Alaskan study tour for DOC award winner
The Department of Conservation (DOC) welcomes the opportunity this World Ranger Day to announce Fiordland District
Conservation Services Manager, Grant Tremain, the winner of its Stephen O’Dea Developmental Award.
The award will enable Mr Tremain to travel to Denali National Park, Alaska, to study some key similarities to Fiordland
National Park. These include the management of single road access, delivery of safety messages, provision of campsites
and assessment of visitor experiences on popular walks.
DOC Director-General, Lou Sanson says DOC’s Stephen O’Dea Award offers the department a chance to support the
development of its front line staff.
“Grant has worked for DOC for 16 years, 10 of these in Fiordland where he leads a team focussed on providing visitors to
the area with the best possible experience.”
“The award will allow Grant to build on his extensive expertise by exploring park management techniques in a highly
comparable location overseas. It’s fantastic that Grant’s contribution to both the department and Fiordland National
Park can be recognised and enhanced in this way.”
DOC has more than 1100 frontline staff working from the sub-tropical Kermadecs down to the Sub-Antarctic Islands. They
service New Zealand’s conservation network which includes 14 national parks, 38 marine reserves, 326 camp sites, 967
huts and 13,429 km of tracks.
The intent of the annual Stephen O’Dea Developmental Award is to provide field-based staff with a professional
development opportunity in conservation management.
ENDS