BEND, Ore. -- The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division recognized the exceptional work of troopers from the Central Oregon Team Tuesday when Capt. Jeff Samuels announced they were the recipients of the Division's Team of the Year award for 2009.

This is the fourth presentation of the award since the OSP F&W Division implemented a new program celebrating and recognizing the outstanding teamwork by our troopers in protecting Oregon's natural resources.

Supervised by Sergeant David Pond, the nine-member Central Oregon Team is comprised of one sergeant and 8 troopers assigned to OSP offices in Bend, Madras and Prineville.

Challenged by diverse natural resource enforcement issues in this fast-growing area of the state, COT members work closely with members of neighboring fish & wildlife enforcement teams and are very involved in their communities with local user groups and the media.

Team members maintain a cooperative working relationship with the Warm Springs Tribe, US Forest Service, BLM, and Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, and are very active with the local Oregon Hunter's Association Chapters giving presentations on enforcement and protection efforts.

In making the surprise announcement to COT members at the OSP Bend Area Command office, Samuels said, "This award reflects your teamwork, leadership, work ethic, commitment and overall professionalism."

Ranging from five to 28 years of OSP service, the following OSP F&W Central Oregon Team members have a total of 129 years of law enforcement experience:

* Sergeant David Pond (OSP Bend)

* Senior Trooper James Hayes (OSP Bend)

* Senior Trooper Greg Love (OSP Bend)

* Senior Trooper Andrew Menlow (OSP Bend)

* Trooper Travis Ring (OSP Bend)

* Senior Trooper Mark Prodzinski (OSP Madras)

* Senior Trooper Chuck Lindberg (OSP Madras)

* Senior Trooper Amos Madison (OSP Prineville)

* Senior Trooper Rich Young (OSP Prineville)

Some of the year's highlights involving the Central Oregon Team were:

* Senior Trooper James Hayes received a report of a person that shot a 4x4 buck at Oatman Flats. Thinking it was strange that the person would drive over irrigation pipes to retrieve the shot buck, the complainant video taped the person leaving providing important evidence to help identify the vehicle. Hayes provided the vehicle's description to OSP patrol troopers in the Oakridge area who spotted and stopped the vehicle, finding a large 4x4 buck and the weapon used to shoot it. Hayes responded to the stop location and developed further information that led to a search warrant being served at the suspect's residence where troopers later found evidence of four unlawfully taken blacktail deer bucks, seizing deer meat, antlers, and other evidence. The suspect was charged with Theft in the First Degree (3 counts), Unlawfully Taking Deer (4 counts), Unlawfully Taking Elk (2 counts, and Theft of Lost, Mislaid Property.

* Assigned to work the lower Deschutes River from May through November, Senior Trooper Chuck Lindberg works closely with BLM and the Warm Springs Tribe to provide enforcement protection on this 100 mile wild and scenic stretch. Lindberg is very active on the river with fish & wildlife, criminal and traffic enforcement, wild and scenic waterway rules, and Marine Board enforcement. OSP receives consistent praise from area partners and the Lower Deschutes River Managers Group for its enforcement efforts and work to maintaining a family atmosphere on the river.

* Senior Trooper Andrew Menlow, an OSP pilot assigned to the Fish & Wildlife Division, frequently assists other trooper and partner agencies with flight needs, and is called upon to assist local law enforcement with search & rescue operations and aerial searches.

* As part of an investigation involving the illegal possession of a deer, the COT team developed suspects and learned one of them had bragged about killing a cow elk with a bow and arrow without having the required elk tag. A search warrant was obtained and led to recovering evidence of the illegally taken elk. Upon the investigation's conclusion, the suspects were facing several charges including Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Deer, and Taking Elk without a Valid Tag.

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A Bend-area Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division trooper known by his supervisor as "one of the most diligent troopers I have ever met in locating and apprehending criminals" received the division's 2009 "Fish & Wildlife Division Officer of the Year" award.

Senior Trooper James Hayes, age 36, was presented the award Tuesday by Captain Jeff Samuels, OSP Fish & Wildlife Division director, and his supervisor, Sergeant David Pond, during a presentation at the OSP Bend Area Command office.

This is the fourth annual presentation of the division's award based on criteria including professionalism, dedication to citizens and natural resources of our State, and work ethic. Nominations were received from around the State and reviewed by regional and General Headquarters staff before the announcement of the award recipient.

A member of the Central Oregon Team, a nine-member OSP F&W team selected Tuesday to receive the "2009 Fish & Wildlife Division Team of the Year" award; Hayes has been assigned in the F&W Division for seven of the 11 years he has worked for OSP. Pond noted that Hayes' work is an example of his well-rounded approach to keeping an eye out for people committing any type of crime or traffic offense.

During 2009, Senior Trooper Hayes investigated and successfully concluded a variety of cases, including:

* A lengthy investigation into criminal fish & wildlife crimes in Oregon and Idaho that ultimately uncovered video tapes featuring at least four suspects involved in illegal taking of wildlife, and the seizure of taxidermy mounts of bear, deer, cougar, and moose. The suspects were charged with multiple crimes in Oregon and Idaho.

* While patrolling a highway east of Bend using Patrol Division overtime grant funds, Hayes stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation and noted a small amount of blood on the passenger door and an odor of fresh meat. Subsequent investigation revealed the two occupants had 3 antelope and a deer. Each faced charges for Illegal Possession of Antelope and Illegal Possession of Deer.

* Receiving a report from US Forest Service employees of two subjects putting deer meat into a vehicle, Hayes responded from over 100 miles away to investigate and asked two deputies to contact the subject until he could arrive. Using the meat's temperature obtained with a thermometer, Hayes determined the two bucks were killed at separate locations and were not road struck deer as had been first claimed. The suspects were charged with numerous fish & wildlife offenses.

Hayes joined OSP in 1999, when he was assigned in the Patrol Services Division at the Gilchrist work site. He transferred to the Fish & Wildlife Division at the Bend Area Command office in 2005.

Previous honorees were Trooper Marc Boyd from the Springfield Area Command office (2008), Sergeant Todd Hoodenpyl from the Tillamook work site (2007), and the award's first recipient in 2006, Luke Schwartz who is now assigned as a Patrol Sergeant at the Tualatin work site.

The primary responsibility of the Fish & Wildlife Division is enforcement of fish, wildlife, and commercial fishing laws and protection of natural resources. The members of the Fish and Wildlife Division also enforce traffic, criminal, boating, livestock and environmental protection laws in addition to responding to emergency situations.