Audience
natural resource professionals

Please bring the following important items: 

1)    comfortable, warm, outdoor field clothing--not too bulky 
2)    toiletries
3)    cap or headband; (optional for your comfort)
4)    gloves (optional for your comfort)
5)    rain gear (optional for your comfort)
6)    warm, waterproof, hiking/ work style boots

You may also want to consider bringing the following optional items:

7)    handwarmers 
8)    personal snacks
9)    Agency marketing and giveaway items (to share with other participants)

The outdoor field exercises will be conducted even if it is cold, raining or snowing, so come prepared for those possibilities. We recommend you check the Shepherdstown, WV area weather prior to packing.

 

National Conservation Training Center (NCTC)

Logo of the National Conservation Training Center

The National Conservation Training Center supports the mission of the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service in five critical ways:

  1. Home and Heritage: NCTC serves as the physical and virtual “home” of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where the history and heritage of the Service are preserved and shared; 
  2. Training for the Mission: NCTC provides exemplary training and professional development tailored to support Service employees and conservation partners in accomplishing the agency’s mission; 
  3. Partnerships: NCTC helps solve the urgent conservation challenges facing our natural resources by bringing together diverse partners to increase our relevance to the American people.
  4. Sustainability: NCTC is a national leader in the conservation community for its state-of-the art facility and green practices.

Campus Setting

NCTC is a walking campus on a 533 acre property. The instructional classrooms, commons, and housing are situated within the rural setting of both forest and grasslands. The architectural design demonstrates the buildings and walkways are blended with the landscape to entice guests to shed their metropolis pressures. Outdoor patios, walkways, and break areas are situated to easily view the Mid-Atlantic area wildlife throughout the four seasons. Birds, white-tailed deer, fox, and other critters are frequently seen skittering up nearby trees or moving along a grassland culvert.

 

 

Travel instructions

The National Conservation Training Center, or frequently referred to as NCTC, is located just 60 miles or just over 1 hour outside the Washington DC metropolitan beltway. We are part of the Shepherdstown, West Virginia community also known for the nearby state university just down the road from us. Our location is closest to the Washington Dulles International Airport, but many customers also use Baltimore/Washington International and Reagan National (DC) Airport.

Hunter Education Coordinator
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Tim is a 25-year employee of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Law Enforcement Division. Tim’s duties are the coordination of the department’s hunter education program. This program has expanded over the years to include many new and engaging educational programs such as Indiana’s - National Archery in the Schools Program. Tim was appointed the State Coordinator for this program in December of 2005. He is also the National Range Manager for the national archery tournaments hosted the National Archery in the Schools Program across the country. During Tim’s career, his involvement in the shooting sports and hunting has strengthened his abilities to lead the department’s outdoor education programs to a new level. With over 40 years of volunteering and working to promote outdoor activities. In 2018 Tim was inducted into the International Hunter Education Association – USA, Professional Hall of Fame Award while also receiving the Jim and Nancy Mahoney Hunter Education Heritage Award from the Indiana Hunter Education Association. Tim holds numerous training certifications from various organizations that promote and encourage the use of our great natural resources.
Director of Outdoor Recreation & Habitat
Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation
Philip H Dietrich II, consultant and shooting instructor known for entertaining anyway legally and safely with a shotgun. Currently Director of Outdoor Recreation and Habitat at McGraw. He has managed Wing & Barrel Ranch located in Sonoma, Ca. catering to the heart of wine country. Prior at Five Star Plantation, the South’s Premier quail facility. And Before that he was the GM of Prospect Hall Shooting Club, a private hunting and shooting facility serving world class wing shooters of the Washington D.C. area. He is NSCA level II certified shooting instructor. Between coaching shooting and Dog handling, he loves being a slave to an age-old trade. He has a diversified professional background in land management, habitat & herd management along with shooting sports course layout and design. In addition, he was the Area Chairman of Eastern Panhandle of Ducks Unlimited when hosting the 2012 Federal Duck Stamp Vote. A graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia with a BS in Sports Management and a Business Minor. He was born and raised in Ohio where he was mentored by family and friends at an early age in the world of conservation through hunting and shooting sports. Phil enjoys hunting waterfowl, upland birds and anything with feathers using great dogs, the best shotguns with the finest of companions. He is committed to introducing educating and passing along the heritage and importance of hunting and shooting sports to the world of conservation.
Director of Conservation Operations, Western Wildlands
National Wild Turkey Federation
Patt Dorsey is a native Coloradoan and a graduate of “the” Colorado State University. She became a "member of the flock," joining the National Wild Turkey Federation in February of 2019. As the Director of Conservation Operations for the West Region, she supervises biologists and R3 coordinators in 9 Western States. She was drawn to the NWTF because working on forest and watershed health is an increasingly important and urgent issue and the NWTF is implementing on-the-ground solutions with local partners. Before that, she held several positions with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (Boulder district wildlife manager, Hunter Education Administrator, area wildlife manager in Durango and a member of the Director's staff -- Southwest Region Manager). She was recognized as Colorado's Shikar Safari Wildlife Officer of the Year in 2012, presented with the International Hunter Education Association Past President’s Award in 2004, the Jim Jones Outstanding Employee Award in 2000, Most Creative Idea Award in 2008, Teamwork Award and Most Positive Employee awards in 1995.

Patt is an avid outdoors person and naturalist. She enjoys hunting, fishing, writing, photography, gardening and beadwork (using roadkill porcupine quills).
Grassland/Wetland Coordinator
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Heather currently works for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks as the Grassland/Wetland Coordinator for the state. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Trent University and her M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Mississippi State University. She grew up in Northern Ontario where she spent most of her time outdoors. She spends a good portion of her spare time hunting turkey, waterfowl, upland birds and big game and training her bird dog Riggs.
Director of Fisheries and Hatcheries
Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Administrative Assistant (Project Lead at DJ Case and Associates)
CLfT
Chief, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units
U.S. Geological Survey
I am Chief of the USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units, a network of 40 research units in 38 states at major universities. I was Chief of Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration for the Northeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service previously. I am also Adjunct Associate Professor of Wildlife Conservation at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Michigan State University, and Andres Bello University in Santiago, Chile. I am a Certified Wildlife Biologist and Past President and Fellow of The Wildlife Society. I am a Professional Member of the Boone and Crockett Club, Life Member of International Hunter Education Association and Senior Specialist in the Fulbright Scholar Program. I am a member of the IUCN Otter Specialist and Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Groups, serve on the Board of Directors of the National Conservation Leadership Institute, and represent USGS on the Wilderness Policy Council. I advise MS and PhD students studying carnivores, ungulates, and human dimensions, and have worked in Africa, Canada, Chile, Peru, and the US. I'm Associate Editor of Human Dimensions of Wildlife journal, Science and Education Editor for Fair Chase, and teach graduate courses in Wildlife Conservation and Human Dimensions of Wildlife Conservation. I teach Hunter and Trapper Education in Massachusetts, and have hunted most of my life, feeling most alive and connected to nature when doing so. My trophies are wild game meals I serve to friends and family.
Hunter/Trapper Education Coordinator
Ohio Division of Wildlife
Director
CLfT
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.