For the foreseeable future, Officer Wegener will concentrate the majority of his law enforcement efforts in southern Nevada, at Desert NWRC. This Complex is comprised of 4 refuges and includes approximately 1.7 million acres of refuge lands. Desert NWR, at 1.6 million acres, is the largest refuge in the lower 48 states, and was established for protection of desert bighorn sheep. Ash Meadows and Moapa Valley NWRs were established for the protection of endangered species, and Pahranagat NWR was created as a sanctuary for waterfowl. The Complex is located in close proximity to Las Vegas, which is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States. It is estimated that a net of 5000 people per month move to Las Vegas, with the current population exceeding 1.6 million. Desert NWR now abruptly interfaces with the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, with virtually no buffer between.

What does this mean for refuge law enforcement? Because of the enormous refuge acreage, located in immediate proximity to the large urban population, along with minimal prior refuge officer presence, current law enforcement problems abound. The wide variety of illegal activities include prolific off-road vehicle use; harassment of threatened species (desert tortoise); destruction of habitat; looting and destruction of cultural resource sites; stolen vehicle stripping, burning, and dumping; illegal drug use; firearms violations; homicides; vandalism and destruction of property, among others.

Since joining the USFWS, Officer Wegener has begun addressing a variety of law enforcement issues that have been problematic to refuges in southern Nevada for a very long time. Officer Wegener has investigated and recovered several stolen and abandoned vehicles, some of which were burned; worked with local sheriff's departments and other USFWS dual function employees on search and rescue and accidental death incidents; investigated numerous off-road vehicle violations; and contacted many visitors providing information and assistance. Officer Wegener has also been performing hunting enforcement patrols during the current waterfowl and upland game seasons. Many refuge visitors have been surprised and extremely happy to finally see a law enforcement presence on these refuges.

Officer Wegener has also enhanced the coordination of the refuge law enforcement program with other federal, state, and local agencies. He has attended meetings and assumed the role of refuge law enforcement representative on the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) Interagency Resource Protection Team, Law Enforcement Heads of Agency Coordinating Committee, and Southern Nevada Environmental Task Force. He has been coordinating cooperative radio agreements for law enforcement dispatch and communications support with the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Officer Wegener has also coordinated investigations with the BLM under the authority of the Department of Interior's Cooperative Interagency Law Enforcement Agreement. These efforts will continue to improve the service that we can provide to the public as well as our ability to work with other law enforcement agencies.