There’s a new district wildlife manager in town

    Phillips and Sedgwick counties have a new district wildlife manager at their service. Kyle Gordon began his duties as wildlife manager at the first of the year.
    While he’s just begun as a DWM, Gordon is not new to the Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Previously, he has worked as a park ranger at Golden Gate Canyon State Park and Bear Creek State Park. He spent the last year in Denver, training for the new position, before moving to Holyoke.  
    “I got into this job because I enjoy the outdoors — fishing, hunting, hiking, camping,” Gordon said. He added that he’s here to help both the people and the wildlife.
    Originally from California, Gordon has lived in Colorado for several years, pursuing his education and career. He graduated from Western State Colorado University in Gunnison with a Bachelor of Science in ecology.
    If DWM is an unfamiliar job title, Colorado Parks & Wildlife describes the role as a game warden, plus a whole lot more. In addition to the law enforcement side of the job, checking licenses and carrying out hunting and fishing regulations, Gordon is responsible for working in the community, educating people and managing wildlife.
    In this area in particular, Gordon noted, much of the land is privately owned so he does a great deal of work with landowners to ensure a good habitat for the local wildlife. He has been happy to discover that people around here tend to want wildlife and are good about doing what is necessary to keep habitats healthy.
    Gordon will work alongside organizations like Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pheasants Forever and the Conservation Reserve Program to promote wildlife habitats. The goal is to ensure there is enough wildlife for everyone to enjoy. His time is often spent doing deer counts, stocking the reservoirs and counting fish, to reach this goal.
    If there are injured or problematic animals, including mule deer, whitetail deer, waterfowl, pheasants and elk, Gordon will be called upon to manage the situation.
     When he’s not working with the wildlife, local youth will also benefit from Gordon’s community involvement through a variety of programs, such as hunter education, youth pheasant and turkey hunts, archery, wingshooting and fishing clinics.
    Gordon is looking forward to educating students about wildlife and getting them excited about the outdoors.
    One upcoming event that should do just that is a fishing clinic with the Holyoke Lions Club Friday, March 17, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., for kids 15 and under. Gordon will help teach participants fishing rules and regulations, as well as types of fish and types of casting.