Wildland Sentinel: Field Notes from an Iowa Conservation Officer

by Erika Billerbeck

In America’s Midwest, where “wilderness” is in short supply, working to defend what’s left of Iowa’s natural resources can be both a daunting and an entertaining task. In Wildland Sentinel , Erika Billerbeck takes readers along for the ride as she and her colleagues sift through poaching investigations, chase down sex offenders in state parks, search for fugitives in wildlife areas, haul drunk boaters to jail, perform body recoveries, and face the chaos that comes with disaster response. Using an introspective personal voice, this narrative nonfiction work weaves stories of Iowa’s natural history with a cast of unforgettable characters. Wildland Sentinel touches on what it means to be a woman working in the male-dominated field of conservation law enforcement.

Genres: Nature, Memoir

230 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[Carolyn McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was part working-life-memoir, part cautionary book, and different for me. But overall, I thought it was a pretty good read. I read it in a few sittings, slowed only by dry bits about the history of nature conservation in Iowa. But the author made up for those with her recounting of experiences out in the field. They covered a range of emotional high and low points, as you might expect. I won't give anything away here.

I'm glad I got to read this, so thanks to the author for writing it, and the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read it in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The author describes her career as a Conservation Officer for the state of Iowa. Admittedly, not the romantic setting of a similar Officer in say, Montana, but interesting nonetheless. I found her job duties to be quite different from what I experienced while working in college in Wisconsin with Conservation Officers. Her duties seemed to run more toward a park police person, dealing with drunks and such. But, as a woman in her chosen profession, she met the challenges head on and persevered. It could not have been easy. I thank her for her service.

[Krystelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It provides an insight into the world of working as a conservation officer, with the good, the bad, the ugly, and the plain weird all highlighted. I really enjoyed reading these little slice-of-life titbits and the way in which life sometimes throws curveballs at you from the strangest places. Everyone who works as an officer is well developed as characters in the book, and you can get attached to them pretty quickly. The author writes in an affable fashion, and it develops an instant connection for the reader to attach themselves to with ease.

I really enjoyed the stories in this book as well. While some were horrible and had a distinctive sense of absolute awfulness, they were still interesting, and give a realistic insight into the way that the job has changed over the years and some of the strange deaths that occur in parks. There was also a lot of things in here that I never would have guessed formed part of the job, so it was interesting to learn about that as well. Honestly, I just wanted to know more and more about it all!

All in all, this was a really interesting book that is a mostly quick read, and it has a fantastic voice from the author who gives it the kind of life that makes you feel like you're out in a national park with her. This was a lovely read, and especially recommendable to anyone even remotely interested in nature in any capacity.

[sbtbkb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this first hand account. It had great vignettes of a career in conservation law enforcement. The beginning seemed like it would balance well between life and work but the end turned more toward work. I would have liked to understand more why she did it. Some passages hinted at it but I was left feeling ambivalent if she truly loved what she did. But she's a good writer and I appreciated the perspective of a woman.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Wildland Sentinel is part memoir, part conservation essay, and a fascinating inside look at the work which conservation officers perform. Due out 15th Sept 2020 from the University of Iowa Press, it's 230 pages and will be available in paperback format.

This is a plainly written and accessible first person account of the making of a conservation officer from her childhood up through employment and experiences in the field. Working in Iowa, where there are remarkably few truly wild places remaining, her job entailed a lot more park ranger type duties than I was maybe expecting (challenging as a woman), but she's adept at telling her story and I found myself engaged in the narrative. I finished the book in a couple sessions and never felt the pace dragged or became difficult. The scenarios run the gamut from quite humorous to deep pathos and everything in between and Ms. Billerbeck is gifted in her storytelling.

The stories are arranged roughly thematically: the author's childhood, the officers, being a woman in a male dominated field, areas of conservation (water, land, wildlife), laws and law enforcement, the public, and her maturation as an officer of the law and as a person. She has a down to earth and philosophical writing style and I found myself nodding along as I was reading the book. It's a very readable book.

I really liked the lino cut illustrations (see cover art) and felt they added a lot to the text in a simple and rugged way. There aren't any photographs, but the descriptive style of the author more than compensates for the lack. The book doesn't contain an index, but it does have a neat appendix listing other books from the publisher with a number of interesting titles.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Chantal Lyons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although much of this book is fascinating, I did come away feeling a little disappointed - I expected many more stories about wildlife encounters (or wildlife-human encounters) than there turned out to be.

The author is undoubtedly an excellent writer, and certainly does the job of conveying the breadth of what her job as a conservation officer in the U.S. involves. From deer poaching to fishing up people's bodies from the waterways, Billerbeck doesn't spare us the visceral details, nor the emotional fallout.

There's also some pretty funny moments, and the author narrates these to maximum effect.

That said, I'm a fan of books about popular science and the natural world - and 'Wildland Sentinel' didn't deliver in this regard. As I said at the beginning, there's very little actual wildlife. Mostly we get details about human-on-human crimes. I felt like I was reading a book by a small-town sheriff, most of the time. And that's quite a shame, because from the passages that are about wildlife, Billerbeck is clearly a talented nature-writer. I very much hope she'll write more, and that next time, she'll be focusing on the non-human rather than the human.

