i s s i s s i p p i Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) 2024 Conservation Officer Cadet Class. According to a release, these officers will now be assigned throughout the state to further the mission of conserving, enhancing, and protecting our stateís natural resources. Evans has been assigned to Carroll County and will remain close to home and Wood has been assigned to Scott County. The release went on to stated that the Conservation Officer Cadet Class completed 24 total weeks of training. They completed 13 weeks at the M i s s i s s i p p i Conservation Officer Training Academy (MCTOA) and 11 weeks at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officer Training Academy ( M L E O T A ) . Throughout their training, the cadets learned important skills such as water survival tactics, hunter education, hunting incident investigations, firearms training, and more. Other graduates are Caleb Austin Ripley, MS; Zackery Bagwell ñ Pontotoc, MS; Kaeleb Carithers ñ Ruth, MS; David Culbertson ñ Vicksburg, MS; DeVante Davis ñ Port Gibson, MS; JheVante Davis ñ Port Gibson, Joshua Evans ñ Meadville, MS; Cole Galloway ñ Sandyhook, MS; Adam Haygood ñ Summit, MS; Richard Johnson ñ Ruth, MS; Chase Kennedy ñ Brandon, MS; Jacy Maher ñ Pattison, MS; John McElwain ñ Falkner, MS; Jonathan Pippen ñ Bay Springs, MS; Mason Thomas ñ Enterprise, MS; Billie Waltman ñ Grenada, MS; and Austin Wooldridge ñ Decatur, MS. ìWe are proud of these officers for the hard work and dedication they demonstrated throughout their training. We wish them all a rewarding and safe career as they step into their roles protecting our stateís wildlife and natural resources,î said Col. Jerry Carter, MDWFP Chief of Law Enforcement. The mission of the M i s s i s s i p p i Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks is to conserve and enhance Mississippiís wildlife, fisheries, and parks; provide quality outdoor recreation, and engage the public in natural resource conservation.
