Wood Buffalo, Elk Island and Jasper national parks may all be located in the province of Alberta, but despite their proximity, differences abound. Just ask Steve Otway.

The veteran park warden has recently moved to Jasper to take on the task of resource conservation manager. With seven years of service in Wood Buffalo and eight at Elk Island east of Edmonton, Otway brings a great deal of experience to his new role, but admits the job changes with the location.

“Every park is different, that’s for sure,” says the forthright Otway, whose firm handshake could double as a bear trap. “In Jasper, one of the first things I noticed is the calibre of my staff. They are top notch and highly motivated.”

And that’s a good thing. As the top man in the resource conservation department, Otway oversees the activities of biologists, researchers, students, park wardens, fire crews, trail crews and even number crunchers that help to analyse data for the park.

“The entire park operates as a team, and Ron Hooper would be the quarterback,” he jokes. Given the myriad areas under his portfolio, that would make Otway the top receiver, linebacker and place-kicker all rolled into one.

“We are a pretty big chunk of the team,” he acknowledges. “That’s why they wanted to call the job resource conservation manager and not chief park warden, because it’s not just wardens involved.”

Having the chance to work with the best is one of the reasons Otway applied for the Jasper res con (that’s some Parks terminology for you) job. 

“It’s a desired park, no doubt,” he says. “I love challenges and the opportunity to work someplace new. It’s always a good idea to move a few times over the course of your career.”

In charge of “res con” for Elk Island before moving to Jasper, Otway is certainly familiar with many aspects of the job, but he’s found some new scenarios working in a much larger park.

“We have a very large backcountry, and as all outfits evolve we have huge challenges to continue having meaningful relations with our neighbours,” he said. “That partnership work with B.C. Parks and the Foothills Model Forest is really important.”

As a manager, Otway spends a lot of his time involved in furthering these partnerships, but he says his primary responsibility comes with his staff in mind.

“I need to look out for and look after my staff, number one. They need job security, a good wage and place to live. The way I see it, I look out for them, and they’ll look out for the park. It doesn’t seem very flashy, but for me, it’s the most important thing.”

He hasn’t always been in the position to supervise and support from the administration offices. Otway’s previous trip to Jasper came in 2003, when he served as incident commander on the Syncline Ridge Fire east of Jasper. He continues to fill that role when required, and played an active part in fighting the recent fire in the Southesk area.

“Jasper is a tremendous park,” he says. “There are lots of issues, and fire is just one of them. It’s a big park and there’s a lot going on. I’ve to hustle here, that’s for sure, to get caught up on the issues.”

With more than 15 years served as a warden in Western Canada, Otway has witnessed some substantial changes in the way parks are managed. Still, he says it’s nothing compared to the revolutionary shifts experienced by wardens in the late 1960s.

“We think we’re going through big changes now, but at that time, when they shut down the district system and brought all the wardens into towns, that was a much bigger change.”

These days, Otway sees the changes manifested in terms of attitude and approach, rather than use of newer technology or technique.

“One of the big things for us now is learning how to have influence in the absence of authority,” he says. “When you start working with other partners, you need to influence the outcome, but Parks doesn’t have the final word. There’s a different way of thinking that goes into working in the ecosystem now.”