By Erica Kearns
Over six hundred miles and years of juggling college and work have brought 36 year old Steven Hincks to the small, rural county of Clay, West Virginia. With a degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Connecticut and a genuine passion for wildlife and the outdoors, the WV Department of Natural Resources determined Hincks was a perfect fit for the wildlife management position at Wallback Lake. Hincks is faced with the tasks of ensuring that area wildlife is provided with safe and sustainable habitats all the while protecting the environment and the resources within the eleven counties District 6 encompasses. Hincks’ right hand man and fourteen year veteran of the position, Stephen B. Smith, has made Hincks’ transition into his new role a breeze. Exploration of the area and a progressive bobcat survey have been the focus of Hincks’ work since his arrival in April, but as time passes, his duties and role with the area will expand. “The people here are wonderful.” Steven said of his new home. “This is what I love doing, I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”