Robert Angel Lange of Vincennes has been named an honorary Lt. Colonel with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division.
The award is given to civilians who have significant lifetime contributions that have shaped the integrity and professionalism of the Department of Natural Resources.
Lange has been a licensed state and federal wildlife rehabilitator for a quarter century and has cared for over 15oo animals and birds with a success rate of releasing them back into the wild.
Throughout the years he has participated in numerous public appearances with media, school groups and outdoor clubs educating people about wildlife and how to properly care for them if they are sick, injured or orphaned. He routinely handles calls or complaints to help citizens.
The DNR says he has dedicated countless hours and personal finances to the care of Indiana’s wildlife.
Only six people in the state have received the Honorary Lt. Colonel award. The first was Lange’s teacher of Conservation Law at Vincennes University, Pat Jennings.