Work Experience

    I was a Wildlife Technician for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation for these three properties that consisted of approximately 55,000 acres mixed with sand hill prairie, red shale hills, shinnery oak prairie, and wooded riparian areas. During my time there, I was involved in several habitat manipulation practices such as prescribed fire, grazing management plans with multispecies grazing, riparian restoration, strip disking, wetland management, invasive species control, etc. We burned between 7 and 10 thousand acres every year across the western part of the state. Our grazing and agriculture lease program required collaboration with multiple producers and maintaining and improving over 50 miles of fence, 20 miles of waterlines, dozens of stock tanks and wells that were operated by AC pumps, solar pumps, and windmills. I assisted researchers on several different projects that looked at quail, turkey, insects, flora response, fire regimes, and bats. Some other responsibilities included but not limited to food plots, controlled hunts, GIS data collection, public relations, area use surveys, wildlife population surveys, and equipment maintenance. 

      I was a Wildlife Technician for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation for these three properties that consisted of approximately 23,000 acres of mixed oak, pine, and hickory forest. I learned quickly how to operate and maintain heavy equipment such as motor graders, dozers, skid steer, and tractors used in the preparation of firebreaks, road maintenance, timber management, and different habitat manipulation practices. I also assisted with collection of samples and annual tours associated with one of the longest running research projects in Oklahoma regarding vegetation response to fire frequency. I assisted with prescribed burning (dormant and growing season) on approximately 70,000 acres in the Southeast Region in just over one year. Some of these prescribed burns used a delayed aerial ignition device from a helicopter. Other duties included assisting with wildlife surveys, timber contracts, campground and shooting range maintenance, data collection in GIS format, controlled hunts, deer management assistance program for private landowners, and timber management. I was also involved with the attempt to develop a cattle grazing program for the Pushmataha WMA but we were not able to find anyone in the area capable of providing the quantity of cattle required to accomplish that goal.

      I was a seasonal technician for Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Recreation, while working at the Marias des Cygnes and La Cygne Wildlife Areas. These areas consisted of tall grass prairie and oak-hickory forest with manmade wetlands throughout. During my time there, I gained experience in, using several types of water control structures (stop logs, screw gate, and agri drain), using electric and portable diesel pumps up to 10,000 gpm, the control of invasive and nuisance species (sericea lespedeza, teasel, purple loosestrife, sesbania, and several more), mixing chemicals, banding geese, lake maintenance, visitor assistance, tractor operation with up to 160 hp tractor and 30ft implements, loader work, loading and booming down large equipment on trailer, transporting and servicing skid steer, boat operation, shop cleaning and organization, used and serviced weed eaters, mowers, trailers, spray rigs, chainsaws, etc..,