On Patrol

Ray Tremblay

Description

Take to the air with veteran bush pilot and game warden Ray Tremblay in these lively adventure stories of Alaska’s early game-law enforcement. During a career spanning nearly thirty years, Tremblay earned the respect of his fellow pilots and game cops, as well as biologists, trappers, hunters, and fishermen who appreciated his sincere concern for the protection and wise use of the fish and wildlife in the Territory, then State of Alaska. Gifted with good humor, common sense, and uncommon storytelling ability, Tremblay offers two dozen remarkable first-person accounts that are worthy of laugh-aloud and read-aloud status—to the guy in the next room.

Much of my work involved flying, and my abilities had their ups and downs (pun intended), but improved with the hundreds of hours I flew each year. I can't say I'm proud of every landing I ever made. Some were controlled crashes. But somehow through it al
Foreward – 4, Map – 6, Introduction – 8, Chapter 1 - The Making of a Flying Game Warden – 12, Chapter 2 - Modus Operandi – 19, Chapter 3 - Think Like a Beaver – 29, Chapter 4 - For the Want of Snowshoes – 35, Chapter 5 - The Gullwing Stinson – 41, Chapter

Sujets

• Sciences et techniques
• Wildlife
• Animals
• Nature
• Alaska

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 15 novembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780882408699
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

ON PATROL
True Adventures of an Alaska Game Warden
RAY TREMBLAY
FOREWORD BY JIM REARDEN
In memory of my son, Ron
Text 2004 Ray Tremblay
Photos 2004 Ray Tremblay, unless otherwise credited
Excerpts on pages 89-91 appeared in Land of the North Wind, from Wildlife in America , by Peter Matthiessen, line drawing by Bob Hines, copyright 1959, revised and renewed 1987 by Peter Matthiessen. Used by Permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.
Portions of On Patrol were previously published by Alaska Northwest Publishing Co. in Trails of an Alaska Game Warden , 1985 by Ray Tremblay.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Tremblay, Ray, 1926-2004
On patrol : true adventures of an Alaska game warden / Ray Tremblay ; foreword by Jim Rearden.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-88240-573-5 (softbound)
1. Tremblay, Ray, 1926-2004 2. Game wardens-Alaska-Biography.
I. Title.
SK354.T74A3 2004
363.28-dc22 2004003060
An imprint of Graphic Arts Books
P.O. Box 56118
Portland, OR 97238-6118
[phone]
Cover Design: Elizabeth Watson
Interior Design: Barbara Ziller-Caritey
CONTENTS
Foreword
Map
Introduction
PART I
The 1950s: Enforcing Federal Game Laws in the Territory of Alaska
Chapter 1
The Making of a Flying Game Warden
Chapter 2
Modus Operandi
Chapter 3
Think Like a Beaver
Chapter 4
For the Want of Snowshoes
Chapter 5
The Gullwing Stinson
Chapter 6
Capture of the Blue Parka Bandit Other Trapline Patrols
Chapter 7
Wildlife Surveys: Low Flying, Quick Thinking
Chapter 8
Married to the Fish Wildlife Service
Chapter 9
Balancing Acts
Chapter 10
The Quiet Men
Chapter 11
What Happened to Charlie Woods
Chapter 12
Lawless Valley
Chapter 13
Wolf Control
Chapter 14
Dog Shoots Man Other Wild Animal Stories
Chapter 15
Victims of Circumstance
Chapter 16
Search and Rescue
Chapter 17
Engine Failure
Chapter 18
Legal Beaver
PART II
The 1960s: Big Changes in a Baby State
Chapter 19
The Duck War
Chapter 20
Check Ride Unsatisfactory
Chapter 21
What Went Wrong?
Chapter 22
A Royal Pain
Chapter 23
Surveys with the DC-3
Chapter 24
The Grumman Goose
Chapter 25
The Protectors Versus the Spoilers
FOREWORD
We who worked beside Ray Tremblay in managing and protecting Alaska s fish and game in the good old days of the 1950s and 1960s, know the mark he made. Alaska s wildlife professionals have long been close-knit, the handful of men who in those years worked for territory, state, and federal governments knew one another intimately. Among these dedicated men, Ray Tremblay stood out. To his coworkers no higher praise could be given then to say, He always put the resource first -which is what Ray did.
We met in 1953 when I was at Minto Lakes, near Fairbanks, banding waterfowl for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a summer break from my job of teaching wildlife management at the University of Alaska. Ray Tremblay arrived to fly me home to Fairbanks in a Piper Pacer.
From that first meeting sprang a friendship that has lasted five decades. We are tied together by a mutual interest in Alaska s fish and game. We have crossed trails from the Arctic Brooks Range to the Alaska Peninsula. We have attended the same wildlife meetings. Some of my former wildlife students worked for and with Ray. Our mutual friends are mostly wildlife professionals or longtime Alaskans.
Ray Tremblay plunges at life with enthusiasm, which bubbles over on every page of this, his third book recounting his adventures in Alaska. He s interested in everything and everyone around him. He has always been genuinely concerned over the well-being of others.
In this book Ray briefly recounts the rescue of a prospector at Big River, near McGrath. His modest account needs expanding.
It was June 1959, and U.S. Game Management Agent Raymond H. Tremblay was on an aerial search for the lost prospector. After much flying he sighted the man waving from a sandbar of Big River. The river was winding and narrow, with bank erosion and sweepers-fallen trees hanging from the shores. The current was swift, the water muddy.
Ten times Ray flew low-and-slow over the stranded man, searching for a spot to land. He studied the roily water, memorized where the sweepers were, and tried to judge water depth.
He finally flew below overhanging trees, keeping the plane centered over the deeper fast water, and landed on a pinpoint he had located during his flyovers. He ran one float up on the river bar where the man stood, and held it there with power. The man plunged into the water, climbed up on a float, and crawled into the plane.
With the prospector aboard, Ray roared down the narrow river, dodging sweepers and shallow water, seeking a straight place where he could lift into the air without hitting bankside trees.
In this perilous manner he sped around three bends until he found a relatively straight stretch. Fire-walling the throttle, he lifted into the air and flew over the riverbank trees.
Fred A. Seaton, Secretary of the Interior, conferring the Valor Award of the Department of the Interior upon Ray for the feat, commented, By foresight, follow-up, and skillful execution, without regard for his personal safety, Mr. Tremblay undoubtedly saved the life of a fellow citizen.
In December 1979, Secretary Cecil Andrus awarded him the Interior Department s Meritorious Service Award for a highly superior performance and devotion to duty-recognition for his years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Andrus commented on Ray s sincere concern for the well-being and wise use of the fish and wildlife in Alaska, and his efforts in adapting aircraft to accomplish U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service missions in Alaska.
Those of us who have known and worked with Ray also know the measure of the man: awards are nice, but Ray s real reward has always been his personal satisfaction for simply doing his job to the best of his ability.
As Ray has written in this modest volume describing some of his conservation work, the 1950s were truly the good old days, when Alaska was wild and free, without today s acrimony and clutter of laws involving the use of fish and game. These lively tales recounting his adventures as an Alaska game warden (his titles were different, but that s what he was) are based on his diaries, and they will bring back fond memories for those of us who were there. They will entertain, inform, and excite those who weren t.
-Jim Rearden, Alaskan writer
Outdoors Editor of Alaska magazine, 1968-88 Field Editor for Outdoor Life , 1975-95

