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Wildlife officer follows in dad’s footsteps

Washington County officially has a new state wildlife officer.

Ryan Donnelly, 24,  of Albany said he is eager to establish new relationships in the area he calls home serving as the county’s wildlife officer for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

“It was a goal to come back to where I grew up and become an officer and truly get established,” he said.

Donnelly was transferred from his position as state wildlife officer in Cuyahoga County to his new position in Washington County on Sept. 6.

The position was previously held by Eric Bear who is now the wildlife officer supervisor for district three.

“I enjoyed my team and people in Washington County,” said Bear. “I am going to miss it a lot.”

The position’s rate of pay is $21 an hour.

As a child, Donnelly said he watched his father serve as a wildlife officer for 27 years and soon realized it was something he wanted to do as well.

“I’ve enjoyed the outdoors my whole life and seeing my dad do it strengthened my passion for natural law enforcement,” he said.

The new officer received an associate degree in natural resources law enforcement from Hocking College in 2012 and graduated from the Wildlife Officer Cadet Academy in 2014.

The position requires a list of responsibilities including enforcing wildlife regulations, protecting state property and conducting educational programs.

“The officer position really is jack of all trades,” said Wildlife District Four Manager, Timothy Parrett. “They do a little bit of everything the division does as a whole.”

Donnelly said he enjoys not knowing what he’s going to be doing each day he comes into work.

“A typical day is always different, it’s never the same,” he said.

Establishing new relationships with the county’s other departments is Donnelly’s primary goal.

“I want to create a bond of some kind where they can get to know me,” he said. “I want to get established and create relationships with the sheriff’s department and police department, and see what I can do to help them and what they can do to help me.”

Major Brian Schuck of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said he is glad to have a wildlife officer back in the county.

“It’s really nice to have that resource and have someone patrol an area if we need them to,” he said. “It relieves a little pressure off of us when he is available to answer those calls.”

Schuck said the department calls the officer for certain things such as injured animal reports and reports of deer spotlighting.

Donnelly said he enjoys the smaller aspects of the job as well.

“I like interacting with people who have never experienced catching their first fish or seeing their reaction when they hunt for the first time,” he said.

Ryan Donnelly

¯Age: 24.

¯From: Albany.

¯Past experience: Served as the state wildlife officer for Cuyahoga County for two and half years.

¯Hobbies: Enjoys playing golf and ice hockey.

Source: Ryan Donnelly.

 

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