TWRA Officer Joe Fortner Honored

NASHVILLE — The Shikar–Safari Club International has honored Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) Officer Joe Fortner as its Tennessee Wildlife Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for 2007.
Fortner was presented the award by Dr. John Gayden, of Memphis, a representative of Shikar-Safari Club International. The award presentation was made at the November meeting of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission held at TWRA Region II Headquarters in Nashville.

Fortner serves TWRA as an officer in Williamson County, facing the task of being the only TWRA Wildlife Officer in the state’s fastest growing county.

The annual award from the conservation-based organization honors the officer whose efforts during the year show outstanding performance and achievement among TWRA law enforcement personnel. Fortner is very active in Williamson County and is a strong ambassador for TWRA.  His selection by the Shikar-Safari Club is for his dedication, professionalism, effectiveness, and demeanor with the public and his fellow workers.

The urban growth facing Williamson County has meant a challenge to help wildlife and people coexist. Fortner used his media efforts to educate residents on how to deal with wildlife. He also spent a lot of time on removing nuisance wildlife and again showing the public how to handle these problems themselves.

Fortner is the latest in his family to serve in the wildlife enforcement field. Fortner’s father’s, Tony, retired with 30 years as a wildlife officer in Williamson County, and his uncle, Billy Ray, is a law enforcement officer supervisor in Region I, Area 13 in West Tennessee.

Shikar-Safari Club International was founded in 1952 for the purpose of advancing knowledge concerning wildlife of the world, independently and in cooperation with zoological societies, universities and museums. Each year, the club sponsors an award for the Wildlife Officer of the Year in all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces.