Content Warning: This is not your typical RMOT/NRP grad story!
I applied to the RMOT program late in life – I was 33. I was working as a wildland firefighter with Mt. Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks and aspired to be a conservation officer. I had already applied and was unsuccessful in the hiring process for the BC Conservation Officer Service. One piece of advice I received from my debrief was to take the RMOT program at VIU. Having already completed a Fish and Wildlife Technician Diploma from Fleming College in Ontario, I was put directly into the second year of the RMOT program. My plan was to complete the second year, obtain the RMOT diploma, and reapply to the BCCOS. However, life will always have its own plans for you.
Being a military veteran, I was fortunate in that Veteran Affairs offered to pay for me to take the Natural Resource Program degree program. Despite having applied for, and being offered, a position with the BC Oil and Gas Commission at the end of the RMOT diploma program, I knew that I would not have this opportunity again, so turned down the job offer and continued on with the degree program at VIU.
I graduated from VIU in 2020, having obtained the RMOT diploma and NRP bachelor’s degree. It took me several months to find employment, as this was during the height of COVID. However, I managed to get a term student position with BC Parks in Parksville. While not what I was aiming for, it was an amazing experience that allowed me to become more familiar with the inner workings of the BC Parks operations. It was also during this time that I met my wife and stepson (as I said, life has its own plans for you :P)
I was again out of work for several months until I gained employment with Vancouver Island Whale Watching as a Naturalist. Again, not directly related to my chosen career path, but wow. That summer will live forever in my heart. I got to experience things that I never thought I never dreamed of and was given a platform to improve my public speaking, education, and outreach.
In October 2021, only 4 months after welcoming our bouncing baby boy, I was applying for any and all positions that were remotely similar to my school and work background. This led me to apply for a job position as an Assessment Officer with the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB), in Mayo, Yukon. Where is Mayo, you ask? I know I did!! I had never heard of it prior to the job posting. Mayo is a remote community of less than 500 people in the heart of the Yukon Territory. A month later I was offered the position and my wife and I made a leap of faith.
An Assessment Officer conducts impact assessments to the environment, First Nations, and local communities, resulting from proposed new development. This new development ranges from a new driveway, to a proposed placer mine, to the relicensing of a major hydro dam (and everything in between). I work with biologists, Natural Resource Officers, and Conservation Officers from the Government of Yukon, members of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, local First Nation organizations, and many others. I have used every aspect of my RMOT/NRP schooling in my assessments; everything from applying my understanding of stream morphology and fish habitat requirements to mine rehabilitation methodology, to conflict management (telling someone who has spent over six years planning for a project that it shouldn’t happen doesn’t make many friends), to critical interpretation and application of legislation, and, most importantly, remaining unbiased in the conduct of my work.
Having worked with YESAB for three years now, I am the Manager of the Mayo Designated Office for YESAB. I directly oversee a team of two assessment officers and one administrative assistant, while working with other managers of other districts throughout the Yukon. I live in the land of the midnight sun, enjoying my morning coffee while watching the moose munch on fresh aspen in my backyard.
Many of you reading this have aspirations of careers as Natural Resource Officers, Conservation Officers, Park Rangers, and the likes. Pursue those paths; stay true to your values. But, I implore you to pursue those goals without blinders. Be open to what life puts in your path. Be flexible. Be adaptable.
“Life Is What Happens When You're Busy Making Other Plans” – Allen Saunders