After more than six months, the Upper Lynn Canal has a new wildlife trooper.
Trooper Josh Whitby, a Pennsylvania transplant, moved to the Chilkat Valley and started in his new role in May.
He talked with editor Rashah McChesney about what drew him to Haines, why he got into wildlife law enforcement and what he’s looking forward to doing in the role.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Rashah McChesney: What made you decide to move to Haines?
Trooper Josh Whitby: I first came to Alaska in 2013 with the Army. I met my wife [Teslin Podsiki in Fairbanks]. I was getting out of the Army. I was ready to just leave Alaska and not come back. She brought me here to meet her family and I saw Haines for the first time. That was Christmas, it was winter. It was really snowy, cold, not really rainy. So, it was kind of a winter wonderland.
So then I got out, I had some leave built up so I got out a little early, came down and spent a month down here in May 2016. Fast forward six years, we moved back here. I found out that Trooper Colin Nemec, at the time, had his tech position. I was going to school studying biology and wanted to get into game warden stuff. So I came up and worked as his tech.
What were you doing as a tech? What is that job?
It’s a seasonal job that you do, kind of like state parks have techs. It’s not an enforcement job. You, essentially, help the trooper out. You do all the maintenance on ATVs, trailers. I also went out with Colin (Nemec) in the ocean, pulling crab pots. He taught me what to look for on a crab pot and how all that worked. The following year I applied, got into the academy and became a trooper. Being in the tech position, I really liked the job. I wanted to do the job. So I fell in love with Haines; that made me want to move here. Then I fell in love with the job and what he did in Haines … you had a jet boat, you had an ocean boat, you had ATVs, you pretty much had your choice to just go out and patrol. It was literally your playground.
What’s your jurisdiction as a wildlife trooper in terms of geographical area?
My main patrol area – I’m still learning it. But, so for wildlife, Skagway falls under my enforcement area, Haines, and then all the way down – there’s kind of a split between the Berners Bay area between Juneau and Haines. So that would be the day-to-day. Then obviously up the highway … up the rivers and whatnot, that all falls under the Haines area of patrol.
What did you do in the Army?
I was in the infantry. I was active duty for three years. I then transferred into the Pennsylvania National Guard, and I did another six years with them. I took a one-year break in service and now I’m currently in the Alaska National Guard.
Were you born and raised in Pennsylvania? What part?
Northeastern Pennsylvania, Appalachian country. The best way to describe it, I was like an hour away from New York City, an hour and a half from Philadelphia, depending on traffic. I was an hour south of Scranton.
But you ended up with none of those accents.
I’ve been told I have a Pennsylvania – especially in certain words. My nieces and nephews make fun of me. I don’t say water. It’s wudder.
Tell me about meeting your wife and getting married here.
We had plans, we were going to come here and do a wedding here. COVID messed all that up so we did a small wedding, like an official wedding in 2020 in Pennsylvania. Then in 2021 we came up and did what we wanted to do, our actual ceremony. We went up Flower Mountain for that. It was actually kind of funny because it was the windiest day in the world up on top of Flower Mountain, and every single day I’ve been up there since it’s just a clear, calm, no-wind gorgeous day.
So are you here for the long haul?
I don’t know, I love Haines. I want to work here, I want to be here for a long time. But I will admit, the only thing is … I’ve really gotten to wanting to look at the state more. There’s other places I’ve been to or I want to go. So I’m kind of split with that aspect. There’s places I would love to go in the state to explore, but the second I saw this opened up I was really excited for that.
Why are you interested in being a wildlife trooper?
I like doing fish and game enforcement. Federally they call it the land management enforcement style. Even though you’re enforcing land management, you’re doing things like fish and wildlife. I like hunting. I like being in the outdoors. I like fishing and I want to do that. But I also know there’s got to be regulation on it and I’m into learning about it and getting into … how you regulate overuse and whatnot.
What was the process for getting this job? Did you know you were going to move here months ago?
When a spot opens it goes out to a bid cycle. First, you have your competitive bid, which is anyone who’s eligible to bid out of their post, who then can put in and say “Hey, I want to go there.” Then it’s based [on] seniority, who wins that bid. It’s based (on] seniority or speciality. Certain job posts, like Anchor Point for instance, have a medium-class vessel so it requires that person to have this specific training. Then if no one puts in for it, it goes to volunteers. You don’t have to be within your mandatory time at your post to volunteer to go somewhere. I volunteered but I was not, at the time, my strict minimum. So my command had to sign off on me going. Then, as long as no one else was more senior to me, I got it. It’s 90 days from the point that it closes to the point that you leave your spot. I moved here on my 90-day mark.
When you’re not doing enforcement, are there other parts of the job – like wildlife education – that you’re going to be doing?
I’m currently working on getting hunter education trained to be able to teach that. I know [State Park Ranger] Jacques [Turcotte] was teaching some. That way he’s not all alone doing it.
Have you met the VPSO in Klukwan yet? Do you cover Klukwan?
I have yet to meet the VPSO. I saw his truck today, and said “Oh, there’s a VPSO here.” Klukwan does fall under trooper jurisdiction. VPSOs have oversight; I’m not his oversight. His oversight would be one of the state troopers.
Have you been to Klukwan yet?
Not really down the road, not [Klukwan] proper. I’ve been by Klukwan and on the river and whatnot.
Anything else people in town should know about you? What are your hobbies when you’re not working?
I hike a lot. I go to the gym a lot. I’m out running. I’m a big skier in the winter. I did a lot more resort skiing than backcountry, but I’m starting to branch into backcountry skiing. I love putting my skins on, going up a mountain and then skiing down and whatnot. I want to get more into snowmachining. I took my first Avalanche Level 1 course this last winter in Turnagain Arm. It was actually taught by [Haines resident] Tim Thomas, who’s up the highway.
Currently the Haines Borough Police Department is down to two law enforcement officers. Officer Max Jusi has been promoted to sergeant.
Police chief candidate Jimmy Yoakum is set to visit the Chilkat Valley from May 19-22, according to interim borough manager Alekka Fullerton’s report to the Haines Borough Assembly. The report was not clear when the department will again be fully staffed.
Alaska State Troopers say they’ll respond when the Haines police department asks for help for events, like Beerfest.
“But we are not on standby for the police department,” said Juneau-based Trooper Colin Nemec. “We’re not going to respond to [general] calls for service.”