Acting wildlife biologist shares how she was inspired to work with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
A decade or so ago, I landed an internship working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The internship consisted of setting nets to trap invasive fish—tui and blue chub—from several high lakes in Central Oregon.
The internship was supposed to last through the summer, but my work partner left the internship early to work on another project, which allowed me to extend my time a little longer. Because of this, I was immersed in the fish and wildlife world more and was able to take advantage of opportunities to shadow and assist other biologists.
One day, the district wildlife biologist hurriedly asked me if I could come assist with a wildlife emergency. There was a buck running around in a high-traffic, highly visible area with an arrow sticking out of his face. I jumped at the opportunity to go and help.
Upon arrival, we located the buck and immobilized it using a dart gun injection. Once immobilized, we could look at the injuries more closely. The district biologist explained to me that, unfortunately, the lower jaw was broken, which meant the buck had to be euthanized.
It was at this moment, however, that I realized that I had found my calling; I wanted to be a wildlife biologist. I didn’t know that this was a career path and that these biologists are the ones responding to sick and injured wildlife, among numerous other tasks relating to wildlife management. As an avid outdoorsman, this was a dream career!
After my internship ended, I made it a point to keep in touch with the staff at that office. This eventually led to an opportunity to work in a temporary capacity, covering one of the front office staff who was out on leave.
I took advantage of the time I had working for the agency to get out on a variety of projects with both fish and wildlife biologists. Thanks to this effort, I was fortunate enough to land a permanent position with the agency and started asking others what it would take to move into a role as a biologist. I discovered that I needed more experience and more education, so I applied to graduate school, which opened many more opportunities post-completion.
Over the course of my career, I have worked in multiple counties and held many different roles with the agency. I am currently acting as the district wildlife biologist for the Ochoco district, learning how to be a supervisor in the natural resources world and navigating complicated wildlife management issues. My time spent in the field is significantly less these days. However, the impacts I can have on wildlife management are greater, which is a sacrifice I am happy to make.
