Conservation Ambassador: Kyla West

Photo Kyla West

Kyla is a graduate of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science, but began her professional commitment as a wildlife biologist at age 15. Over the last decade, Kyla has developed a robust interdisciplinary scientific and applied research portfolio which includes work in wildlife rehabilitation, habitat management, population monitoring, and ecology-based restoration.

With a particular focus on carnivore ecology and behavior, Kyla has researched keystone and endangered species across the country. She advocates for public engagement in science by collaborating with diverse stakeholder groups to inform wildlife management programs and policies. Concomitant to IWF’s values, her commitment to species restoration, conservation, and education, combined with strong considerations in ethics and heritage, has been a consistent part of her work. Kyla holds leadership positions within the PNW Outdoor Women Group and Artemis Sportswomen for eastern Washington and northern Idaho, and is eager to further IWF’s legacy in the same region.

We wanted to introduce the IWF community to our newest Conservation Ambassador, so we asked Kyla a few questions….

IWF: Walk us through how you became interested, involved in hunting, fish and the outdoors in the first place.

Kyla: My interest in wild things and wild places started from the time I could walk. The running joke growing up was that if my parents had two hours to spare they would take me for a walk around our small neighborhood block where I had to pick up and examine every leaf, rock, and twig. I always gravitated to learning about animals, and quickly became the ‘animal expert’ of the family. 

Around the age of 10, I joined my father, sister, and one or two family friends in upland game hunting on a regulated shooting preserve in southeastern Pennsylvania. This was a longstanding tradition held by my father and his friends that introduced me to the ethics, comradery, and gratitude that comes with making a harvest. We raised, trained and hunted with German shorthaired pointers, which truly elevates the experience of hunting as a family. And nothing beats seeing that rudder-like tail whipping around as a dog chases the scent trail of a bird. During our “off” season for upland game, my sister and I spent our summers in Long Island, New York, where we spent many of our days shoreline fishing on the beach for striped bass, porgy, and sea robin.

I kept my sights set on building a career working with wildlife, and got my Bachelor’s Degree at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. During those four years, I furthered my hunter/trapper education, and even elected to be a Teaching Assistant for the hunter ed course. Through the many friends I met along my college years and beyond, I expanded my hunting interests to include small game, waterfowl, and big game. My now husband also introduced me to cold water and lake fishing across Fort Drum, New York. Now that I’ve set my stakes in the West, I’ve challenged myself with new quarry, new terrain, and a new understanding of just how special these opportunities are.  

In your bio you say you began working in conservation at 15? What was that like and what were you doing?

In high school, I was already thinking about what I wanted to do with my life, and knew that it had to involve wildlife. Besides watching Jeff Corwin and Emergency Vets, I wasn’t sure what career options actually existed. So, I set myself out to find experiences that could help me cultivate my interests. At some point, my favorite animal as a kid went from cheetahs to wolves, and as I learned what challenges surrounded that species, I became all the more compelled to work with them. 

My first crash course in professional wildlife management started when I was 15, where I attended a week-long intensive program with the Pennsylvania Institute for Conservation Education’s Wildlife Leadership Adventure: Bucktails Camp. During this course, I learned how to use a variety of skills used in wildlife management with an emphasis on white-tailed deer. We gained skills ranging from necropsy to telemetry, media interviews to mock town hall meetings, where campers were cross-examined by staff on management plans we developed in small teams. The camp was taught by a diverse crew of wildlife professionals, including biologists such as Dr. Gary Alt, wildlife veterinarians, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and the National Deer Association (NDA, formerly the Quality Deer Management Association). Inspired and eager to share this gemstone of an experience, I returned the next year as a camp leader. 

Immediately after, I was awarded the NDA’s first-ever scholarship to attend their Deer Steward course. At 16, I was likely the only student under the age of 30; surely the only one there under 20, and definitely the only female. I graduated in the top third of my class. It was my first professional certification. 

