Clu Cotter, DFG Associate Biologist, 48 years old, Kevin O’Connor, DFG Senior Biologist Supervisor, 40 years old, and Tom Stolberg, DFG Scientific Aid, 31 years old, all of Fresno, lost their lives in the helicopter crash. Helicopter pilot Dennis (Mike) Donovan of Landells Aviation, also lost his life. The families of the victims have been notified.
Phillip’s post on the Hog Blog about the deaths of these three California Fish and Game employees, and their pilot brought up some old memories. In 2000, one of my college fraternity brothers, Keith Williams, was killed in a helicopter crash while doing an aerial wildlife count in the rugged mountains of North Central Idaho.
Just this week three Idaho fish and game biologists cheated death when their helicopter went down doing a similar aerial count, not far from Keith’s crash site.
A helicopter carrying two Idaho Fish and Game biologists and a pilot crashed just past noon Friday Mountain Time zone in the Kelly Creek area on the North Fork of the Clearwater River.
None of the three people on board suffered life-threatening injuries.
The two research biologists were trapping and radio-collaring elk, moose and wolves in the Clearwater Region.The contract pilot and the biologists were in a Hughes 500 helicopter operated by Quicksilver Air.
Fish and Game biologists fly about 1,000 hours annually in aerial surveys, wildlife counts and capturing wildlife for research.
Fish and Game has had no aircraft accidents involving injuries since a wildlife biologist was killed in December 2000 when the helicopter he was in went down while on a wildlife count in northern Idaho.
Fish and Game flights have been suspended until Monday, pending review of safety procedures. Fish and Game takes safety seriously; all personnel are required to take safety training before flying and adhere to strict safety procedures
We don’t often think about how these behind the scenes hard working individuals put their lives in danger to do the hands on management tasks such as doing winter wildlife counts and dealing with rogue animals. Dr. Blake Sasse wrote about the dangers involved in wildlife work in his 2003 journal article Job-Related Mortality of Wildlife Workers in the United States, 1937-2000,
Wildlife biologists face a variety of job-related hazards that are unique to this profession, most of them involving the remote areas where work is performed and the unusual techniques used to study or manage wildlife. Information on biologists and others killed while conducting wildlife research or management was obtained from state and federal natural resources agencies, solicitations on wildlife-based internet discussion groups, and published obituaries. Ninety-one job-related deaths were documented from 1937 to 2000. Aviation accidents, drowning, car and truck accidents, and murder were the most common causes of death. Thirty-nine aviation accidents accounted for 66% of deaths, with aerodynamic stalls and power-line collisions being the most significant causes of accidents for which information was available. These safety threats should be taken into consideration during the design and planning of future research and management projects.
Abstract from a 2003 Wildlife Society Bulletin available at :
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3784446
So when you pick up your hunting license and apply for your hunts in the West this year, raise your glass to toast those unsung heroes who gave their lives to ensure the well being of the game we pursue.
Here’s to ya, Clu, Kevin, Tom, Dennis and “Loaf”. You all made the ultimate sacrifice and we will remember you.
