Ken Brunson of the Kansas Wildlife Federation describes Lloyd Fox as “an unmitigated professional.” On March 7, in a ceremony in Manhattan, the KWF will call him “Wildlife Conservationist of the Year for 2008.”
Fox, who lives at Vassar, works as the state’s big game and furbearer program coordinator out of the Emporia office of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
Fox began work with the department on Aug. 6, 1973, after receiving a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and a doctoral degree in environmental science in forestry from New York State University in Syracuse.
Initially, he dealt with a range of animals, including turkeys and elk and antelope, among others. The growth of the deer program, however, whittled away the time available for the other programs.
“Basically, any more what I work on is deer,” Fox said. “It’s become a full-time job.”
In truth, it’s a full-time job and more.
“That’s what I say,” he said. “This is the best job in North America.”
There’s nothing Fox would rather do than work with wildlife in Kansas.
Despite the state song’s claim that this is where the deer and the antelope play, an abundance of deer was rare in Kansas from the 1880s to the 1960s or 1970s, he said.
“We’ve had ups and downs, historically,” said Fox, whose ancestors went west along the Oregon Trail. “There were large numbers of deer in some areas when the first people, travelers came through this area, but not as widespread as they are probably right now.”
The deer population increased dramatically in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and now has stabilized, he said.
As deer-hunting continues to grow in popularity in Kansas, it plays more of a role not only in sporting, but in economic development and personal lives.
“People are so invested in this. They schedule their vacations around this,” he said. “They buy clothing for how they’re going to hunt. They buy a truck. When you see how involved people get in this, you really understand what’s going on, that it is an important part of their life.”
Deer also play a role in the lives of farmers, ranchers, and drivers, as the animals graze on crops and flowers, rub against young saplings, and jump out in front of unsuspecting drivers on highways and backroads.
“Deer are capable of causing problems,” Fox acknowledged.
They also caused Fox and the state to take another look at the best way to handle deer for all concerned.
Because of the diversity of people affected by deer, Fox drew in hunters, landowners and others for his series of Deer Task Force meetings that discussed changing procedures, seasons and permits for hunting deer.
“We’ve gone through a whole series of changes as the deer herd increased and now, for a resident, with the exceptions that allow you to take a mule deer out in the western part of the state, our permits are available over-the-counter,” Fox said. “Now it’s the number of permits and the timing of the seasons and the lengths of the season we’re using to control deer numbers. That’s why it’s much more of a full-time job.”
Fox has also begun another program to help develop young adults wanting careers in the field.
“One of the things I have been working on recently that I really enjoy is something called Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow,” he said. “As you get older, you start thinking about the next generation ...
“When I grew up, gosh, everyone that even considered going into wildlife management were hunters and fishers and trappers and all that. Now, 50 percent of the people who are in graduate school going on to resource management have not done those things.”
Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow, which includes Kansas and Nebraska, works cooperatively with the Wildlife Management Institute in Arlington, Va., and the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation of Dundee, Ill.
“We try to pick the best and the brightest and give them four days of intensive exposure to what we’ve learned in a lifetime,” Fox said. “Sort of why we feel the way we do, also.”
The hands-on experience helps give them an affinity for the outdoors and all it holds that mere reading can only begin to do. Instructors come in from all over the United States to make sure the experiences are full and fulfilling.
“We have more instructors than we do students,” Fox said of the classes that are limited to 16 people. “They’re serious about it, and we’re trying to give them a little experience there. So that’s fun.”
Fox also has used surveys and “distance sampling” to monitor wildlife and their habitats.
“We do it with spotlights, and people call in when they see us drive by with two people in the back of a pickup and spotlights. They call the sheriff’s office. They think we’re doing something,” Fox said.
The goal is to be “as non-invasive as possible.”
“It allows us to get a better handle on deer than we ever had before,” he said.
There isn’t much any of the wildlife specialists can do, however, to stop the deer from darting out on roads and colliding with oncoming motorists.
“They are like children in that regard and we, as drivers, can’t let down our guard for either of those two species.”
madpoet (anonymous) says...
I know Dr. Fox from when I did phone surveys for KDWP right out of college. He is a great guy and excellent biologist. I'm very happy for him and I'm sure he earned this award.
February 25, 2009 at 1:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )