Cheyenne – Grant Gerharter, south Cody game warden, was named the “2018 Wildlife Officer of the Year” for Wyoming. The award, given annually in every state and Canadian province by the Shikar-Safari Club International, honors an officer whose efforts during the year displayed outstanding performance and achievement.

“Grant is an extremely dedicated employee who works tireless hours to protect Wyoming’s wildlife resource,” said Scott Werbelow, Cody region game warden coordinator. “His devotion to Wyoming is reflected in his knowledge of the wildlife and the efforts he made to build relationships with landowners and the public. He is very deserving of this award.”

Gerharter’s nomination noted his fair and thorough approach to law enforcement. Known for his exemplary interview skills and dedicated work ethic, Gerharter was recognized for solving many complex wildlife crimes. The public knows him as friendly and extremely knowledgeable within his district, including the back country. This expertise is valued by landowners, outfitters and the public as well as Game and Fish colleagues.

“Grant’s expertise in the back country has helped with wildlife management tasks in the Cody region, including trophy game conflicts, placing trail cameras in remote areas or picking up collars dropped by animals. Much of this has to be done on horseback in very remote and rugged areas,” said Werbelow.

“He does an excellent job with biologists and others to better manage Wyoming’s wildlife and meet the needs of his constituents while maintaining healthy populations of big game animals in his warden district.”

The Shikar-Safari Club International is an organization dedicated to preserving wildlife through sportsmanship and conservation. Gerharter was presented with his award and publicly recognized at the March Game and Fish Commission meeting in Cody.