An Interview with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Park Ranger Daniel Cook

by Morganin Action and Awareness, Exploring Nature!on Posted on

When I went to visit Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge with my young birders group a few weeks ago, I knew that we would have the wonderful opportunity of talking with biologists and park rangers who work with California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) on a daily basis. It was there that I once again crossed paths with Daniel Cook, a park ranger whose primary job is to conduct educational outreach with the public. We had first met when I volunteered for condor outreach at the L.A. zoo back in April. There, we talked about how much we admire condors and what we can do to educate folks about their story.

When my birding group proposed a special edition newsletter done by the people who visited Bitter Creek, I jumped at the opportunity to interview Daniel about his experiences working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and with California Condors. Below is that interview, which was conducted through email.
*Please note that parts of the interview have been lightly edited for flow and clarity.*

Interview with Daniel Cook: a park ranger with USFWS specializing in California Condors

Part 1: Daniel’s role and experiences with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Question 1: What got you interested in biology and conservation?

“I always thought nature was pretty cool and interesting, but I never really connected with it beyond that surface level curiosity. I knew that everything out in the environment had a name and a whole story and science with it, but I didn’t really think it mattered or could really be learned. 

Later in college when I took an ecology class and a geology class, I really started becoming blown away by the birds, plants, rocks, rivers, wind, and everything else in nature. I started learning more about it and how it all plays together. I wanted to help protect nature for others and share it with them, so I followed a career in environmental science and conservation. Now, I can’t get away from nature! It’s everywhere: in us and around us. I’m always hearing a bird or noticing a flower and it has just made life so much better. I’m not a biologist, but I am a park ranger, and I love being able to connect people with the condors and nature that I love so deeply.”

Question 2: How long have you been working for USFWS and what has your experience been like?

“I’ve been with the USFWS for almost 4 years. It has been a great experience! The FWS is really big on developing their employees, so I’ve been able to get a lot of great training in addition to on-the-job experience. All my colleagues have had interesting careers and pathways that are not just fun to hear about, but can also be insightful and educational too. 

Because we are a part of the federal government, there is a lot of bureaucracy (forms to fill out, signatures, special procedures, etc.) I get frustrated with it sometimes, but it is another opportunity to practice critical thinking, discipline, strategy, patience, and being okay with not getting exactly what you want or expect. I remember often that we are the Fish and Wildlife Service, and I try to lean into the idea that I am serving my community – the people and the wild things of it.”

Question 3: What has been your most gratifying experience regarding your work with California
Condors?

“For me, the most gratifying experience working with condors is getting to connect with people, nature, and myself in such extraordinary ways so often. Something happens to people when a prehistoric, intimidatingly large California Condor soars over them. I get to watch folks lose the tension in their bodies as they forget about the laundry waiting at home or that mean thing someone said to them. I get to fall away from the world as it is and just be when these birds show up. I get to be a part of and a witness to what really feels like a sacred moment with so many other people. Each time I’m with a group and condors show up, there is a collective consciousness that seems to emerge without effort. We all seem to have a big relaxing sigh together and things get quiet for a bit. It’s no wonder the Latin root for the family of new world vultures (Cathardidae) means purification!”

Question 4: What are the steps to becoming a biologist?

When asked the question above, Daniel replied saying that the first step is to become interested in science in nature. After that, learn about nature, like though documentaries, books, videos, and in college. As the third step, Daniel said: “Connect to people and places by volunteering, interning, working, [and] engaging with speakers and teachers.” The fourth step that Daniel listed was to go after the jobs you want. Lastly, Daniel replied saying: “Don’t take ownership of nature or science. Rise to the challenge of sustainably sharing it with everyone.”

Question 5: What advice would you give to aspiring wildlife biologists and conservationists?

“I would tell them to follow the paths of least resistance. If there is an opportunity or job opening, take it. Go on that excursion, help with that volunteer project. Sometimes you may have to work a little harder to get into a job, but I try to look for open doors that I can just walk through and don’t have to beat down. I think it can be easy to second guess ourselves and wonder if we should be selected for a job, or if we are prepared, or if that is the right job for you, but I say go for it. The worst thing that could happen is you learn a lot of areas where you can still improve or grow in! Go do those things and take those opportunities and engage with the people around you. The people you work with, volunteer for, and learn from can be your most powerful asset in finding new opportunities and getting selected for them.”  

Part 2: On Condors

Question 1: How has the Southern California flock been doing in recent years?

“In 2020, our flock saw a shift in its make up of sexually mature birds. Over half of the population in SoCal became of breeding age. That was exciting! In 2020, in part due to the Donlon Fire in Big Sur, we did see the first year of decline in the wild population. Since then, we have been back to positive growth. We also have seven active condor nests this year in our SoCal flock, which is a big increase from the last few years but isn’t outside the norm of what we’ve seen before.” 

Question 2: How has condor breeding in recent years compared to years previous?

“Over the past few years, the LA Zoo has developed new methods to breed condors in captivity at a higher rate. In the past, a condor couple would provide two eggs a year through double clutching, that is when the first egg is taken from the pair, and the pair produces a second viable egg. One egg would be left with the birds, while the other would be placed in an incubator until it hatched and could then be reared by humans with a condor feeding puppet. 

Now the biologists are encouraging triple clutching. This method has been successful with a condor couple and even a single condor parent, rearing 2 or 3 chicks at once. This is exciting because we can now breed more condors with less resources in the captive program to release into the wild population!”

Question 3: What forms of public outreach does USFWS engage in to help educate people about condors and lead? How responsive has the public been about this?

“The USFWS has a variety of public outreach methods to help spread awareness about California Condors and how we can work together to save them. We work with a lot of partner organizations, like zoos that display condors and provide a lot of education and connection to the species with camps, presentations, and signs around the animal’s exhibit. The Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex created the CondorKids curriculum: an award winning, Next Generation Science aligned curriculum for third graders and middle school students with our partners at the Santa Barbara Zoo. There are also asynchronous digital journals and a pretty cool VR app: TimeLooper Xplore: California Condor Recovery. Other partners include the Institute of Wildlife Studies and the North American Non-lead Partnership. They help inform folks about the issues with lead ammunition, the benefits of non-lead alternatives, and how to switch. They’ve even helped to provide these alternative ammunition types.

Providing education materials and doing outreach is really the main part of my job as a park ranger. I host classrooms and groups on tours to the refuges. I visit schools, meet people at community events with an educational table, and speak to all sorts of interested groups. Folks always seem excited when they are learning about condors. There have been a lot of interesting stories and rumors about these birds over the last 30 years that can be funny and challenging, but when we get enough time to connect and observe the facts together, most people are receptive to the recovery program and our efforts.”

Big thanks to Daniel for his educational and enlightening responses!

Below are the resources that were mentioned in this interview: