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Wildlife Conservation
Volunteer Activities
A
priority will be given to the approval of Master Hunter volunteer activities
that help the Department resolve depredation/nuisance problems with elk,
deer, turkey, and waterfowl.
Volunteer projects
associated with Department initiatives or that compliment Department private
and public partnerships involving the following general categories will
also be a focus of the Master Hunter program:
- Recreational hunting
access
- Landowner-sportsmen
relations
- Wildlife habitat
enhancement
- Hunter safety
training
- Wildlife surveys
- Promotion of safe,
ethical, and responsible hunting
Examples of potential
volunteer wildlife projects related to the general categories above:
- Herding and hazing
of elk causing damage to private property.
- Hazing of waterfowl
or turkeys causing damage to private property.
- Assistance to
private landowners to maintain fencing constructed under agreement with
the Department.
- Private property
fence maintenance in traditional elk damage zones.
- Monitoring, maintenance,
and repair of Department boundary fencing.
- Providing assistance
to local Department personnel to help coordinate elk damage hunts (information
and outreach to hunters, orienting hunters, notifying hunters of the
presence of animals, etc).
- Enhancing private
land hunting access through gate management, litter control, patrols,
hunter outreach, landowner outreach, posting, register-to-hunt
programs, etc..
- Maintenance of
Department Hunting Access Areas (Adopt-An-Access Program), or hunting
access points controlled by private and public cooperators that allow
public hunting (signage, pot hole repair, litter clean-up, landscape
maintenance, etc.).
- Coordination of
the building, installation, and maintenance of wood duck nest boxes
in a large geographic area.
- Serving as a Hunt
Master for selected Master Hunter seasons.
- Classroom instruction
for Hunter Education training courses. Master Hunter volunteers need
not be Certified Hunter Education Instructors to receive credit, but
must obtain the approval of the Chief Instructor of the teaching team.
A listing of statewide Hunter Education classes can be found on the
Department’s website.
- Classroom instruction
for Bow Hunter Education training courses. Master Hunter volunteers
need not be Certified Bow Hunter Education Instructors to receive credit,
but must obtain the approval of the Lead Instructor of the teaching
team. Certified Bow Hunter Education Instructors also receive credit
for classroom instruction.
- Certified Hunter
Education Instructors may request Master Hunter volunteer credit for
the time they provide classroom instruction for Hunter Education training
courses.
- Classroom instruction
for Trapper Education and Nuisance Wildlife Control.
- Conducting a variety
of Department approved wildlife field surveys (pigeon call counts, pheasant
crow counts, waterfowl brood counts, etc.).
- Posting of Department
land boundaries or Game Management Units with signs.
- Providing assistance
at the Bob Oke Pheasant Game Farm in Centralia (flood or snow damage
repair of pens, routine maintenance work, assist with rearing of birds,
etc.).
- Wildlife habitat
enhancement on Department Wildlife Areas or on lands controlled by private
or public cooperators that allow public hunting access.
- Assistance at
state Wildlife Areas (routine maintenance, hand pulling of noxious weeds
or exotic plants, winter feeding of game, signage, etc.).
The following types
of administrative volunteer work will also be considered:
- Coordination of
hunts and hunting activities for Master Hunters (Hunt Master).
- Evaluation of
hunts designed for Master Hunters (consultations with Master Hunters,
Hunt Master, landowners, Department field personnel; determination of
whether the hunt met management objectives; summarization of known issues
and violations, etc.).
- Assist the Department
in entering Master Hunter data, sending out correspondence and applications
to Master Hunters, or answering phone and e-mail questions about the
Master Hunter Program.
- Assist the Department
in administering the Master Hunter written test within a specific geographic
area.
- Orientation/mentoring
of individuals interested in becoming Master Hunters (at public meetings
and via person-to-person interactions).
- Coordination/facilitation
of orientation meetings, landowner meetings, or public information and
outreach meetings on behalf of Master Hunters.
