Baggs Senior Game Warden Kim Olson has been named the 2023 Shikar-Safari Wildlife Officer of the Year for Wyoming. The award, given annually in every state and Canadian province by the Shikar-Safari Club International, honors a wildlife officer whose efforts during the year display outstanding performance and achievement.
“Warden Olson is a dedicated and exceptional wildlife officer,” said Rick King, Wyoming Game and Fish Department chief game warden. “Olson has a strong work ethic that inspires those she mentors and resonates with the community she serves.”
Olson is a 16-year veteran of Game and Fish. Her district is one of the largest in the state and is nearly 3,000 square miles. Her patrol area runs from the continental divide west to the Bitter Creek and Cow Creek-Powder Wash roads south of Interstate 80 to Colorado, and includes the towns of Wamsutter, Savery, Dixon and Baggs. Olson’s district is one of the busiest hunt areas for deer and elk in Wyoming. Her tenacity has resulted in her having some of the highest harvest check numbers in the state. She also spends considerable time and effort coordinating with landowners and the Wyoming Department of Transportation to modify highway right-of-way fences to facilitate big game movement across highways.
Her extraordinary ability to make objective decisions, attention to detail and development of creative solutions to difficult cases has proven to be an invaluable asset to Game and Fish.
“I am very honored to receive this award, but I've always had some very good help and team members to work alongside to accomplish so much,” Olson said. “I have always tried to do what is best for wildlife and to be their voice. I think it's just that simple.”
The people Olson serves within her region are diverse and range from hunters, anglers and landowners to students. Within her community, she is known as a strong mentor and inspiration to younger wardens who wish to follow in her footsteps. Wildlife is truly her passion and her foremost priority. When she’s not in the field, she is spending her time teaching hunter safety and instilling conservation ethics in Wyoming students through school programs.
“Warden Olson is an excellent role model to new game wardens and her local community,” King said. “She has the natural ability to foster a conservation ethic and inspire those around her to pursue a career in wildlife management and conservation.”
The Shikar-Safari Club International is an organization dedicated to preserving wildlife through sportsmanship and conservation. Olson will be recognized and presented her award at the March Game and Fish Commission meeting in Pinedale.
