Interesting opportunity at Fort Ripley

Volunteer Actors at Conservation Officer Training Academy
Use your acting skills to bring some “reality” to officer cadets training to become Conservation Officers. The Enforcement Training Academy needs volunteers to act in various training scenarios during Academy 18 at Camp Ripley, Little Falls. These scenarios occur one day on a weekly basis during the academy going on now through August 14, 2018. You may volunteer for one or more days. Bring a friend! At least 25 volunteers are needed.

Volunteers will:

Act out various scenes of hunting, fishing, boating, ATV riding, etc.
Act like a real-life hunter, fisher, trapper, boater, etc.

This means as an actor you might:

Play it straight, as if they weren’t the violator
Try to help the violator by trying to talk the cadet “officer” out of writing a ticket
Hide extra game in another cooler under a tarp in your pickup and see if the cadet discovers it

For example, Game Enforcement Scenarios would have 5 or more sites set up with at least 2 actors at each site:

Site A is “Fail to Validate Site Tag” scenario

Site B is “Decoy Use/Shoot from roadway or motor vehicle” scenario

Site C is “Pheasant Hunter check / taking of a hen pheasant” scenario and so on.

Actors are encouraged to try to be realistic – sometimes you get to be antagonistic and rude, sometimes cooperative. The goal is to give the cadets a taste of “real life” duty. Acting experience is helpful, as is some experience with hunting, fishing, or boating, but are not necessary to participate.

Volunteers are provided with:

instruction
equipment to use for scenarios
refreshments and meals
bug spray and sunscreen
mileage reimbursement to and from Camp Ripley

Scenario training day happens 1 day a week each week of Academy 18 (May 2 through Aug. 14, 2018); days are approximately 12 hours long so officers can experience scenarios at various times of the day.

For more information or to sign up, contact Conservation Officer Mike Lee, Academy Director, 1501 Hwy 115, Nelson Hall, Little Falls, MN 56345 at 320-412-1176Call: 320-412-1176 or email Mike.lee@state.mn.us