FWO Robert Sundown | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Federal Wildlife Officer Robert Sundown

Apr 1, 2025

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A pilot takes a picture while sitting in a cockpit of a tandem seat super cub airplane — Federal Wildlife Officer/ Airplane Pilot Robert Sundown taking in the view from his single engine tandem seat aircraft over a snow blanketed landscape. Courtesy of Nili Sundown.

It would be difficult to talk about Refuge Law Enforcement in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge without talking about the late Federal Wildlife Officer/Airplane Pilot Robert Sundown. Growing up in Scammon Bay, a village along the western coastline of the refuge, Sundown had a literal lifetime of experience on the refuge. After receiving his degree in biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Sundown started his career with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2000 focusing on fisheries management and working on the Kwethluk River Weir in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. It wasn’t long before refuge leadership noticed that Sundown’s lifetime of experience in the outdoors, education in biology, experience with fisheries management, and special way of communicating with the public, made him an exemplary Federal Wildlife Officer candidate.

a federal wildlife biologist pulls up a gill net with a large fish in it while standing on a boat — Federal Wildlife Officer with on a boat working a gillnet with a large fish caught in it. Photo courtesy of Nili Sundown.

Listening to stories Sundown’s siblings tell about him as a kid, it’s clear he always had his eye on the sky. His ambition to have the freedom to explore Alaska from the cockpit of a plane was well known. A career in Refuge Law Enforcement was his ticket to that dream and in fall of 2001, Sundown went to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to start his career as a Federal Wildlife Officer and soon began to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot. While busy as a Federal Wildlife Officer and raising a family, it wasn’t easy for him to find the time to rent planes and take flight lessons on his off time. Eventually, FWO Sundown was able to get the right credentials to add “airplane pilot�� to his official job title; adding to his list of skills and exponentially increasing the area he could patrol as a Federal Wildlife Officer. Sundown quickly obtained certifications to fly a tail dragger and planes with floats and skis. If there was any chance of landing a plane at a site on the refuge, Sundown could do it and do it safely.

a uniformed officer poses with a single engine plane equipped with skis on its landing gear on a snow covered parking apron — Federal Wildlife Officer/ Airplane Pilot Robert Sundown did not let a snow covered runway stop him from using his aircraft. Skis equipped on the landing gear were a valuable tool to keep Sundown flying in the winter. Courtesy of Nili Sundown

Two people sit in the cockpit of a single engine plane with headsets on. — Then Yukon Delta NWR Manager Boyd Blihovde (left) in the cockpit of a single engine plane with Federal Wildlife Officer Robert Sundown (right).

Safety was ingrained in Sundown’s personality. He displayed it in every aspect of his job. Whether he was at the controls of a plane, the helm of a boat, or the handlebars of a snow machine, his passengers knew he’d get them to their destination safely. As he became more experienced, his knowledge spilled over to those around him. He became an instructor in various roles to include a certified flight instructor (CFI). Sundown had a passion to serve those around him and his position with the refuge was the perfect outlet.

a federal officer at the helm of a river boat drives as his boat is tied to another boat with a family of five people — Federal Wildlife Officer Robert Sundown towing a boat with a family that was stranded on the river. Courtesy of Nili Sundown.

Federal Wildlife Officers are among the most visible conservation professionals within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Throughout his two decades working on the refuge, Sundown had a huge influence on those he worked with, not only his coworkers, but the people in rural villages. As a Federal Wildlife Officer, Sundown served at the “front lines�� of fish and wildlife conservation. While he represented the U.S. government in every interaction he had with the public, he also brought his understanding of the people and their ways of life as he enforced and provided education on the regulations for hunting, trapping and fishing on and around the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.

“He was talking from a perspective of an indigenous individual, and not just from law enforcement. I think he excelled because of that, because he was able to look at things from a different perspective�� -Nili Sundown

Two images. The first is a close up of a pilot with sunglasses and a headset inside the cockpit of a plane. The second image is a close up of the same pilot as the first image standing outside with a snow covered background and the tail end of a plane visible. — Federal Wildlife Officer Robert Sundown took full advantage of his ability to see the refuge from a plane. First image (left) FWO Sundown in the cockpit of a plane. Second image (right) FWO Sundown on a snowy landscape with a plane. Courtesy of Laurie Boeck/USFWS

A pilot stands on a dock with a large single engine plane on floats — Federal Wildlife Officer/ Airplane Pilot Robert Sundown prepares poses with a float plane in his flight vest. A pilot's vest is an important piece of equipment for any flight. It contains pockets and pouches for essential survival gear to be kept on their person in case of an emergency. Courtesy of Nili Sundown

�ʹ��app�� as though an architect, Sundown’s focus was on building up those around him, which was essential for the success of Refuge Law Enforcement on the Yukon Delta. For nearly three years, Senior Federal Wildlife Officer (SFWO) Mattew McDonald served as Sundown’s right hand and “professional back seater�� of the planes they traveled in. Sundown shared everything he knew about working in the Yukon Delta with McDonald. The cultures and uniqueness of each village in and around the refuge was something Sundown knew very well having grown up on the delta. He introduced McDonald to the people he had built relationships with over his 20 years working on the refuge. These relationships that are essential for the mutual flow of information and in some cases, can be life saving.

“Robert was the type of FWO that other officers inspire to be�� - SFWO McDonald

On 15 April 2023, Robert Sundown unexpectedly passed away at the age of 53 during a moose hunt on the National Wildlife Refuge he spent his life serving. His influence in the region was easy to see as over 200 people gathered to honor his life in Bethel, Alaska. His legacy and experience live on through those that were fortunate enough to be one of his students.

“Guided by the founding principles of the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we shall protect wildlife and habitat and make refuges safe places for staff and visitors, we shall conserve America’s natural recourses for now and in the future, and we shall exemplify excellence in public service to all��

A close up of a memorial with body armor hanger. Boots at the bottom of the hanger, body armor with a USFWS Badge and R. Sundown nametape, and a flight helmet on top. The background is the inside of a National Wildlife Refuge Visitor's Center. — Memorial for Federal Wildlife Officer Robert Sundown in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge Visitor’s Center located in Bethel, Alaska.

A white cross memorial in a snow covered landscape with vegetation in the background.

Image Details

A pilot stands on the floats of a float plane as it floats on a lake shoreline — Federal Wildlife Officer/Airplane Pilot Robert Sundown after a landing his single engine plane on floats. Courtesy of Nili Sundown

In Alaska we are shared stewards of world renowned natural resources and our nation’s last true wild places. Our hope is that each generation has the opportunity to live with, live from, discover and enjoy the wildness of this awe-inspiring land and the people who love and depend on it.

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