Back
in the late 1980s when I was stationed in Graham County, the U.S. Forest
Service got a report of a marijuana patch on a narrow ridge above Panther Creek. It was near the end of the growing season, so
they thought they stood a pretty good chance of catching the growers. This was the front end of the declaration of
war on drugs.
I
spent some time in the woods with the Forest Service officers on that patch and
even more time around their camp at night.
I knew Special Agent Baker Edmisten, mostly by name only. We were sitting around the fire one night and
Baker had on one of the old, green wildlife officer shirts. I asked him about it and he said he got it
from his dad. That was a time in my
career when I was more fixated on catching someone than hearing a good story
with a strong dose of history. Instead
of asking about Baker’s dad, the conversation shifted to the details of the
next day.
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| Walter Edmisten's badge Courtesy of Mike Edmisten |
Several
years later, during one of my first assignments instructing in the wildlife
recruit school, I heard that Baker’s nephew was in the class. Again, I didn’t really consider asking the
recruit, Mike Edmisten, any questions about his uncle or grandfather. In fact, I had forgotten the grandfather connection.
Walter
F. Edmisten was appointed Watauga County wildlife protector with the North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development’s Division of Fish and Game on June
8, 1944. He was promoted to district
supervisor in late 1949 and was a part of the second group of officers to
attend the initial in-service training conducted by the newly formed N.C.
Wildlife Resources Commission, graduating on April 7, 1950.
 |
| Walter Edmisten Second row, second from the right Chapel Hill, NC from Wildlife in North Carolina |
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| Courtesy of Mike Edmisten |
"My grandfather
retired in 1972. I was born in 1973. I never got the pleasure to see him in
uniform, or talk to him after a day at work. He did share accounts of what is
was like being a "Wildlife Protector" back in the day. For example: I
remember him talking about a man who he caught closed season trout fishing in
Ashe County. If I remember right he had to obtain an arrest warrant. When he
went to get the subject, the individual threated to shoot him if he didn't leave.
My "Papaw" as he was known by everybody, drew his .38 Colt revolver
and told him that it wasn't worth dying over a trout. The subject was then
arrested and taken before a magistrate!
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| Protector Salaries effective September 1, 1946 Courtesy Mike Edmisten |
I remember many
days as a child when he would take me to either Meat Camp Creek or the New
River to trout fish. He would drop me off and tell me where he would pick me
up, and how long it should take me to get to my pick up location. It seems like
he was always spot on in his estimation of my arrival time! Forgot to mention
that I had to catch my own night crawlers in his back yard the night before!
 |
| From Wildlife in North Carolina - 1955 |
Other memories
include him taking me either to the tree farm to stalk rabbits or taking me to
the back ridge along the New River to squirrel hunt.
My grandfather
helped capture the original Mildred the Bear which was taken to Grandfather
Mountain. He would take me up there every summer as a young child when I came
to Boone to visit my family.
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| from Wildlife in North Carolina - 1970 |
I was about 14 or
15 years old when I first started talking to Papaw about becoming a Wildlife
Officer. He was excited to know that I was interested in choosing that career
path. I started college at Wayne Community College in 1994 getting my degree in
fish and wildlife management. I was in class taking my final exams in 1995,
when I received a call that my grandfather had passed. I had just applied to
wildlife school a few weeks prior to that. After the application
process, I received my letter from Raleigh telling me to be at the Institute of
Government on Jan 6th 1996 to start the basic school! My only regret is that I
wish Papaw could have known that I made it.”
Master Officer Mike Edmisten
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| Courtesy of Mike Edmisten |
 |
| from Wildlife in NC September 2001 |
 |
| from Wildlife in NC September 2001 |
Mike
Edmisten is assigned to Durham County.
Geographically and demographically, Durham is almost 180 degrees
different from his “Papaw’s” high country duty station. Mike’s uncle, Baker, went on to work a long
career as a special agent with the U.S. Forest Service and later as a U.S. Marshal. Another uncle, Rufus, served as the N.C. Secretary of State and made a strong, but unsuccessful run for governor in 1984. It seems that the name Edmisten is synonymous
with service.
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