A Phillips native will be the new leader of the DNR's Woodruff warden team.
Conservation Warden Chris Bartelt has been promoted to lead the Woodruff Warden Team and will leave his Oneida County post. Bartelt joined the warden team in September of 2017 after serving as a forest ranger at the Northern Highland - American Legion State Forest.
He says in his supervisory role, he wants to address concerns specific to this region...
"...It's very localized in that sense because the Woodruff team up here in Oneida, Vilas and Iron counties, we have very different needs and concerns for the public than say a team down in the LaCrosse area or Madison. Managing all that so all our customers needs are met...."
Bartelt says he'll be in the field in the short term as there are a number of vacancies that haven't been filled..
"There's a pretty good turnover of staff because so many wardens are at the retirment age. Our department was reallty strong, hiring folks in the late '80's and early '90's and those folks are retiring. What that means is we're getting a lot of young faces, a lot of ambitious young people. While we do have some shortages, we're hiring like mad right now and we're doing out best to fill those vacancies...."
Bartelt will succeed DNR Conservation Warden Dave Walz, who is retiring from WDNR.
