Public Radio for the Central Kenai Peninsula
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Support public radio — donate today!

'Our vocation has been our avocation'; wildlife refuge manager retires

Andy Loranger has been the wildlife manager at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge since 2010.
Image courtesy of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Andy Loranger has been the wildlife manager at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge since 2010.

Friends, family and colleagues gathered at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center on Tuesday for the retirement ceremony of refuge manager Andy Loranger. The occasion was one of reflection and celebration.

“A lot of us in wildlife, we know that our vocation has been our avocation,” Loranger said. “We get into this because it's something that we care deeply about.”

Loranger had a childhood dream to work in the wilds of the Last Frontier.

After working a few seasonal positions in Minnesota out of college, he decided it was time to move. He knocked on the door of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s regional office in Anchorage and was hired as a biotech. He worked for wildlife refuges around the state before coming on as a junior biologist at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in the 1980s.

“This is an amazing refuge, it encompasses so much in terms of habitats and wildlife and fish that makes Alaska so special and so unique,” Loranger said.

After several years working on the Kenai Peninsula, Loranger wanted to get into higher level management, overseeing the operations of an entire wildlife refuge. The career change led him to work for wildlife refuges in Arizona, Texas and Washington, D.C.

But, he says he worked much of his career to come back to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. And he did in 2010 as its refuge manager.

Park ranger and visitor center manager Leah Eskelin was new to Alaska when Loranger came back. She says his undying love for wildlife conservation has been encouraging to her and colleagues.

“He knows how to be balanced," Eskelin said. "He knows how to put the fish and wildlife here on the peninsula, here on the refuge first. It’s a pretty inspirational opportunity to do that in my role.”

And, refuge workers say Loranger’s oversight goes beyond just a love for the land. They say he understands it at a deep level and makes decisions that are right for the refuge and its employees.

A young Loranger holds a lynx on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
Image courtesy of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
A young Loranger holds a lynx on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

“The message that came through loud and clear was ‘Your own safety is our highest priority first,’” said Matthew Conner, supervisory park ranger at the refuge. “That’s not something I heard from a lot of other folks, it was more along the lines of ‘This is the bar that we need to set.’ He still expected that bar to be set, but his concern and passion for the safety of his employees came through loud and clear.”

Conner says Loranger’s care for the land and those who work on it is part of the reason he’s stayed at the refuge for over a decade. Those who’ve known Loranger for a long time say he’s always been a passionate steward of the land.

“He’s a very curious individual about what makes things tick, and very principled in just about every way I can think of,” said Rick Johnston, retired ranger and pilot who worked with Loranger on the refuge when he was still a biologist. “That goes for his personal hunting ethics, because I spend a lot of time with him doing that. He makes the right decision when nobody's looking.”   

During a presentation at his retirement ceremony, Loranger spoke of the importance of wildlife conservation and what could be in store for its future. He says wildlife refuges are for all people and that protecting them is now more important than ever.

“I learned a long time ago that our jobs are about giving wildlife and wilderness a voice because otherwise, they don’t have a seat at the table,” Loranger said.

The wildlife refuge has interviewed a few people for Loranger’s role, but has not hired anyone because of a recent hiring freeze for federal civilian employees.

In his retirement, Loranger says he’s looking forward to spending time with his grandchildren.

Hunter Morrison is a news reporter at KDLL
Related Content