‘Biologist with a badge’: St. Mike’s alum’s passion for the outdoors defines post-grad path

July 11, 2025
Cassie Lathrope '26

Growing up, Jacob Sonberg ’18 always knew he wanted to work outdoors. The activities he gravitated toward — such as fishing and snowmobiling — helped foster a love of being outside in nature.

Today, he’s turned that passion into a career as a District Wildlife Manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, combining law enforcement, biology, and community education.

Jake Sonberg ’18, a District Wildlife Manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, on a mounted archery hunter patrol. (Photo courtesy of Jacob Sonberg)

After originally entering Saint Michael’s as a Biology major, Sonberg shifted to studying Environmental Science in 2015, following the establishment of the major at the College. 

“I knew I wanted to work in natural resources, just didn’t know in what capacity,” Sonberg said. “Environmental Science seemed like a good kind of broad scope to give me both Biology coursework and social science-type stuff as well. It was a good way to get irons in both of those fires.” 

Alumni connection 

During his four years at St. Mike’s, Sonberg was a member of the Men’s Lacrosse team. It was this sport that originally brought him to study in Vermont. 

“I didn’t have all my ducks in a row when I came in,” Sonberg said. “I played lacrosse, and that’s kind of what brought me to St. Mike’s, because a couple of my high school friends were recruited as a team as well.” 

Sonberg’s path took a turn following graduation after fostering a connection with a St. Mike’s lacrosse alumnus, Asa Sargent, who was then a Vermont Game Warden. They met through annual Alumni & Family Weekend lacrosse games and through mutual friends who went fishing together. 

“I reached out to Asa and asked him for a ride-along,” Sonberg said. “He was working down in Springfield, Vermont, at the time. And he was gracious enough to accept.” 

During the ride-along, Sonberg and Sargent were involved in a pursuit of a convicted felon operating an ATV while carrying a firearm, requiring assistance from local law enforcement. 

“It was cool, especially being a civilian with no experience at that point,” Sonberg said. “I owe a lot to that connection and him, putting me into the mix of things to really spark my love for this career.” 

The St. Mike’s impact

Sonberg credits his advisor, Chemistry Professor Bret Findley, as being an important part of his college career. 

“He was supportive and kind of helped me pick the right classes and figure out some internships that might help me get there,” Sonberg said. 

Through hands-on coursework with Biology faculty, including Professor Declan McCabe and now-emeritus Professor Peter Hope, he also acquired practical skill sets that have continued to help him professionally. 

“There are a lot of good opportunities with those classes, and then the lab portions to get out and actually get some practical skills in,” Sonberg said. “Stream sampling, forest composition, forestry work, and things like that. That really gave me a good kind of baseline for getting into being a wildlife officer.” 

Jacob Sonberg ’18 holds a fish as he completes duties as a District Wildlife Manager at Colorado Parks and Wildlife. (Photo courtesy Jacob Sonberg)

Being a student-athlete also fostered soft skills that Sonberg didn’t immediately expect would become helpful in his eventual career, including experience collaborating with others and determination. 

“Our team was not super successful, so it built a lot of mental toughness through practicing and working and playing, even though the outcome that we’re hoping for is not always the one that’s achieved,” Sonberg said. “I think that helped build a pretty good mental toughness and work ethic in me.” 

From the classroom to working with wildlife 

Today, Sonberg’s job as a Colorado District Wildlife Officer, commonly known on the East Coast as a Game Warden, spans many different disciplines, including law enforcement, biology, and community education. While District Wildlife Officers have the same law enforcement powers as State Troopers, they primarily focus their time on fishing and hunting regulations enforcement. 

Jacob Sonberg ’18 works with a bighorn sheep as part of a GPS collar project taken on by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. (Photo courtesy of Jacob Sonberg)

“We like to call ourselves biologists and badges,” Sonberg said. “Police officers are kind of getting called out for service and responding on people’s worst days. We’re often out doing proactive patrol, checking folks on their best days when they’re out enjoying wildlife and natural resources in the state.”

Some of his responsibilities include checking licenses required for various outdoor activities, asking park visitors about their experiences, and educating the public, both on patrol and in a classroom setting. 

“That is why I like the job so much: each day has the potential to be totally different from the last,” Sonberg said.

Wolf reintroduction 

In 2020, Colorado voters approved an initiative for the Park and Wildlife Service to begin reintroducing a self-sustaining population of wolves into the state over 3 to 5 years. As a District Wildlife Officer, Sonberg has had the opportunity to work with local ranchers and livestock owners to find tactics to reduce ranch and farm animal fatalities caused by wolves. 

“We’re conducting these proactive site assessments with our ranchers to see what their operation looks like — what kind of preventative measures they’re using right now to reduce conflict opportunities,” Sonberg said. “They deal with bears and [mountain] lions that go after livestock every once in a while, so a lot of those tools can be translated to wolf conflict reduction as well.” 

Though the wolves have not yet settled in his patrol area, Sonberg is working proactively with community members to establish additional preventative measures. He stated that this is a delicate and controversial issue, as individuals have differing opinions on wolf reintroduction. 

“There are a lot of folks that want to see wolves on the landscape, and there are a lot of folks that don’t want to see wolves on the landscape for a variety of reasons,” Sonberg said. 

Jacob Sonberg ’18 serves as District Wildlife Manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. In this undated photo, he is on a mounted turkey hunter patrol. (Photo courtesy of Jacob Sonberg)

Advice to other Purple Knights

Sonberg’s biggest piece of advice to current students interested in working in an environmental field involves taking advantage of all St. Mike’s has to offer, especially through its liberal arts focus. 

“Take a broad scope of coursework and see what really interests you,” Sonberg said. “There’s a lot of niche work that can be done in this field, too.” 

He also suggests taking a page out of his book and looking to those already in the field for advice or opportunities. 

“Flex that alumni network,” Sonberg said. “If you’ve got somebody that you know that has a connection to something that you’re interested in, the least you can do is shoot them an email, give them a call, and see if they might know of any opportunities, or give you some advice to get you ready.”

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