Written By
For new Federal Wildlife Officers (FWOs) that find themselves on the tributaries and meanders of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, learning to navigate them safely can be daunting. Luckily there is technology like GPS tracks that can help. Like a daily digital diary that records FWOs’ movements throughout the refuge, GPS tracks allow officers to follow the paths that others have taken to safely navigate around shallow sections of the river. But in dynamic rivers systems like the Yukon and Kuskokwim, it can’t replace training and experience.
In Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, being proficient behind the helm of a boat is a key skill for FWOs. FWOs attend the Motorboat Operator Certification Course (MOCC) which provides a great foundation of skills for operators, including emergency procedures, rescue, self rescue, trailering, and basic seamanship. These skills are continually built on as FWOs spend a considerable amount of time on the water patrolling. Many of the FWOs, however, bring their own expertise with them from their use of personal fishing boats or from white-water rafting where they became experts at “reading the water” for clues to what lies beneath the surface. Others bring a career’s worth of experience at the helm of a Coast Guard ship in open waters.
Solo patrols with vast distances between public contacts has its beauty. The ability to enjoy the wild in its own purity with little human interventions is one of many Federal Wildlife Officers’ favorite parts of the job. Believe it or not, this stays true in the rainiest and coldest of days. There are of course days full of interactions with people on refuges. Working alone in the remote refuges of Alaska gives officers a unique perspective on the value of their training and experience. With sometimes hundreds of miles to the nearest village, health clinic or hospital, it is this training and experience that keeps them safe and, in some cases, can be the difference between life and death.
An approach with the public at the proper level of force, situational awareness, and communication is an important skill for Federal Wildlife Officers to have. Building strong, friendly, and professional relationships with the people they serve is a critical task. In severe weather or a medical emergency, these relationships can be life saving. Federal Wildlife Officers taking refuge in or near a shelter of a citizen is not unheard of in Alaska.
The daily duties of a Federal Wildlife Officer are not uniformed across the agency. Depending on the National Wildlife Refuge or other public lands they are patrolling for the day. Each day could look very different from the last. A general example of a day could start with some physical training. A Federal Wildlife Officer’s physical fitness is essential to be able to perform their duties and responsibilities on the job. Fitness also reduces their chance of injury during physically challenging task that are common in this line of work.
Physical training could be followed by time coordinating with the Patrol Captain on multi-jurisdictional law enforcement operations and investigations. Federal Wildlife Officers work closely with other federal, state, and local agencies. The State of Alaska also deputizes Federal Wildlife Officers as State Peace Officers, giving them the ability to perform law enforcement duties as state officers in addition to their federal authority (not every state government does this within the U.S.). Other than finding the time to work on current cases and investigations, much of a Federal Wildlife Officer’s time is spent patrolling the public lands they are assigned to and having face time with visitors and staff.
Like other Federal Wildlife Officers in the Alaska Region, the sheer size of the refuge means many patrols do not stay within the confines of a 40-hour week. There are often unplanned events such as search and rescues or sometimes body recoveries from accidents that FWOs participate in. Planning and packing for overnight work and variable weather conditions is a regular occurrence. Other things, such as patrolling the rivers for nighttime spotlight hunters translates to long shifts that bleed over well passed midnight. Finding themselves hours away from their original launch point, anchoring to the riverbank and a crawling into a warm sleeping bag behind the helm of the boat is sometimes the only option FWOs have to get some rest.
Outside of performing law enforcement duties, Federal Wildlife Officers have various other duties to support the refuge. They spend a considerable amount of time doing educational outreach with the public. They work with local youth groups teaching hunter education, archery, and wildland firefighting. Federal Wildlife Officers assist biologist in surveys and data collection in the field. If the refuge is short handed on equipment operators, Federal Wildlife Officers often have certifications to operate heavy or agriculture equipment and will rise to the occasion when needed. Very few task on a refuge is out of reach from our Federal Wildlife Officers.
The competitive selection of new Federal Wildlife Officers is one of their greatest strengths. Coming from a huge spectrum of backgrounds, the cloud of knowledge within their ranks is towering. Backgrounds include biologist, pilots, National Park Service Law Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers, Department of Justice Officers, military service members, firefighters, state agency game wardens, conservation officers, police officers, corrections officers – the list goes on and on for those that continue their public service careers as Federal Wildlife Officers. Learning from each others' strengths and expertise, they are one of the most well-rounded and experienced law enforcement agencies in the world. Learning who the person behind the badge is gives perspective on what makes this agency’s law enforcement so impactful and effective on the public lands they serve. Click the links below to learn more about the Federal Wildlife Officers who have made an impact on today’s Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.
Federal Wildlife Officer Robert Sundown
Senior Federal Wildlife Officer Matthew McDonald
Senior Federal Wildlife Officer James Reynolds
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.
