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It would be difficult to talk about Refuge Law Enforcement in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge without talking about the late Federal Wildlife Officer/Airplane Pilot Robert Sundown. Growing up in Scammon Bay, a village along the western coastline of the refuge, Sundown had a literal lifetime of experience on the refuge. After receiving his degree in biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Sundown started his career with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2000 focusing on fisheries management and working on the Kwethluk River Weir in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. It wasn’t long before refuge leadership noticed that Sundown’s lifetime of experience in the outdoors, education in biology, experience with fisheries management, and special way of communicating with the public, made him an exemplary Federal Wildlife Officer candidate.
Listening to stories Sundown’s siblings tell about him as a kid, it’s clear he always had his eye on the sky. His ambition to have the freedom to explore Alaska from the cockpit of a plane was well known. A career in Refuge Law Enforcement was his ticket to that dream and in fall of 2001, Sundown went to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to start his career as a Federal Wildlife Officer and soon began to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot. While busy as a Federal Wildlife Officer and raising a family, it wasn’t easy for him to find the time to rent planes and take flight lessons on his off time. Eventually, FWO Sundown was able to get the right credentials to add “airplane pilot” to his official job title; adding to his list of skills and exponentially increasing the area he could patrol as a Federal Wildlife Officer. Sundown quickly obtained certifications to fly a tail dragger and planes with floats and skis. If there was any chance of landing a plane at a site on the refuge, Sundown could do it and do it safely.
Safety was ingrained in Sundown’s personality. He displayed it in every aspect of his job. Whether he was at the controls of a plane, the helm of a boat, or the handlebars of a snow machine, his passengers knew he’d get them to their destination safely. As he became more experienced, his knowledge spilled over to those around him. He became an instructor in various roles to include a certified flight instructor (CFI). Sundown had a passion to serve those around him and his position with the refuge was the perfect outlet.
Federal Wildlife Officers are among the most visible conservation professionals within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Throughout his two decades working on the refuge, Sundown had a huge influence on those he worked with, not only his coworkers, but the people in rural villages. As a Federal Wildlife Officer, Sundown served at the “front lines” of fish and wildlife conservation. While he represented the U.S. government in every interaction he had with the public, he also brought his understanding of the people and their ways of life as he enforced and provided education on the regulations for hunting, trapping and fishing on and around the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.
“He was talking from a perspective of an indigenous individual, and not just from law enforcement. I think he excelled because of that, because he was able to look at things from a different perspective” -Nili Sundown
Working as though an architect, Sundown’s focus was on building up those around him, which was essential for the success of Refuge Law Enforcement on the Yukon Delta. For nearly three years, Senior Federal Wildlife Officer (SFWO) Mattew McDonald served as Sundown’s right hand and “professional back seater” of the planes they traveled in. Sundown shared everything he knew about working in the Yukon Delta with McDonald. The cultures and uniqueness of each village in and around the refuge was something Sundown knew very well having grown up on the delta. He introduced McDonald to the people he had built relationships with over his 20 years working on the refuge. These relationships that are essential for the mutual flow of information and in some cases, can be life saving.
“Robert was the type of FWO that other officers inspire to be” - SFWO McDonald
On 15 April 2023, Robert Sundown unexpectedly passed away at the age of 53 during a moose hunt on the National Wildlife Refuge he spent his life serving. His influence in the region was easy to see as over 200 people gathered to honor his life in Bethel, Alaska. His legacy and experience live on through those that were fortunate enough to be one of his students.
“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.
