175 Jessica Avery – Manitoba, Canada

Jessica Avery from Manitoba Conservation Officer Service joins Wayne at the North American Game

Warden Museum to talk about her career, life as a conservation officer in Manitoba, serving on the

museum’s board of directors, and some of the incredible places game wardens patrol in northern

Canada. From winter road caribou patrols and -60C mornings to fish poaching stakeouts and wildfire

deployments, Jessica shares what makes conservation work in Manitoba both challenging and

rewarding.

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Here’s what we discuss:

 Jessica explains the Manitoba Conservation Officer Service and how the agency has evolved over

the years

 Her role as Canadian Treasurer for the North American Game Warden Museum

 The unique international location of the museum

 Why the museum is a "pilgrimage" destination for game wardens

 Starting as a seasonal conservation officer in Manitoba

 How Manitoba still offers one of the few seasonal conservation officer programs in Canada

 Growing up in Saskatchewan, calling Alberta home, and building a career in Manitoba

 “I’m really lucky to get to go all those places and do that kind of stuff.”

 Patrolling Manitoba’s remote northern wilderness

 Fly-in caribou patrols and winter road enforcement

 Common caribou hunting violations officers encounter

 Working alongside northern Indigenous communities

 Staying in remote bush camps and nurse barracks

 Northern lights and untouched wilderness in Manitoba’s far north

 Waking up to temperatures around -60C (-76F)

 Trucks refusing to start in extreme cold

 “We were just not as prepared as we probably should have been for those temperatures.”

 Using helicopters and float planes to reach remote areas

 Conservation officers' role in wildfire operations

 Long fire assignments and burnout challenges

 Supporting firefighters with logistics and supplies

 Why Manitoba has experienced severe wildfire conditions

 Human-caused fires versus lightning-caused fires

 Deep-burning peat and bog fires that can survive winter

 Being part of a game warden family

 Why so many Manitoba conservation officers meet their spouses through the job

 Managing a long-distance conservation officer relationship

 Building a family while advancing both careers

 Moving from field work into headquarters leadership roles

 Life on Manitoba’s endless prairie road system

 Jessica’s favorite game warden story: a winter walleye-poaching stakeout

 Surveillance in -45° temperatures

 Trying not to sound like a “bull in a china shop” while sneaking into position

 Catching poachers who had been using the same spot for years

 “They were shocked.”

 How consistent enforcement led to voluntary compliance

 The value of the North American Game Warden Museum

 Learning from other law enforcement museums across North America

 The surprising success and size of the Game Warden Museum

 “It’s just such a great career, great lifestyle.”

 “I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life other than being a game warden.”

Credits

Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores

Producer: Jay Ammann

Warden’s Watch logo & Design: Ashley Hannett

Research / Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches

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