Wisconsin DNR honors its 2025 Warden of the Year

New London, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced that Lt. Jonathan Kaiser was named the 2025 Warden of the Year.

Known among the DNR Division of Public Safety and Resource Protection’s conservation wardens as the go-to dependable teammate, Lt. Kaiser has spent his entire career perfecting the community policing model, and his performance is second to none.

He was presented the Haskell Noyes Warden of the Year Award by its Milwaukee family sponsors in New London on July 25 at a ceremony attended by current and retired wardens, family and friends.

The Warden of the Year award is named after a prominent businessman and World War I officer – Haskell Noyes. Noyes was a pioneer Wisconsin conservationist who created the warden award to give credit for faithful and able service. The award includes a gold pocket watch with an inscription stating the timepiece honors warden efficiency for “Faithful and Able Service” to the state. For more than nine decades, the Noyes family has maintained the award, first presented to Ernie Swift in 1930.

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Lt. Jeff Lautenslager, a colleague of Lt. Kaiser, nominated Warden Kaiser for the 2025 Warden of the Year.

“Jon’s true passions are being a team player and going above any beyond the call to serve the public,” Lautenslager said. “Jon’s investigative skills, tenacity and commitment to the job are the reason he’s been successful with many complex fish and game investigations. He is always at the top of the list in the state for criminal referrals, from deer poaching to environmental cases.”

Warden Kaiser also has been instrumental with strengthening relations with local governmental agencies and works closely with internal DNR partners to handle some of the challenging and complex nuances of environmental cases.

“Jon’s efforts in one recent investigation resulted in a successful arrest and prosecution for an individual that targeted our state parks to use drugs and steal park users’ property from camp sites,” Lautenslager said.

He is a “go-to warden” by veteran staff due to his expansive career knowledge, teaching abilities and willingness to lend a hand. “Jon spends countless hours teaching our new recruits and veteran field staff how to be successful and more efficient wardens,” Lautenslager said.

Lautenslager also cited Kaiser’s investment in the community, including serving as the court officer for years, which has strengthened the image and understanding of the DNR within the local courts system.

Always operating with a positive attitude, Kaiser is known as an outstanding team member who attends nearly every group check and calls for assistance from other wardens.