Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Press Releases

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05/21/2021

First Class in Reinvented Special Conservation Officer EnCon Ranger Program to Graduate May 23

The graduating class of 30 recruits, ranging from 21-70 years of age, completed a 120-hour academy to become SCO EnCon Rangers. This is a seasonal, part-time position that will provide great support to DEEP’s EnCon Police. It is a reinvention of a program DEEP utilized in the 1980s and 1990s.

 

SCO EnCon Rangers will be an extension of the EnCon Police’s “eyes and ears” working in the shoreline state parks- Hammonasset, Rocky Neck, Silver Sands, and Sherwood Island. They will be out and about, highly visible in bright yellow shirts, ready to engage with the public seeking to educate first, and if needed, enforce, the laws within the state parks. They do not have arrest powers, and are unarmed, though they can issue infractions.

 

EnCon Police Sgt. Steve Stanko, the Training Sergeant for the SCO EnCon Ranger Program, was thrilled that the program was revived. He said that historically, the program has provided a start to many looking to get into a career in law enforcement. He said that the SCO EnCon Rangers have been trained with an emphasis on community engagement, at a time when accountability and communication is paramount. Stanko said this particular group is excited to get started, really bonding during the academy and embracing the responsibility of being the first class in the reinvented program.

 

“I couldn’t believe the esprit de corps that developed among this group,” he said.

 

DEEP thanks the Old Lyme Board of Education and Old Lyme High School for use of their graduation tent for the ceremony. DEEP officials and members of the graduating class will be available for interviews.

 

WHO: DEEP Deputy Commissioner of Environmental Conservation Mason Trumble; Bureau of Outdoor Recreation Bureau Chief Mike Lambert; Col. Chris Lewis, DEEP EnCon Police; Maj. Brian Newman, DEEP EnCon Police; Sgt. Steve Stanko, DEEP EnCon Police; 2021 SCO EnCon Ranger Program graduating class

WHAT: SCO EnCon Ranger Program Graduation Ceremony

WHEN: Sunday, May 23, 2021; 3 p.m.

WHERE: Old Lyme High School, 69 Lyme St., Old Lyme, CT

 

Photos:

EnCon Rangers on Beach

SCOEnConRangers_beach (Suggested Caption: Soon-to-be DEEP SCO EnCon Rangers Vanessa Bliss, left, and Valerie Perzanowski, right, visit with beachgoers at Hammonasset Beach State Park during a recent training session) Credit: CT DEEP

 

EnCon Classroom

SCOEnConRangers_classroom (Suggested Caption: The 2021 DEEP SCO EnCon Rangers recruit class attending a training session at DEEP Marine Headquarters in Old Lyme) Credit: CT DEEP

 

EnCon Class photo

SCOEnConRangers_ClassPicture (Suggested Caption: The 2021 DEEP SCO EnCon Rangers graduating class. This is the first graduating class of the reinvented program) Credit: Alex Syphers Photography

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Contact

DEEP Communications  
DEEP.communications@ct.gov
860-424-3110