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Senior Federal Wildlife Officer (SFWO) Matthew McDonald came to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service standing on a mountain of experience. Growing up in Mississippi, McDonald is at home in the outdoors. An avid hunter, McDonald grew up knowing the importance of conservation and management of fish and wildlife. In 1997, McDonald started his career of service to the United States as a soldier with the United States Army. McDonald served as a forward observer becoming an expert at observing a battlespace and utilizing maps and other communication tools to direct field artillery assets on a target. He immediately learned the sacrifice of time away, a sacrifice many public servants know all too well, as he deployed to Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Forge.
As a noncommissioned officer in an army completely engulfed in a war or terrorism, McDonald already had the great responsibility of training and leading the soldiers within his unit; McDonald decided he wanted to gain greater responsibility and influence on the soldiers he led. In 2003, McDonald graduated Officer Candidate School, commissioning as an Infantry Officer. McDonald served throughout the entirety of the Global War on Terrorism, deploying multiple times to the Middle East. McDonald’s deployments to the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility include Afghanistan in 2007, Iraq in 2009, and Saudi Arabia in 2014. During the two decades of service as an officer, McDonald served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Infantry Advisor to the Afghan Border Police, Battalion Logistics Officer, Company Commander, Advisor to the Saudi National Guard, Battalion Operations Officer, and Executive Officer. In August of 2017, McDonald retired from his time in the Army at the rank of Major.
What does a retired airborne infantry officer do with his time after retirement? Continue serving the country. Three months after hanging up his army combat uniform, in November of 2017, McDonald began his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement as an investigative case specialist. Although a vital position in the Office of Law Enforcement, McDonald craved working outdoors again. In June of 2018 McDonald found himself on a ride along with Federal Wildlife Officer Chris Johnson on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and knew he found his home.
In May of 2019, McDonald joined the small community of Federal Wildlife Officers, eventually finding himself in the backseat of a bush plane with the late Senior Federal Wildlife Officer Robert Sundown. If you ask McDonald about Sundown, he pays great homage to the mentorship he received and the lessons he learned from him on what it takes to work on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Highlighting the importance of conservation law enforcement and building strong community relationships.
For five years, Senior Federal Wildlife Officer McDonald was able to have a big impact on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. He regularly worked within the communities in and around the refuge. Building lasting relationships that were obvious as he walked the streets of Tuntutuliak or Upper Kalskag.
Now McDonald has moved to the lower 48, where he is able to share the experience he gained while in the Alaska Region with those in North and Central Florida like the Lower Suwanee National Wildlife Refuge. Passing on knowledge that can easily be traced back to Robert Sundown.
“Guided by the founding principles of the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we shall protect wildlife and habitat and make refuges safe places for staff and visitors, we shall conserve America’s natural recourses for now and in the future, and we shall exemplify excellence in public service to all”
In Alaska we are shared stewards of world renowned natural resources and our nation’s last true wild places. Our hope is that each generation has the opportunity to live with, live from, discover and enjoy the wildness of this awe-inspiring land and the people who love and depend on it.
