Mark Lamb `79 Receives Prestigious John D. Hart Award

Mark Lamb '79 recently received the John D. Hart Award in recognition for his outstanding dedication to the Colorado Division of Wildlife.  Read his nomination as submitted by fellow professional Eric Harper.

Mark Lamb `79 was recently received the 2009 John D. Hart Wildlife Officer of the Year Award. Mark joined the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) as a district wildlife manager in 1986 starting in the Aurora district. Mark moved to the Fairplay district in February of 1992. Mark is a classic example of the multipurpose district wildlife manager, skilled with outstanding abilities in law enforcement, biology, education, and public/landowner relations. Mark is equally at home chasing bad guys through the woods, talking with county commissioners, helping a child catch their first fish, or representing the division of wildlife on the local HPP committee.

Mark is an extremely effective law enforcement officer whether he is checking anglers at one of the many lakes or streams in South Park or pursuing a complex case involving illegal outfitting and theft. Hunters and anglers often comment about how he seems to be everywhere all the time.

In 2008-09 Mark was the lead officer in investigating an illegal outfitter who was involved in a variety of criminal acts. The violations included unregistered outfitting, forging DOW licenses, license fraud, theft, and illegal take of Samson class wildlife. The outfitter was charged with multiple counts of theft, illegal sale of big game, forgery, and illegal possession. The amount taken from the hunters without providing legal hunts for them exceeded $160,000. During the investigation, Mark worked daily with the District Attorney’s Office to organize and present over 1,000 pages of reports and evidence. Mark in also known statewide as a defensive tactics instructor and member of the defensive tactics board. He routinely provides essential training to new trainees as they begin their careers with the DOW. Mark has most likely not only taught defensive tactics and baton to every DOW officer but has also been an influential part of each officer’s career.

In the last year, Mark has been instrumental in the purchase of the South Park Shooting Range property, the pending purchase of the 1,200 acre Tarryall Creek Ranch, and the ongoing negations with gas developers. Mark also serves as the DOW representative on the Coalition for the Upper South Platte, the Antero Blue Ribbon Panel, and local committees too numerous to mention. Somehow Mark finds time to be a committed husband and father who spends numerous days in the field with his children. It is evident that Mark’s children have acquired a passion for life as well as a passion for the outdoors from their father.

Mark Lamb is the type of officer that makes the badge a little brighter. When you drive through South Park in a DOW truck, you get the feeling that something special is going on there. It is a place where people wave at the DOW trucks and stare a little longer to see who is driving. You can’t go into a restaurant, business, or government office where you are not asked about Mark Lamb. The conversation then typically advances to glowing accolades of a time when Mark helped haul an elk out, fixed a landowner’s fence, or wrote a citizen a ticket. These conversations leave a positive feeling about the important mission of the DOW and the good work of the game warden, Mark Lamb.