Deborah Palman ’75, who became Maine’s first female game warden in 1978, notched another first when she was named 1998 Maine Game Warden of the Year. Though she made history as the first woman ever to win the honor, Palman dismisses the attention that accompanies the term "pioneer." She prefers to be recognized as a law enforcer and forensic scientist. "I never found being a woman to be a big issue," she said.

Palman is at home in the woods, having hunted and camped as a child, and says she chose her career because she "wanted a challenging job working outdoors with wildlife." While at Colby she taught shooting and hunter safety to youngsters for two summers at the Vermont Fish and Game Department’s conservation camp. Immediately after graduating with a biology degree, she earned a master’s in wildlife management from the University of Maine. Not content always to sit behind a desk or work in the forensics labs, she decided to take on the game warden’s job of law enforcement.

Despite her academic background and commitment to wildlife, and despite passing every test, Palman waited two years for her warden application to be accepted. She then completed eight weeks of training, including passing the same physical requirements as the men and classes on first aid, firearms, courtroom procedure, self-defense, speech, and map and compass reading. After two weeks of applied training, she graduated first in her warden school class.

As a district warden Palman enforces Maine’s fish and wildlife laws in seven towns east of Bangor. She also deals with accidents and aids in search and rescue. Though wardens generally work alone, Palman has trained a couple of partners over the years–German shepherds–and is now working with number three, Anna. Since training her first dog in 1980, Palman has become director of the canine unit. The dogs track criminals, lost people and injured animals and detect evidence at crime scenes.

In addition to field assignments, Palman is a specialist at the wildlife forensic laboratory, where she analyzes meat, hair and blood samples to identify wildlife. "Now that there’s DNA [testing] we can I.D. the individuals," said Palman. She can link animal remains found in the forest to frozen meat in a poacher’s freezer and establish how many animals a violator possesses.

Besides the presence of more female wardens, Palman says she has noticed other changes since she started. "There were periods when nothing went on, just hunters and fishermen," she said. Now there are more people out in the woods and thus more problems. It is variety, however, that makes her job interesting. "There’s no typical day," she said. "Some of the best is saving people’s lives when they’re lost or in danger. The worst is having to pick up the pieces when someone’s done something stupid."

"To be successful you have to bring a broad range of qualities into the job," said Palman, who also received an Exemplary Service Award in 1995. It’s a nice historical footnote to have been the first woman game warden in Maine. Game Warden of the Year more accurately acknowledges Palman’s determination and her own broad range of qualities.

–Alicia Nemiccolo MacLeay ’97