The 36th class of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Ross Leffler School of Conservation graduated Feb. 1, adding 18 more officers to the ranks.

Local graduates are Travis L. Brown, of Weatherly, who has been assigned to Schuylkill County; and Jacob A. Wieder, of Alburtis, who has been assigned to Lehigh/Northampton County.

The graduation of new game wardens follows 44 weeks of intensive training, including 10 weeks of field training.

Training School Director Kyle Jury praised graduates for their dedication and demonstrated commitment to our natural resources.

“These 18 new graduates now embark on their careers as state game wardens by serving in geographical districts across the commonwealth,” Jury said. “By pursuing this career path, they fulfill an instrumental part of the agency’s continued and dedicated effort to wildlife conservation. Having these individuals join the ranks of game wardens will strengthen the agency’s efforts to safeguard the hunting heritage the Game Commission was founded on so that it can be passed on to future generations.”

In 1930, Ross Leffler, then president of the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners, proposed the establishment of a training school for game protectors, as game wardens then were called. When the training school opened in 1932, in Brockway, Jefferson County, it was the first such conservation officer training school in the world and served as a model for other states.

From 1932 until 1935, the Ross Leffler School of Conservation offered in-service training for game protectors. The school became a permanent facility until 1986, when it was moved to the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters.