I commend Gov. Mark Sanford for his budget proposal to add 40 new conservation officers and to increase salaries for current officers at the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

For too long, these officers have not received the attention or support they deserve from state lawmakers. As a result, DNR has lost 94 law enforcement officers during the past five years, reducing its force to only 201 field officers statewide. Currently, 13 of the state’s 46 counties have only one or two conservation officers.

The mission of a conservation officer is diverse, while the responsibility is enormous; I believe that few people outside of the agency truly understand or appreciate the job these individuals do. They are on the job Monday through Friday, nights, weekends and holidays and are trained and equipped to traverse wilderness, woods and water. Simply put, they can go where others can’t, and their intimate knowledge of the terrain is invaluable.

DNR, along with the Coast Guard, is responsible for offshore patrols and port security, as well as patrolling the inland water around the state’s nuclear facilities. Security experts agree that if South Carolina were to come under terrorist attack, it would most likely occur through our ports or inland waterways, where a nuclear facility is the target. Under this sobering scenario, Natural Resources officers are the state’s first line of defense. On numerous occasions, State Law Enforcement Division chief and state director of Homeland Security Robert Stewart has referred to DNR as, “South Carolina’s Navy.”

Since 9/11, conservation officers in the Charleston area alone have handled 75 percent of escorts in and out of Charleston Harbor, the fourth-largest container port on the East Coast. They escort cruise ships, cargo ships and even military vessels transporting our soldiers overseas.

Inland, officers have logged more than 10,000 hours patrolling municipal water supply intakes, bridges and nuclear power plants. This added responsibility is being performed with fewer officers, creating a real security risk.

In 2004, our law enforcement officers, divers, pilots and special investigators spent hundreds of hours assisting other state, local and federal law enforcement agencies. In the event of a natural disaster DNR provides essential, critical services. For example, during hurricanes Francis, Ivan and Gaston, DNR officers worked alongside other state and county law enforcement agencies conducting evacuations, security patrols, search and rescue missions, cleanup and re-entry after the disaster.

DNR officers are responsible for boating safety enforcement and education on the state’s 8,000 miles of rivers, 460,000 acres of lakes and 3,000 miles of coastline. South Carolinians love boating. There are about 400,000 registered boats in the state, the third-highest per capita in the nation.

As our state grows, the role and responsibilities of the DNR law enforcement officer will continue to expand and become more complex. Daily, these officers conserve our natural resources, protect our citizenry, and enhance and protect our quality of life.

It is essential that we provide more conservation officers and increase the pay of all those protecting our state. I encourage all South Carolinians and members of the General Assembly to support our law enforcement officers in this year’s state budget.

Mr. Campbell serves as vice chairman of the Natural Resources Board and chairman of the DNR Law Enforcement Advisory Committee. He has also been a volunteer DNR deputy law enforcement officer for several years.