Shikar-Safari Club Interational award puts Stones in elite company
PRATT -- Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) natural resource officer Larry Stones has been honored with the Shikar-Safari Club International Wildlife Officer of the Year award. Stones, from Kirwin, received the award in February in recognition of efforts above and beyond activities normally associated with "game wardens."

In nominating Stones for the award, Region 1 Law Enforcement Supervisor Mel Madorin said, "Officer Stones made 53 cases during the 2007 hunting season, but he also does a great job of preventing violations. He does a weekly radio program where he speaks on a wide variety of topics, including regulations and ethics. He is very well-known in his district and teaches hunter education, boater education, and furharvester education in towns throughout his district and beyond. He regularly gives general public programs that includes a skins and skulls identification program he created. Because of this emphasis on education as well as enforcement, I believe that Officer Stones is one of our very best."

"Throughout his career, Officer Stones has become the embodiment of what a wildlife officer should be," Kevin Jones, KDWP Law Enforcement Division director, added. "He is relentless in pursuit of violators and is recognized as an effective and fair law enforcement officer. His efforts have gained him community support and established an information network of concerned citizens in his district."

Each year, Shikar-Safari honors one officer that each state believes has done the most outstanding job in enforcement of their game laws, protection of wildlife, and implementation of conservation programs. The group also provides a $20,000 death benefit for all recipients of Wildlife Officer of the Year award killed in the line of duty.

Formed in 1952, the Shikar-Safari Club International was formed as a social hunting organization but soon recognized its potential to contribute to conservation efforts. In 1973, the Shikar-Safari International Foundation was formed to raise money for various conservation efforts throughout the world.
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