(With thanks to Netgalley and the University Of Iowa Press for the ebook in exchange of an honest review)

[Janell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't recall what prompted me to put this book on my Christmas wish list last year, but I finally got around to reading it. Wildland Sentinel was a fun, interesting and educational read. The author, Erika Billerbeck, is an Iowa conservation officer and most of what she writes, relates to her experiences working in Johnson County.
I was occasionally quite surprised at some of the encounters conservation officers have with people while going about their work: who would be stupid enough to cultivate a patch of marijuana on public ground? Who would ever think it's okay to MOW down prairie grass within a wildlife refuge so they AND their friends could camp in an area that doesn't have electrical hook-ups? There's more ... but I won't ruin it for anyone wishing to read this book.
Admittedly, there was a tragedy that she wrote of, that has a local tie to the community I live in, which gave me pause as I read.
Living right next to a state recreational area myself, reading this book will make me view the work of conservation officers differently, and I'm unlikely to take for granted that everyone that uses such parks, treats the resources with respect.

[Sam Helmkampf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Providing an intricate and eye-opening experience of an Iowan Conservation Officer, Erika Billerbeck highlights the entangled web of relationships between humans and nature, how we take from natural areas, natural areas take back from us, and what we offer each other in between our plunders. I found that Erika's writing does a great job at emphasizing the impact the we humans have on supposed "natural" areas, and how much they depend on us to act in accordance with the system in order to maintain its integrity.
I read this for a course on Applied Conservation Biology, and although it spends very little time with the conservation aspect, I think it emphasizes the reality that conservation is only possible when it includes humans as a piece of the solution. There is simply no way to create a functional conservation practice that doesn't acknowledge the fact that people have and will always leave an impact on the locale, so there must be a human factor involved in the plan to mitigate or qualify humans infringing on the space.

[Paul Deaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wildland Sentinel is a well-written account of Billerbeck's experiences as a conservation officer in the state park and wilderness refuge adjacent to where I live.

While I was well aware of the diversity of experiences in the area, the author provided a perspective I would not otherwise have had. Her descriptions of being a female conservation officer in a male dominated profession seem archetypal. She showed the other side of stories I read in the newspaper. She explained the other half of conversations I've had with friends and associates about what it means to go camping outside state park camp grounds.

Besides the excellent writing, the book is recommended as a primer of what the job of conservation officer entails. I look forward to seeing what else Billerbeck writes.

[LD Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very engaging. I've read many books on ranger life and search-and-rescue in big National Parks or western public lands. It is among my favorites in the category. The author's love for public lands in Iowa comes through in the writing. She also doesn't shy away from the mental and societal challenges with being one of few women in a male-dominated profession.

Be warned that the book is not family-friendly as it covers real cases managed as a state conservation officer, spotlighting the role of a state conservation officer beyond simply hunting & fishing regulation enforcement. There are graphic descriptions of sexual situations and accident investigations.

[Kim Wyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

Officer Billerbeck has a way with words to keep her reader interested in what possibly could happen next in this crazy world in eastern Iowa...where mentioned people find comfort to be in the outdoors, what really happens outside of the perimeters of normal vision? I have a much greater respect for this occupation now after reading what they go through and especially for a woman in a male dominated profession.

[Elenute · Rating 5 out of 5]

These real episodes in the life of an Iowa conservation officer are eye-opening. It's sad how poorly people treat our environmental treasures. It's fortunate that there are people like Erika Billerbeck, who is obviously dedicated to her work. In addition, this is well written and absolutely absorbing.

[Tami Breen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book thinking it would be a recollection of nothing more than wildlife stories however, much like all of governmental paid programming, it came with plenty of twists and turns and "what the hell"' stories to keep me up way past my bedtime!

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. Like a nonfiction Anna Pigeon. It covers all types of emotions and scenarios. I liked the focus on being a woman in this type of job. I would highly recommend it to those interested in the outdoors, interested in this type of job, or interested in the Johnson County Iowa area.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5+ stars. This book was an engaging read from start to finish. Erika’s storytelling of her time as a conservation officer in my state was just fascinating. People are weird & her stories just prove that.

[Adam Weis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good stories that do a good job of showing the craziness of public lands. Super fun to read stories about Hawkeye, Macbride, Sugar, etc. Never knew just how much shenanigans occurs out there.

[Melissa Greenwalt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great! Entertaining and enlightening, it really highlights the importance of conservation law enforcement work and the dedication they have to endure some very, very tough work.

[Bernice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erika Billerbeck writes well. I enjoyed reading this.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is from an Iowa author, who worked in areas near where I lived when we lived in Iowa City and Coralville. I was hoping for good stories of life as a conservation officer. I got that! There are great stories here, funny and sad and WTF. But what I ALSO got was beautiful writing and introspection on wild places, being a female officer, feeling like work was wasted and not valued by others, how to tell when to write a citation and when to lecture, being a mom while working a stressful job, and passing a love of the outdoors to children. Very valuable book, good future book club possibility!


Reread for book club 2021

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our book club welcomed author of Wilderness Sentinel, Ericka Billerbeck, to our last gathering. It was amazing to read her book, meet her personally and hear of her experiences as an Iowa conservation officer. Ericka wears many hats daily in her position. I believe we all came away with a far greater appreciation and respect of the varied duties which these dedicated professionals perform.

In her writing Ericka takes the reader on a virtual ride-along through the backwoods, waters and gravel roads of Iowa with a compelling mixture of humor and compassion. Wilderness Sentinel, a great read - highly recommend it!