- Assistance with
the collection of information and data, and writing of annual Master
Hunter program reports.
- Field coordination
of major Master Hunter volunteer projects.
- Act as a Regional
Master Hunter Representative (information conduit for Master Hunter
Program).
- Participation
on the Master Hunter Advisory Group or Committees.
These types of volunteer
administrative functions will need to be developed in concert with the
Master Hunter Program Coordinator and the Chair of the Master Hunter Advisory
Group.
Another viable project
type involves the mentoring of first-time hunters, hunters with Hunter
Education training deferrals, and persons-of disability. Those individuals
being mentored may not be relatives. Master Hunter candidates or renewals
interested in such activities are encouraged to contact the Washington
Hunter Education Instructors Association, or some other group that provides
special liability insurance for mentoring and has implemented policies
providing appropriate protections for all parties involved.
PROJECT EXCEPTIONS
The priority
for Master Hunter volunteer efforts is projects that benefit wildlife,
hunting, the control of wildlife depredation, and that strengthen the
heritage of safe, ethical, and responsible hunting.
However, if an applicant
or Master Hunter seeking re-certification, can demonstrate that s/he was
unable to identify an acceptable wildlife project, the Master Hunter Program
Coordinator may consider approving fish related volunteer work.
Fish Conservation
volunteer projects must be associated with Department initiatives or compliment
Department private and public partnerships involving the following general
categories:
- Recreational fishing
access
- Landowner-sportsmen
relations
- Fish habitat enhancement
- Angler education
training
- Fish surveys
- State hatchery
maintenance
Examples of potential
volunteer fish projects related to the categories above:
- Routine maintenance
or fish rearing work at state fish hatcheries.
- Assistance to
any of the 14 Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups.
- Assistance with
spawning and creel census surveys approved by the Department.
- Culvert replacement
and/or repair for fish bearing streams (Regional Fish Enhancement Groups,
County Conservation Districts).
- Fish habitat enhancement
(Stream Teams).
- Bank stabilization
projects using native plants (County Conservation Districts).
- Assistance at
Fishing Kids Events focusing on first-time-fishers.
- Assistance at
persons-of-disability fishing events.
- Maintenance of
state fishing access sites (Adopt-An-Access Program, signage, litter
clean-up, landscape maintenance, etc.).
Also, project
type exceptions may be granted if restrictive medical conditions
exist.
SPECIFIC VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES NOW AVAILABLE
PROJECT APPROVAL
If your proposed project fits into the guidelines and examples
for wildlife conservation volunteer activities above, AND you have obtained
the support and guidance from WDFW personnel in your local area, you
do not need to obtain advance approval from the Master Hunter Program
Coordinator. You need only submit a signed Master Hunter Proof of Service
Form reflecting the total required volunteer hours in order to be certified.
If however, you are either unable to find a suitable wildlife conservation
project and wish to undertake a fish related activity, or you have a
restrictive medical condition and are seeking a project type exception,
you must obtain pre-approval from the Master Hunter Program Coordinator.
Please call 360-902-8413 if you have any questions about
projects.
VOLUNTEER POLICIES
AND PROCEDURES:
It is the responsibility
of the Master Hunter applicant, or Master Hunter seeking re-certification
to find his/her volunteer project and to work directly with appropriate
Department staff in order to obtain needed direction and guidance. Master Hunter volunteers
working on Department projects or on behalf of the Department as part
of a private or public partnership must comply with Department
Volunteer Policies and Procedures. Requirements include formal registration
as a volunteer, submittal of monthly time sheets during each month volunteer
work is performed, and completion of appropriate safety training. It will
be the responsibility of the Department supervisor of Master Hunter volunteer
projects to provide needed training and to provide necessary forms and
paperwork that will be required. For more information, contact the Department
Volunteer Coordinator at volunteers@dfw.wa.gov.
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