The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District is welcoming three new hires.
The organizations created the Ranger Cadet Program. Director of Marketing and Communications Adria Bergeron says this is a workforce development initiative.
“What we have offered is enrollment in a MWCD approved peace officer training program. They are employed by the MWCD while they are going through the academy and upon completion they will work for the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District.”
Bergeron says this endeavor sees MWCD paying peace officer training tuition for interested candidates who otherwise might not be in a position to afford the cost.
“They’ve already got a family, or they’ve got expenses so it’s not easy to just stop everything and go through the police academy. This was the opportunity for us to hire them before they even started the academy and allow them to work for us during and then after they complete that as well.”
With roughly 5 million guests visiting MWCD lakes each summer, Bergeron says rangers are an important component to ensure safety on the water and in the campgrounds.
“Many different departments have faced a lack of rangers and recruiting and retaining them has been challenging, so this was an attempt to combat that.”
The first cadet group has three hires for Pleasant Hill Park, Charles Mill Park, and Tappan Lake Park.
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