One of my fondest memories from that course was sitting down with founder Joe Hamilton, who had just learned about my keen interest in working with wolves. He asked me, “Why did you decide to take a course on deer management if you want to work with wolves?” The answer, to me, seemed obvious. “If I want to work with wolves, shouldn’t I also work to understand their prey base?” The snowy brows on his face lifted into an expression of wonderment, and in that moment, I realized I was on the right path. 

Can you explain a bit more of what you do for work as a wildlife PROFESSIONAL?

Starting in college, I worked on endangered red wolf conservation in North Carolina, gray wolf research in Minnesota, and even habitat management for endangered Florida Panthers in the south. My research endeavors have included working with red foxes, gray foxes, coyotes, beavers, and other species across the country. After researching the ecology, behavior, and interactions of all these species, one common theme became apparent: most of my work has involved human-wildlife interactions, and I charted a course to prevent and reduce negative human-wildlife interactions in the next stage of my career.

I am currently a wildlife biologist working for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. My work as a Statewide Human-Wildlife Conflict Analyst in the Wildlife Conflict Management & Prevention section furthers the management goals set by our Wildlife Program’s Game Division. Among other things, I lead management of our Contracted Range Rider Program, Wildlife Control Operator Program, and Special Trapping Program. I lead Headquarter collaboration with staff across programs in developing wolf management projects, including innovative solutions to mitigate negative wolf-livestock interactions. Similarly, I am our Section’s lead on research collaborations in conflict management with internal and external partners. Needless to say, I am proud that after 15 years of hard work and commitment, I’ve realized my career goals of working in wolf conservation and management. 

How would you describe your PERSONAL passions and engagement with hunting, fishing and the outdoors these days?

I am enamored with the opportunities to hunt, fish, and explore the West. Some of it can be almost overwhelming; hunting is a whole other animal out here, and then there are the mountains. The MOUNTAINS. Some of my first hikes in Washington nearly stopped my heart because the landscape was so awe-inspiring. 

While I am still trying to find ways (read: time) to try new activities, most of my focus has been trying to balance hunting season and motherhood. Two years ago, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we welcomed our son into the world, and our lives became non-stop. Looking to the future in our new home in northern Idaho, I am especially looking forward to deer, turkey, and grouse hunting. I can’t wait to go on my first elk hunt, and more than anything, I can’t wait to begin sharing these experiences with our little one. 

You hold a variety of leadership roles, and are stepping into one here with IWF. Why it is important to you to take on these leadership roles within your communities?

Stepping into a leadership role, in my view, is one way to show commitment to a cause. I see far too many people voicing their concerns only when it makes the news, or reposting content they agree with on social media, but too few take action to try to institute change. I have a son who will be looking up to me as an example of how to interact with this landscape, and I would be remiss if I didn’t also show him how to protect it. I want to make sure he has wild places to grow up in. Wildlife to see and hear and respect. Traditions to inherit; memories that will last his lifetime. These are the lands that have built me, challenged me, and nurtured me, and it is my job to leave them to the next generation. That is why I choose leadership, and why my next step is to further this role with IWF.

Looking back on how I became engaged in some of the hobbies-turned-traditions that are now cherished values, I easily recall having a mentor at the start who guided me. Some of these activities are daunting, the issues complex, and it can help to have someone to turn to with questions, or a mentor that can provide an opportunity to experience and learn. It is my hope that I can be a leader in my community by passing on the guidance and mentorship that I have been given. You never know the impact you’ll have on someone’s life.

What’s something you’re truly looking forward to in the next year?

I have three main goals to look forward to! My first goal is to bring my son out to explore our new home: berry picking, hiking, and scouting especially, which leads me to my second goal. I’d like to incorporate more foraging into our seasonal expeditions (morel hunting, anyone?). Lastly, I want to reconnect with the primitive living skills that I honed in college. This was such an important practice that strengthened my respect for the natural world, and can teach you so much about the area you live in.