Shawna Stringham
Conservation Warden
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
based in Viroqua Station, Vernon County
Do you love spending time outside? If the answer is yes, and you enjoy working with people, consider a career as a conservation warden. Shawna Stringham worked hard to realize her dream of becoming a warden with theWisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Read on to learn about her work educating the public and protecting people, wildlife and natural resources in southwestern Wisconsin.
by Lisa Goodman
How did you get interested in this field?
I'm from NE Iowa, and growing up, my best friend's dad was a warden. He'd always have a fox in the basement in a cardboard box, and he'd have snowmobiles. I think just being in that environment got me interested. He always would come home with these stories. He was never there when we all ate dinner, he'd come in later and re-heat it. His life was always exciting. He'd come home, or we'd see him on the river, always with these animals. He was the neat guy. I wanted to have his job, no question. He taught me a lot.
What are the specific tasks that your job entails?
It changes every season, and it depends where you are in the state, whether you're in the Great Lakes or by the Mississippi. One part of the job is enforcement, we'll come up and check your fishing license. Or when you're deer hunting, we'll check your license. We're also out on the rivers or lakes, patrolling to make sure you have your life jackets with you. We're on the snowmobile trails making sure people are being safe and you have your registration up to date. But we also do a lot of public education. We'll teach hunter education. The wardens really try to get involved with kids. We did a 4-H Kids Fishing Day for 5 to10 year olds. Trout Unlimited stocked the pond, and we ended up having 250 kids. We try to do things like that to educate. Throw the Game Boys out the window and get more people outside!
The neatest part of my job is it's not a 9 to 5 job. I probably see my supervisor once a month. You're kind of your own boss. Things change so much, you never know what to expect. One phone call, and your whole day is not what you prepared for. That's an exciting part of my job. You're not behind a desk a lot, though we do have paperwork. You're outside, and you're active all the time. And that's what I like. You're constantly working with people. I like that too, I'm a people person.
What is your educational background?
I have a four-year biology degree, a B.S. I'm not real studious, I'm more of a hands on person. I wasn't the best student. But no doubt, my education helps. There are so many kids who say, "I couldn't get a four year degree." If I could, so can you. It's part of doing what you want to do. Be persistent.
What other kinds of steps did you take to prepare for your job?
You can get a degree, but you also need experience. It's good to do both. I tell people, if you like being outside, try to get a job in the parks or in fisheries or something like that. Then when you're going to school, you'll still have those jobs to come back to during the summer.
I worked for Iowa DNR for six years before coming to Wisconsin. I started out in fisheries, and then in wildlife. All of that was part time. I did it to build up my resume. It was really hard for me to get hired full time (in Iowa). I interviewed probably three times in Iowa, and I always made the top five. But I never got hired.
Then, somebody said Wisconsin was hiring. At the time, I had a full time job in wildlife. I quit my job and put myself through a law enforcement academy. It was a big risk because I was told by my boss that if I quit I couldn't come back. It was the hardest thing for me. No one in my life has ever been non-supportive of me. Everybody always told me "'go after your dreams.'" Except for that guy. I'll never forget that. It was a big risk, but I'm glad I did it. I have no regrets.
When you're in uniform, people think of you as an expert. I'm not a trapper, but I go out with my local trappers. So when some one comes up to me as a trapper, I can talk to them. Speech classes. People think this is about the sciences, but we do a lot of speeking. That really has helped me be more confident. It helped me a lot.
People will say "I never went for biology or animal science." It doesn't matter. One of the guys in my DNR academy class had a major in economics. We take people from all over the board. We pick people who are broader; a history major, english majors.
It's really important, if you're even slightly interested, get hold of your warden and ask for a ride-along. You have to be at least 16 years old. Come see what we do.
How do you use technology to do your job?
We use technology all the time. We have computers in our squads and we can run license plates. I'm looking across a field, and see somebody with a backtag on and I can read with my binoculars and punch in a backtag on my computer and check that this person has a spring turkey license in this zone. We have GPS. Cell phones. Some wardens have Blackberries. We do all our paperwork by computers. Our photos are all on digital cameras. We have night vision goggles and infrared sensing devices. With them, we can see somebody sitting in a tree stand in camouflage. We can see deer. We try to keep up with the times as much as we can.
Do you think that women are or can be treated differently from men in your field?
I have never been treated differently. I have not been treated differently by the people I deal with in the field, or the wardens I work with.
Does being a woman given you any special advantages in your chosen career?
I have disadvantages and advantages in my job. One disadvantage is, you may not always connect with a person you interview. You may be talking to a guy whose wife stays home and cooks and cleans. Sometimes we can't relate to each other. But then, sometimes in investigations, who better than me to go in and talk to the ex-wife, and that's one great way to learn a lot. But I think that's true with every warden, male or female. Sometimes you can connect with somebody, and sometimes you can't. Another advantage is a lot of times I don't look intimidating, so sometimes people feel more comfortable with me.
When you think about your workplace, what departments/fields do most of the women work in?
In law enforcement we don't have a lot of women. In the DNR overall, they're pretty good, (women are everywhere). Wisconsin doesn't hire females just to fill a quota. That makes me really proud. Although we only have 12 female game wardens (out of over 200 wardens in the state) they're picky about who they hire. That makes me feel good. To see the females that came on before me, I'm really proud. They're all hard workers, and one's better than the next. Every woman that came on before me can definitely hold their own. It makes me proud to say that I joined that group. They don't hire just anybody.
Salary: How much does a woman typically earn in this line of work?
It ranges from $50,000 to 100,000 a year. You can be a field warden, or you can be the chief. (Wardens can also earn overtime pay.)
