On the job in his ‘office’

Many of Tony Young’s favorite hobbies involve going to the office.

His office, however, isn’t a stereotypical cubicle. As a conservation warden with the state Department of Natural Resources, Young’s workplace is the trails, forests, lakes and rivers of Ozaukee County.

“I think you’ll find that out about all wardens,” Young said. “What we do for fun is what we get to protect at work.”

Young, who lives in Port Washington, has been protecting Ozaukee County’s recreational resources since 2013. He grew up in West Allis fishing and hiking with his family. His grandfather would take him fishing in Winneconne and Oshkosh, and Young found places to explore closer to home.

“Whitnall Park was kind of like my wilderness,” he said.

After graduating from West Allis Central in 2006, Young went off to higher education near another lake. Northland College in Ashland is bordered by Lake Superior. Young went from a high school class of 421 to an entire school of 500 to 700 people.

“I loved the small-town feel. You get to know everybody,” he said.

Young was exposed to a host of specialties, including forestry, fisheries, wildlife and environmental studies. He was interested in fisheries and did internships, but it was a ride along with another warden that sealed his interest in law enforcement.

“The science is super important in our field but you need some kind of line of defense,” he said. “There are wrongdoers in anything going on in our world.”

Young earned a degree in natural resources, did field work across the state and attended the Wisconsin State Patrol Academy to become a conservation warden.

Being a conservation warden blends well with Young’s love of the outdoors.

“Not only do you have a passion for that but you can do something about it,” Young said. “It’s very rewarding.”

Growing up in a city while hiking and fishing in urban ponds planted a seed of an idea for later in life.

“That’s what inspired me to do my own fishing clinic,” Young said.

He founded the annual fishing clinic at Harrington Beach State Park in the Town of Belgium. On the first Saturday each June — aside from this year because of Covid-19 — children and families gather around Puckett’s Pond to learn how to fish.

Beginners are basically guaranteed to succeed, since the pond is stocked with fish. Blue gills and bullheads are common catches.

“It’s impossible for them not to catch a fish,” Young said.

Thanks to donations from the Grafton Youth Hunting Association and the Wisconsin Conservation Warden Association, every participant goes home with a rod and reel. Between 100 to 150 people attend, and it’s not all children, Young said. Some adults who have never tried fishing come to learn.

Young said he knows education and public relations are big parts of his job. In summer during the pandemic, enforcing the life jacket rule became commonplace.

“Paddling exploded,” Young said.

“In paddling, there’s really one rule — have a life jacket, and that rule is broken a lot.”

Young, who worked as a lifeguard in college and is on the state’s paddle sports committee, promoted life jacket wearing in signs and social media posts and plans to visit places where kayaks are sold.

“I want people to think of them as a seat belt,” he said of life jackets. “Rivers and lakes are very unforgiving. I don’t care if you’re Michael Phelps.”

While part of his job is enforcement, another part is education, Young said.

Some people who take out a kayak from their grandfather’s pole shed may not know about the life jacket requirement. People who die on the water, he said, are comfortable around water. Those who aren’t bring life jackets.

Another rule Young enforced during the pandemic was keeping people out of Harrington Beach State Park, which closed for a time. Seven citations were issued.

Young does not enjoy giving citations.

“If anyone knows anything about me, it’s I hate paperwork,” he said.

A portion of Young’s work comes from complaints and the rest from observation. In winter, he watches over deer hunting, ice fishing and snowmobiling. In spring, it’s turkey hunting and fishing and in summer nearly all outdoor activities are in full swing.

During the salmon run, Young receives calls constantly. He can stand on the bridge at the Sauk Creek Nature Preserve and watch as many as 20 fishermen up and down the creek.

The rule is that a hook and line have to be used, and the salmon have to be hooked in the mouth. Some people use nets or snag them, which is not allowed, Young said.

Young is the only conservation warden covering Ozaukee County, from public land in Fredonia to Trinity Creek at the county border in Mequon.

“That’s a haul there,” he said of traveling from one place to the other.

Young said he sometimes wishes he could join in while watching people fish, but he said he has also found some new fishing spots.

“That’s the beauty of our jobs as wardens. We’re kind of doing scouting as we watching them,” he said.

The variety of his work and love of the area has kept Young in Ozaukee County.

“I’ve had plenty of opportunities to transfer out. This is where I want to be,” he said.

Besides spending time outdoors, Young likes to play basketball at the YMCA — he misses Joshua Terry, who was shot and killed on the side of I-43 on Oct. 30.

Young has season tickets for the Milwaukee Bucks and works field security for the Milwaukee Brewers. He tackled a streaker in 2015. When he was a teenager, he did game promotions for the team and was a racing sausage. He liked to be the Italian Sausage the best and was one of the fastest runners.

“I did win a lot,” he said.