Oversight hearing of Department of Agriculture conservation officers

Protecting Guam’s natural resources takes more than just policy — it requires boots on the ground. During an oversight hearing, Department of Agriculture director Chelsa Muña updated lawmakers on the agency’s conservation officers, including progress on the Conservation Officer Apprenticeship Program, preparations and the need to strengthen enforcement and citation authority as the department works to expand its conservation law enforcement presence across the island.

Protecting Guam’s natural resources takes more than policy — it takes enforcement. 

During an oversight hearing , Muña updated lawmakers on the progress and challenges facing the island’s conservation officers. In Fiscal Year 2024, the department had five conservation officers and eleven reservists funded through the General Fund — a number the agency says was not enough to fully cover enforcement needs across the island. But that’s beginning to change with the launch of the Conservation Officer Apprenticeship Program.

Muna said, "In 2026 we were able to recruit and start off our conservation apprenticeship program. We started off with 14 apprentices that were funded through the arpa funding provided by Lieutenant Governor [Joshua] Tenorio at the time."

Muña says with federal ARP funding now expired, the department transitioned most of those positions to the local General Fund. Still, the program saw some attrition. "We lost four apprentices from the program and after the transition to the General Fund we lost two more to federal jobs," she explained.

The remaining apprentices are now in the final stages of training. They are currently completing Block 7, which focuses on first responder training and officer survival skills, with the final phase set to begin later this month. Muna said, "We anticipate the conclusion of the apprenticeship program on April 15, 2026."

Once completed, the department expects to field a 16-member conservation law enforcement team — a level of staffing Muña says has not been seen in decades. Those officers are responsible for enforcing a wide range of environmental protections. "Conservation hunting and fishing to everything on our endangered species list which the officers provide support for, as well as fishing regulations that are not just restricted to our marine protected areas but also fishing regulations and locations for fishing," she said.

And their role continues to grow. The department is developing a new fisheries management plan, which will add even more responsibilities for conservation officers. They are also assisting other divisions within the agency.

"Our conservation officers have also now assumed the additional responsibility of assisting our Forestry and Soil and Resources Division who conduct arson wildland investigations. They were trained in this as well, so they incurred additional training," she said.

Another emerging concern officers are helping address is livestock and agricultural theft, which officials say has been increasing on island. "Relative to the penalties for livestock and agricultural theft which has proven to be an increasing criminal offense on island," she said.

With the apprenticeship program nearing completion, agriculture officials say the expanded force will help strengthen enforcement and better protect Guam’s land, wildlife, and marine resources.