Iowa's park rangers will become conservation officers. What we know about the change
The state of Iowa is doing away with state park rangers as part of a recent state agency realignment plan under the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Park rangers will transition to conservation officers at Iowa's 69 state parks, according to The Cedar Rapids Gazette.
What do Iowa park rangers do?
Iowa park rangers enforce natural resources, conservation and outdoor recreation, according to the Iowa Department of Administrative Services. They share conservation information for various groups including schools, civic and naturalists. Park rangers must be well-informed on fishing and game laws. They conduct hunter safety courses and assist the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in conservation management, such as fish and wildlife census data.
Complaints about poachers or animal tracks are also investigated by park rangers. Any wildlife damage or pollution releases and impacts are also managed by park rangers, according to the Iowa Department of Administrative Services.
Park rangers were evicted from state-provided housing in 2022 due to maintenance costs. Critics said having full-time staff at state parks deterred criminal activity and shorted response time in emergency cases.
How will conservation officers differ from park rangers in Iowa?
Conservation officers will patrol one or more counties, as opposed to being assigned to a specific park, according to The Cedar Rapids Gazette.
“Under alignment, State Park Managers and Natural Resource Technicians will exclusively handle state park operations, allowing DNR’s sworn peace officers to solely focus on law enforcement tasks,” Iowa DNR spokeswoman Tammie Krausman told The Cedar Rapids Gazette in an email.
Like park rangers, conservation officers will be responsible for enforcing hunting laws and incidents relating to outdoor recreation, according to the IDNR. The Law Enforcement Bureau has 78 field conservation officers and they are all certified state peace officers.
What does the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say about the elimination of park rangers?
The elimination of park rangers is not intended to save money or affect safety at state parks, according to The Gazette.
“It will be exactly as it is now,” Krausman told The Gazette. “Anyone experiencing an emergency in state parks or any other public area should call 911. The dispatcher will direct the closest law enforcement to respond. This is not a change from the current protocol.”
When traffic picks up during state parks' busy month, the Iowa DNR will use seasonal officers to help enforce laws. From April 15 to October 15 the seasonal officers will serve as park managers, technicians and security officers, according to The Gazette.
But opponents of the change argued seasonal officers aren't enough, and law enforcement doesn't have enough time to regularly watch state parks, according to the Gazette. As many as 16 million people visit Iowa state parks in a year, many of which need repairs, according to the Gazette.
What is the state of Iowa's government realignment plan?
Reclassifying park rangers is just one portion of the realignment plan proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2023 and passed by the legislature. The overall bill shrunk the number of cabinet-level government agencies from 37 to 16.
It gave Reynolds more power over appointments, firing and salaries of the highest state employees.
More: Iowa lawmakers pass 1,500-page plan to reshape state government. Who wins, who loses:
The goal of the realignment was to make the government smaller and more efficient, but Democrats feared the reorganization would limit services for Iowans.
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa will no longer have park rangers. What to know about the change