INTRODUCTION
My book, Trails of an Alaska Game Warden , published in 1985 by Alaska Northwest Publishing Company, went out of print some years ago. It was an unfinished saga. I had intended another volume to complete the story, which, in addition to revealing the trail I left, is a partial twenty-five-year history (1953-78) of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska. On Patrol is built on the foundation of the previous book. Most of it outlines my experiences in territorial days. After statehood many changes dictated a new method of operation for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Thus, now, a continuation of my book, Trails . . .
In 1960, with Alaska s wildlife under management of the new State Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife (FWS) agents began functioning, as did agents in the other states. Our title had been changed in 1956 from Alaska Enforcement Agent to U.S. Game Management Agent to conform with our southern counterparts so no structural changes in the division were necessary.
Interestingly, about the time Alaska became a state, Congress was in the process of changing the 1925 Alaska Game Law and authorized hiring more enforcement agents. We had a force of twenty-five, and we were in the process of hiring twenty-five more. The Statehood Act changed all that, and the old game laws became moot. Instead of hiring, we started transferring agents away from Alaska, cutting the force down to twelve. I was transferred to Fairbanks from McGrath for two years and then to Anchorage, where I remained until my retirement.

Left: Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Enforcement Agent 1953-1956

Right: Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Game Management Agent 1956-1974
The Statehood Act required FWS to turn over to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF G) all outlying stations, complete with housing, vehicles, patrol boats, and other equipment. A number of aircraft were also transferred, including several Grumman Goose. The federal property at Lake Hood, where the aircraft headquarters was located, was divided, giving the state a quarter parcel of the land including one of the hangars. We downgraded in a big way.
As the state organized, federal agents were deputized as Alaska Fish and Wildlife Protection Officers. In turn FWS deputized state officers as federal agents. This dual authorization created a force of fifty to sixty wildlife officers commissioned to enforce both state and federal laws. We worked in harmony, utilizing equipment from both agencies to protect Alaska s wildlife resources.
Eventually, with the help of a group of U.S. Attorneys General, Congress upgraded fines and penalties for violating some wildlife laws from misdemeanors to felonies. This put the needed teeth into the laws and regulations, which helped convince judges to impose heavier penalties for violations. It also included provisions for confiscating planes, boats, and other equipment used to take game illegally. Seizing an airplane in the middle of their paid hunting season made them sit up and take notice. When illegal wild