Wildlife officer: Michele Butler

SANDUSKY — With living close to the Atlantic Ocean, Michele Butler thought she'd grow up to be a marine biologist. She lived near Boston and loved the outdoors. She could go fishing anytime, but hunting was a weekend trip. As Butler got older, what she enjoyed more was being in the woods. She decided to pursue a career that involved natural resources. While attending Unity College in Maine to major in wildlife, Butler met her husband, Andy. He was from Ohio, so she ended up moving to the state after graduating and began looking for employment. Butler spent time working as a research tech for the Ohio Division of Wildlife before being hired as a wildlife officer in Erie County. "The lake is the closest thing to the ocean that I can get, so it definitely reminds me of home," she said. "There's a little bit of everything here. I stay busy any day of the year." Butler was grateful to receive the position because it was located near her husband's job. He also works for the division as a wildlife area technician at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. "We never thought we'd be married and living together," Butler said. Applying for an available job within the division of wildlife is competitive. People tend to relocate when they're offered a job. The agency doesn't hire every year but it's planning to bring on an additional 20 wildlife officer cadets by next summer. A woman in a male-dominated profession Butler has been the wildlife officer assigned to Erie County for about three years. She said it's a true dream job for her. "It's not the best job for everyone, but it's the best job for me," Butler said. Butler's job consists of a wide variety of things. One day she could be checking hunting and fishing licenses or inspecting guns for plugs. The next day, she could be rescuing an injured animal or investigating a tip. The Ohio Division of Wildlife has 134 commissioned officers and, of those officers, eight are women, according to Jim Quinlivan, law enforcement program administrator. It's a male-dominated profession, Butler said. Butler described herself as a "very feminine lady." When she's out and about in the community, people tend to assume she doesn't know anything about hunting or fishing. But that's not the case. "People underestimate me, but, a lot of times, it works in my favor," Butler said. "People think they can get away with their lies but I can see right through them." Being a woman, Butler feels men are nicer to her because they were taught to treat ladies well. There have been times when Butler has encountered hunting violations and has needed to seize deer from men. Each time, the violator willingly offers to load the deer into Butler's truck. "There are some things I would have a harder time with," she said. "A deer is a 150-pound animal. If I needed to load it myself, I would figure it out. But they always offer (to load it)." On the job Butler had doubts she'd be hired for the wildlife officer job. However, the division certainly made the right decision by hiring Butler, Quinlivan said. She stood out in all aspects of the hiring process. Now, Butler excels at making solid relationships within the community. "Officer Butler has performed exceptionally well and she continues to do a great job," Quinlivan added. "She represents our agency and the wildlife officer profession with a very high degree of professionalism." Law enforcement is a big component of being a wildlife officer but having an interest in the outdoors is another major part, Butler said. There's never a "normal" day. During Butler's first week on the job by herself, she was on her way to Willow Point Wildlife Area for the opening of a duck hunting season. She remembers passing through Resthaven Wildlife Area at about 5:30 a.m. and noticing two vehicles on the side of the road. She felt something didn't seem right. Turns out, there was a mobile meth lab in the trunk of one of the vehicles. One other time, she was working with Reid Van Cleve, a wildlife officer in Ottawa County. They encountered hunters who were shooting multiple birds. Butler and Van Cleve took 13 birds — that either didn't have a hunting season or were protected game birds — from the hunters. One thing that bothers Butler the most is litter. "People go out of their way to dump a bag of household trash in wildlife areas. It's disrespectful," she said. "People work hard to keep things nice." Someone ends up having to clean up the mess. Also, animals root through the trash and sometimes it results in them needing to be taken to Back to the Wild, a local wildlife rehabilitation center Butler is thankful to have here. Butler hopes to become a K-9 handler for the division of wildlife. The agency uses K-9s as bite dogs and they can also detect different scents, which aids in search work. She already has a passion for her job but she'd love it even more working with a dog on a daily basis. Natural resources "are what I care about and value the most, so I want to work to protect them. I wanted a job that made me feel like I was doing something worthwhile," she said. "This job is important to me." To learn more about becoming a wildlife officer visit: ohiodnr.gov/careers. Coming Soon The Register plans on featuring other wildlife officers throughout its coverage area. Stay tuned for: • Reid Van Cleve, Ottawa County • Charles McMullen, Sandusky County • Matthew Smith, Huron County