That is because of a lack of applicants for the job of game wardens. Last year, Fish and Game received about 300 applications for the Game Warden Academy, operated at the CDF Academy in Ione. This year the number is down to about 90, according to Patrick Foy, spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game. Foy spoke to the Union Democrat and stated that the decline in game warden numbers could hit law enforcement especially hard in rural counties, such as Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne, where environmental and poaching violations are known to occur. "Long term, that just doesn't give us a positive outlook," Foy said.

Foy states that one of the main reasons applications for the position of game warden are so far down comes back to pure economics for prospective law enforcement personnel. The pay scale for game wardens, who are sworn peace officers, is much lower than that offered by other law enforcement agencies. A newly hired Fish and Game warden usually makes about $37,000 a year. In contrast, a California Highway Patrol recruit will make nearly $60,000.

Being a game warden does not remove the danger from being in law enforcement. Many police departments have a rule mandating two officers to each patrol car, especially on graveyard shifts. Foy says "That doesn't go for us. We don't have that luxury," In 2005, a game warden was shot and killed while conducting a raid on a marijuana plantation in Santa Clara County. Locally, game wardens handle many different types of hunting and fishing regulations and they also respond to calls of wildlife coming into contact with humans. With a shortage of game wardens in the state, public safety calls, like reports of bear or mountain lions in backyards, are consuming too much time, Foy said.

Another major component of a game warden's job these days is handling pollution. Game wardens investigate hundreds of hazardous waste spills, such as sewage or chlorine leaks into creeks, each year. Another concern is that the Department of Fish and Game, in general, is under funded and understaffed. The deadline for accepting applications for the game warden academy is Friday and the six-month program starts in January 2008.

Candidates must take a written and physical exam and undergo background checks, drug test and a number of other tests. Candidates who pass all the tests and are accepted into the academy are guaranteed a job with Fish and Game if they make it through. The number of people accepted into the academy changes from year to year depending on the number of jobs that are available. While at the academy, cadets are paid between $2,822 and $3,360 a month. Before applying to the academy, candidates must pass a Fish and Game exam. For more information about becoming a game warden, visit the Fish and Game department's Web site, www.dfg.ca.gov.