Conservation Officer

Imagine it is barely dawn and the warm morning temperature promises that today will be another scorcher, even at your remote station. You jump into your four-wheel-drive Jeep and start off down an old logging trail. You are a conservation officer and today you are headed to a section in the northeast part of your patrol. You have been receiving reports of campfires in that area, even though there is a complete fire ban in the district. With the dry summer conditions, campfires are extremely dangerous: one errant spark could start a blazing forest fire. This morning you hope to find the group responsible and stop them before they light another fire.

As one of a small group of conservation officers in this district, you know the area fairly well. From reports received, you have a good idea of where this group is. You head out to that area and find campers boiling water for their morning coffee over an illegal fire. You explain to the group the dangerous consequences of their campfire and issue them a ticket. They seem receptive enough, but since you will be in the area all day, you make a note to visit them again in the evening, to make sure they don't start any more fires. In the meantime, you make your rounds among the area's few residents.

Part of your job as a conservation officer is to build strong relationships with the public, so you work hard to maintain a friendly rapport with your neighbours. Often they are your eyes and ears in areas where you can't be everyday, so they report illegal activity such as campfires and poaching. By enforcing the campfire ban and laws prohibiting wildlife poaching, you are working to ensure the conservation of Canada's environment.