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Dean will be missed by everyone, including Nodak Outdoors.
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This holiday season finds long time North Dakota Game and Fish Department Director Dean Hildebrand closing out his tenure, with plans to retire at the end of December.
Save for a few months he’s the only Game and Fish Department director under whom I’ve worked in my 10 years, first as a game warden and then as an outreach biologist.
I don’t know any other way than the way of Uncle Dean, the regular guy from Kulm, Valley City State, UND and Devils Lake. No, he isn’t my uncle, but to just about everybody he met – friends, employees, co-workers, and thousands of North Dakota hunters and anglers – his persona was that of an Uncle Dean.
The fact that I am able to write a column is in part a testament to Hildebrand’s vision for communicating and reaching out to hunters, anglers, trappers and anyone else with an interest in North Dakota’s outdoors. He supported legislative authorization for the first Department outreach position, which was established in West Fargo. I was fortunate enough to be offered that position, and have been thankful ever since.
Dean would be the first to give credit to the people who worked for him during his career with the Game and Fish Department. He always began our semi-annual staff meetings with a heartfelt “thank you” to his employees and their families. With staff stretching to all corners of the state, he consistently sent handwritten birthday greetings to every employee every year, complete with his sincere appreciation to the families for their support.
He understood the commitment wardens, biologists and all staff extended on behalf of the Department and made it a personal priority to recognize dedication. And his team approach philosophy allowed everyone an opportunity to bring forth new ideas and lead successful ventures.
Hildebrand made availability to private citizens a priority. His office door and phone were open, and he spent a lot of time on the road attending wildlife, conservation, civic and farm organization functions. I recall one stormy Saturday he left Bismarck to attend the North Dakota Wildlife Federation annual meeting in Bottineau, then made a long swing to Fargo for a wildlife club function, and then returned to Bismarck late that night. I’m sure similar scenarios played out dozens of times over his career.
Such examples highlight his passion for the job and a willingness to go the extra mile to serve the people for whom he worked.
In addition, he faithfully attended most of the 16 public meetings held by the Game and Fish Department Advisory Board each year. These meetings occur from Wahpeton to Williston and from Marmath to Milton, and over the course of nearly 10 years and 160 possible meetings, I’d guess he missed only a handful or two, sometimes returning to Bismarck under the blanket of darkness, when roads weren’t all that good, so he could work in the office the next day before heading out again.
It was such leading by example that instilled energy and pride in the employees under his watch. How could I as an employee not be inspired to do the best I could?
The Game and Fish director takes criticism from time to time, and Dean was respectful of other points of view. While he staunchly defended his own position, he would hear his critics would have to say, with the outcome often an amiable agreement to disagree.
I can’t begin to complete the list of projects and programs launched during the last 10 years that which will paint the portrait of North Dakota’s outdoors for generations to come, but there’s plenty so that Dean Hildebrand will be remembered for a long time, both by staff and the public.
For that, I and a lot of other North Dakotans who value the state’s natural resources and hunting and fishing heritage, say thanks for your passion and your years of service, and best wishes in your retirement.
Leier is a biologist with the Game and Fish Dept. He can be reached via email: dleier@state.nd.us
Photo credits to the ND Game and Fish Department
