Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge has a new Assistant Director. Matthew Boarman, who has worked previously at Montezuma and Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge Centers, started in his new position in Davis in February.
DAVIS – The Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge has a new position for Assistant Director and in February, hired Matthew Boarman to fill that slot. Boarman brings a host of experience to the Refuge and has hit the ground running in his new position.
“I started in the Fish and Wildlife Service about 12 years ago at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in Seneca Falls, New York,” Boarman said. “I was a biological technician and had a mix of experience restoring wetlands.”
After working at Montezuma, Boarman said he transferred to Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge in Chatham, Massachusetts.
“It is near Cape Cod and is a barrier island,” Boarman said. “There, I was the Wildlife Refuge Specialist where I did a lot of the maintenance and the boat operation. We did a lot of wildlife surveys and bird banding. We monitored the productivity of endangered species nesting on the island and I was there for about nine years.”
Boarman said in February, he accepted the position as Assistant Director at Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. He said he is happy to be in the area.
“I was looking to move on in my career and gain more experience, so this job fit the bill,” Boarman said. “When I heard the job was open, the first thing I did was Google Canaan Valley and it was such a beautiful place. Going to the beach to the mountains is a unique thing to do and the location made Canaan Valley even more attractive to me.”
Boarman said he called Ron Hollis to learn more about the area and the work at Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
“The way he described the Refuge and the surrounding valley seemed so beautiful to me,” Boarman said. “Most of the work is out-of-doors and that attracted me to the area.”
Getting out and exploring some of the trails and hiking are some of the things Boarman said he is most excited to begin doing. “It has been a pretty mild winter and I am anxious to get outside,” he said. “There is a lot of maintenance work and road work that is needed. I am looking to get some experience working with the maintenance crew on that. I am also looking forward to some of the office work. I want to get out in the field and see the wildlife come to life.”
Boarman said he enjoys fishing and is looking forward to trout fishing, something he does not have a lot of experience with. “When I was at Monomoy, I did a lot of kayaking. I want to do kayaking here, but not white water rafting.”
He said he looks forward to spending time with his five-year-old son.
“I look forward to getting him out and doing some hiking,” Boarman said. “Spending time with my family, gardening and fishing are three of my largest hobbies.”
Boarman said he is hard of hearing.
“One- on- one conversations are fine,” Boarman said. “I don’t want people to be afraid to approach me because I am deaf. My wife is deaf as well. We are very much looking forward to getting involved in activities in the Davis/Thomas communities.”
Boarman is available at the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, located at 6263 Appalachian Way in Davis. Email can be sent to Matthew_Boarman@fws.gov and additional information is available by calling Boarman at 304-866-3658, ext. 3026.
