High Lonesome Ranch - January 21 - January 25, 2019

I am retired from The Longleaf Alliance where I served as President from 2012 until 2020. Prior to my stint with the Longleaf Alliance, I was Director of Agency Programs with the National Wild Turkey Federation where I managed wild turkey restoration across the US and Canada. I have a BS from NC State in Wildlife Biology and a MS from LSU in Marine Science. With 46 years of wildlife and conservation related experience, I have worked all over the US and Canada on projects as varied as waterfowl and wetlands research, wild turkey restoration, and habitat restoration of wetlands and longleaf pine forests. I grew up in North Carolina hunting with my father, brother and cousins. I have been hunting since before i can remember although I did not start carrying a gun until I was 10. I am married and have a daughter and son, both of whom are avid hunters. My passions are my family, hunting (specifically turkey) and habitat restoration on our family farm in Duplin County North Carolina.

Kim Bogenschutz is the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Program Coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). She has developed and directed the IDNR AIS Program since its inception in 2000. Prior to her current position, she worked for the Minnesota DNR, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Iowa Department of Transportation, and IDNR in a variety of capacities including fisheries management, private lands restoration, environmental review and permitting, and nongame wildlife. Kim is vice-chair of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Invasive Species Committee, past chair of the Mississippi River Basin Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, and is on the Board of Directors for the Midwest Invasive Plant Network. A native of Minnesota, Kim earned a BA in Biology from Gustavus Adolphus College and an MS in Fisheries Science from South Dakota State University. In addition to CLfT, she shares her love of the outdoors as an instructor for Outdoor Journey for Girls and Becoming an Iowa Outdoors Woman. Kim, her husband, Todd, and their daughter, Veronica Brooke, reside on 50 acres along the bluffs of the Des Moines River in Madrid, Iowa, with their two bird dogs and cat. In addition to fishing, hunting, and boating, she enjoys attending her daughter’s dance events, spending time at the family cabin in Minnesota, and coaching cheer and dance teams.

Rusty Garrison served as the Director of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division from 2016-2020.
Rusty was with DNR for 20 years having served most recently as the manager of the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield, Georgia. He served in numerous other capacities, including Assistant Chief of Game Management, State Coordinator of Project WILD, and Chief of the DNR Mountain Search and Rescue Team. Before his career with DNR, Rusty worked for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service for nearly nine years.
Rusty has served as a CLfT instructor since 2012. He has assists with classes mostly at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Georgia; but also teaches at Max McGraw in Illinois and at facilities in Colorado and Idaho.
Rusty holds the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences and a Master of Science in Wildlife Biology, both from the University of Georgia. He is active in his local community, having previously volunteered as a fire fighter and first responder for his county EMS. Rusty has traveled to over 75 countries while on mission trips and remains active in his local church. He is married to his wife Sue, has three daughters, and is a proud grandfather.

Robert J. Gates is Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University. Bob grew up and began hunting with his father in east central Wisconsin, after which his family moved to the hunting paradise of eastern South Dakota, where he received his B.S. in Wildlife Science from South Dakota State University. Bob’s graduate degrees were from Montana State University (M.S.) and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (Ph.D.). Bob’s travels have provided many memorable hunting, fishing and other outdoors activities that he has shared with family and friends in 19 states/provinces in the U.S. and Canada. He is most proud of passing on the hunting and fishing traditions to his younger brother Dale, and to his sons Eric and Jared. Bob is an avid bird hunter who most enjoys hunting pheasants and prairie grouse over pointing dogs (especially Brittanys) and also hunts doves, waterfowl and big game. Bob has taught classes and conducted research with graduate students for nearly 30 years, first at Southern Illinois University, and currently at Ohio State University. His research interests are primarily focused on ecology and management of upland game birds, waterfowl and other wetlands-dependent wildlife, and conservation of wetlands and early successional habitats. He has been a member of The Wildlife Society (TWS) for more than 30 years, serving as state chapter president in Illinois and Ohio, and President

Aaron grew up spending some time camping and fishing, but it wasn't until high school that he discovered hunting. That discovery played a pivotal role in starting the fire that got him interested in conservation as a career. He received his B.S. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his M.S. from the University of Kentucky studying the physiological effects of translocation on elk. He has been the Cervid Biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation since 2016 helping to conserve the state's deer and elk population. He has been an instructor with CLfT since 2009 and enjoys the opportunities to work and interact with the diverse array of participants and instructors at each workshop.

Noe is the Area Wildlife Biologist for USDA-NRCS in northeast Colorado. She works with farmers and ranchers to develop high quality wildlife habitat on privately owned lands.

1961-70: BS Fish and Game Management, MS Wildlife Management, Oregon State University. Assistant in Veterinary Parasitology, Dept Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University. 1970-1996: Conservation Officer, Wildlife Research Biologist, Regional Wildlife Manager, Idaho Dept Fish and Game. 1996-present: Wildlife contract and consultant work, fly fishing and hunting guide.

Prior to coming to CLfT, David was a Captain with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division where he served for 27 1/2 years in a variety of positions including Field Officer, Environmental Investigator, Homeland Security Coordinator, Training Administrator and the Education and Training Section Commander. David has held a number of instructor certifications and specialties that included: 4H Shooting Sports Shotgun Instructor, NRA Muzzleloading Rifle, NRA Range Safety Officer, Indiana and Illinois Hunter Education Instructor and Indiana Trapper Education Instructor. David is a 1980 graduate of Vincennes University with an Associate of Science degree in Conservation Law Enforcement and a graduate of the 191st Session of the FBI National Academy. He served three terms as president of the Association of Natural Resource Enforcement Trainers (ANRET)(now a subcommittee of NAWEOA). David served as Secretary of the International Hunter Education Association, IHEA from 2009 to 2011. David was inducted into the IHEA-USA Hall of Fame in 2018. He has remained active in law enforcement by serving with the Mason County Sheriff's Marine Patrol Division and in 2021 he became NASBLA's 1st Certified Recreational Boating Professional (CRBP) in the Nation.

Michael L. Wolfe, grew up on Long Island, New York. He received a B.S. in Wildlife Management from Cornell University and a doctorate in Wildlife Science from the University of Göttingen, Germany. After a postdoctoral research position working on the Isle Royale moose/wolf project, he joined the faculty of the (USU) College of Natural Resources in 1970, where he taught a spectrum of terrestrial wildlife and natural resource courses, . Mike’s principal research interests were in the area of ungulate and carnivore ecology and management. He worked with several cervid species as well as bison, mountain goats and feral equids and led a 17-year study of cougars in Utah. He had a long working relationship with management agencies, including a two-year contract with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources as Mammals Program Coordinator. Mike has also lived and worked extensively abroad, including in the former Soviet Union, Australia and South America. These teaching and research assignments were under the auspices of various exchange programs including the Fulbright Commission, Organization of American States and the National Academy of Sciences. Currently, he is actively involved in wetland restoration on a conservation easement along the Bear River in northern Utah. Mike is a life-long hunter, but shares this avocation with other interests such as curling, nature photography and playing the concertina. He has been an instructor with the CLfT program since 2009.