FWP AT WORK BJ Kemp, Conservation Technician

ALL-AROUNDER

BJ KEMP

Conservation Technician, Region 6, Glasgow

THIS IS A GREAT JOB for someone like me who enjoys working with machinery and prefers being on his own. The position is unique in FWP in that I get to work for the Wildlife, Fisheries, and Enforcement Divisions as well as help maintain the regional headquarters office. Basically I assist wherever I’m needed.

I help count sage-grouse in March, set and check walleye net traps on Fort Peck [Reservoir] in April, and spend most of the summer on fishing access sites—moving docks, painting signs, fixing broken stuff, mowing grass, grading roads, and spraying weeds. In the fall, I mainly put up sign-in boxes and install signs on the hundreds of block management areas in our region. In the winter, I’m in the shop fixing and maintaining equipment.

It’s real rewarding to help out with fisheries and wildlife management and law enforcement. FWP biologists and game wardens tell me that a lot of what they do—like acquiring a wildlife management area or catching a poacher—can take months or even years to complete. I’m lucky that, at the end of each day, I get to see the results of most of my work.