Wildlife biologist reflects on a life embedded in conservation

For Alan Wood, it was the temporary job he landed studying the ecology of mule and white-tail deer in the middle of nowhere Montana that convinced him a career in wildlife biology was a career well worth pursuing.

At the time, Wood was in his mid-20s and recently had graduated from Brigham Young University with a master’s degree in wildlife and range science. Eager to enter the professional world, he had taken a job with the Utah Bureau of Land Management reviewing and monitoring rights of way.

But according to Wood, the job had him “bored to tears” and almost as soon as he had started, he was already applying elsewhere. That’s when he reached out to a former professor who connected him with a research team at Montana State University that was in search of someone who could closely monitor a group of 40 or so deer in a remote area west of Billings and record their movements, habits, distribution and survival rates.

For some, the job might seem lackluster, but for Wood, it was his dream gig.

“I was in absolute heaven,” recalled Wood, who retired in December after a lengthy career with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “I was out every single day watching deer in this remote area that I thought was just paradise. I was surrounded by mountains and deer and antelope. It was a totally new and unique culture to me.”

WOOD, THE youngest of four siblings, was born and raised in the tiny town of Fielding, Utah.

He said growing up he had always had an interest in biology, but wasn’t entirely sure what a career in the field might look like, nor did he know anyone in his hometown of 300 that was fortunate enough to have such a career. That uncertainty carried over to his college studies and he said it wasn’t until he researched deer that he realized he could make a living off one of the only topics that has ever interested him.

“I was told once that I should just figure out what I love to do and find someone who will pay me for it. When I was 18 and even into college, that saying didn’t make sense to me, but it does now,” said Wood, who would spend the next few years of his life trying to find work in wildlife research in Montana.

He applied for just about every Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) position that opened up in the state, but the competition was steep and for every job that needed to be filled, at least 60 hopefuls would apply. Eventually, he turned his sights away from FWP and opted for a job with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in Missoula as a wildlife biologist in what is now the agency’s forest management program.

While the position was certainly better than the one he held with the Bureau of Land Management, it was a far cry from monitoring deer. He was essentially providing wildlife input for timber projects, which “just wasn’t nearly as fun.”

IT WASN’T until 1994 that Wood joined Region 1 of FWP as supervisor for the wildlife mitigation program for the Libby and Hungry Horse Dam — a role he was fortunate enough to hold for more than 25 years, though the position evolved over the years.

Overall, Wood was tasked with helping wildlife that has been impacted by the dam activity, which in the ’90s included working with the U.S. Forest Service on habitat enhancements along the Koocanusa and Hungry Horse reservoirs.

Throughout the years, Wood said his job required him to work with a variety of stakeholders, many of whom, particularly during his first 10 years as supervisor, were not necessarily supportive of conservation efforts in general. It was difficult to get the public and politicians on board with various projects that dealt with land ownership, among other issues.

For example, Wood was supervisor in the early 2000s when FWP finalized the sprawling 142,000-acre Thompson-Fisher Conservation Easement. At the time, he said much of the public opposed the easement, primarily because they didn’t want big government dictating land use.

“The discussion back then was, what role, if any, may the government play in determining what those lands are used for,” Wood said. “They were worried about what it was and what it means, but once people realized that there would be nothing but private cabins along that river if we hadn’t done it, they seemed to be OK with it.”

Wood said it wasn’t until 2010 or so when he saw a noticeable difference in attitudes toward conservation easements, which he spent much of his career pursuing throughout Flathead and Lincoln counties.

“The public and Northwest Montana politicians eventually came to recognize the benefits and opportunities of having easements across the landscape. Everything coalesced with the Forest Service, landowners and government funding,” Wood said. “Each project had its challenges, but they were all very, very rewarding.”

Some of his favorite undertakings were ones he pursued with Stimson Lumber Co. in Libby around the time the asbestos crisis took off in the area, and the Haskill and Trumbull Creek easement with F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber around Columbia Falls.

He said projects like those remind him how lucky he is to have spent his decades in wildlife conservation — something he would encourage others to pursue if it’s an avenue they are interested in.

“I’m so fortunate to have the opportunities I did and to work with incredible people along the way. Any job you take has challenges and parts of it that are difficult, but life is really short and you can waste a lot of it going to work to earn a paycheck, but if you go to work because it’s something you like to do, it’s a lot easier to get up in the morning,” Wood said. “Don’t give up if it’s what you want. I was in my 30s before I got my dream job.”

And now, as Wood launches into his well-earned retirement, he said it’s time for him to explore lands in other areas of the state. He and his wife Sylvie recently relocated to Great Falls to be closer to their two children and grandchildren.

Wood said at the moment, his only goals for retirement are to build a new garden, fix dinners for his wife and spend more time with family. He said might also canoe the Missouri River, “sooner than later.”

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com