Jessica Avery from the Manitoba Conservation Officer Service joins Wayne at the North American Game Warden Museum to talk about her career, life as a conservation officer in Manitoba, serving on the museum’s board of directors, and some of the incredible places game wardens patrol in northern Canada. From winter road caribou patrols and -60C mornings to fish poaching stakeouts and wildfire deployments, Jessica shares what makes conservation work in Manitoba both challenging and rewarding.
Our Sponsors:
North American Game Warden Museum
New Hampshire Operation Game Thief
Conservation Officers of Pennsylvania
North East Conservation Law Enforcement Chiefs Association
International Wildlife Crimestoppers
North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association
Here’s what we discuss:
- Jessica explains the Manitoba Conservation Officer Service and how the agency has evolved over the years
- Her role as Canadian Treasurer for the North American Game Warden Museum
- The unique international location of the museum
- Why the museum is a “pilgrimage” destination for game wardens
- Starting as a seasonal conservation officer in Manitoba
- How Manitoba still offers one of the few seasonal conservation officer programs in Canada
- Growing up in Saskatchewan, calling Alberta home, and building a career in Manitoba
- “I’m really lucky to get to go all those places and do that kind of stuff.”
- Patrolling Manitoba’s remote northern wilderness
- Fly-in caribou patrols and winter road enforcement
- Common caribou hunting violations officers encounter
- Working alongside northern Indigenous communities
- Staying in remote bush camps and nurse barracks
- Northern lights and untouched wilderness in Manitoba’s far north
- Waking up to temperatures around -60C (-76F)!
- Trucks refusing to start in extreme cold
- “We were just not as prepared as we probably should have been for those temperatures.”
- Using helicopters and float planes to reach remote areas
- Conservation officers’ role in wildfire operations
- Long fire assignments and burnout challenges
- Supporting firefighters with logistics and supplies
- Why Manitoba has experienced severe wildfire conditions
- Human-caused fires versus lightning-caused fires
- Deep-burning peat and bog fires that can survive winter
- Being part of a game warden family
- Why so many Manitoba conservation officers meet their spouses through the job
- Managing a long-distance conservation officer relationship
- Building a family while advancing both careers
- Moving from field work into headquarters leadership roles
- Life on Manitoba’s endless prairie road system
- Jessica’s favorite game warden story: a winter walleye-poaching stakeout
- Surveillance in -45C temperatures
- Trying not to sound like a “bull in a china shop” while sneaking into position
- Catching poachers who had been using the same spot for years
- “They were shocked.”
- How consistent enforcement led to voluntary compliance
- The value of the North American Game Warden Museum
- Learning from other law enforcement museums across North America
- The surprising success and size of the Game Warden Museum
- “It’s just such a great career, great lifestyle.”
- “I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life other than being a game warden.”
Credits
Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores
Producer: Jay Ammann
Warden’s Watch logo & Design: Ashley Hannett
Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches
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