KAMSACK - Conservation officers have mounds of duties in protecting and caring for the province’s wildlife, as well as educating the communities they serve about the same.
The Kamsack Times and SaskToday.ca learned in September and October of 2024 an unlawfully harvested moose was seized by Duck Mountain conservation officers, and a shot and left elk was also salvaged by officers.
In a Sask. Association of Conservation Officers social media post, it was stated, “After testing was done to ensure there was no disease, officers approached Lorne’s Butcher Block in Kamsack to do the hard work, who then graciously offered to cut and wrap the meat for free for the Yorkton and Foam Lake Food Banks."
These efforts outline the probably unknown efforts that conservation officers are part of - always doing their best to make the best out of a bad situation.
Lorne’s Butcher Block, a business in Kamsack, said COs picked up and delivered the finished product and delivered the donation to Yorkton and Foam Lake Food Banks on Dec. 19 of 2024.
The Kamsack business graciously offered to cut and wrap the meat for free in their efforts to give back to the communities they serve, as that’s part of their continued business practice.
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The two animals produced approximately 500 pounds of processed meat, which was split up evenly for the two food banks in forms of ground meat, stew meat, and soup bones. Thanks to the generous and quick work of Lorne’s Butcher Block, officers were able to make the food donations just in time for the holidays.
An employee spokesperson for Lorne’s Butcher Block said they are continually involved in different aspects of their community to perform in-kind labour as the owners stress being helpful and inclusive with their community.
“Our business enjoys working with partners and we enjoy communities around us. We have a phenomenal relationship with conservation officers and were more than happy to help them in their efforts to make something good of the seized elk and moose.”
The Kamsack butcher business says five staff gave up close to 200 hours to complete the task, which they were all happy to do, knowing the cause it was benefitting.
“We do it because it’s a good thing to do, not because we are expecting recognition from it. Nobody should go hungry and we were happy to help these food banks without hesitation,” continued the business spokesperson.
The business says they felt a sense of purpose in making something good out of something negative. You can follow this local business on their Facebook page.
Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety says of their role in this pay it forward act, "Conservation officers work to protect Saskatchewan's fish and wildlife resources, ensuring they are harvested sustainably and ethically. Whenever possible, illegally harvested fish and wild game seized during investigations is donated to food banks or local First Nations, where it is put to good use in the communities that conservation officers serve."
