Comments on: Terry Damm https://parkwardenalumni.com/terry-damm/ A place for National Park Warden Alumni to gather Sun, 07 Mar 2021 00:44:41 +0000 hourly 1 By: John and anne godsman https://parkwardenalumni.com/terry-damm/#comment-2751 Sun, 07 Mar 2021 00:44:41 +0000 https://parkwardenalumni.com/?p=5632#comment-2751 We were lucky enough to meet Terry and Marie when we’re campground hosting for Parks Canada. Some time at Waterfowl Lakes, some in Banff and some at Macleod Meadows. A favorite memory is, when some campers ( in a couple of adjacent sites) chose not to leave by the checkout time and to play loud music while they had lunch. We’d asked them nicely when they planned .to be on their way, but got no cooperation. Terry came by in the Warden truck and how things were, then drove around to the troublesome spot, parked, put on his warden hat and just sat there!! The music was turned down pretty fast, and when asked when they planned to leave, started to pack up quickly. No yelling, no confrontation, just a polite expectation that the rules would be obeyed,
Another time at Macleod Meadows, Terry stopped in to see how things were and we reported what we thought were gunshot sounds. Terry did and check of the campground for weapons…none were found, but heard the sounds that we did. So, he called another Warden and they searched both sides of the highway for quite a distance, in case there were poachers in the area. No,not .that either. So back he came for more information, then, as he was driving out of the park he thought his truck backfired. That was odd,so he got out to checked and found quite a few “cap pistol tapes” the old pink things with tiny bits of black explosives on the, scattered over the highway. They were rolled into little balls and went off every time a vehicle drove over over one. A bit of mischief, that caused the waste of too much Warden time, but Terry just took it all in stride.
We are pleased to stay in touch with this lovely couple and hope to be able to visit them one of these days in their retirement home and to see Marie’s gardens, We were lucky enough to be told about Terry’s retirement party, by one of the other staff members and to able to attend the function….a well deserved tribute to a really nice couple
Anne ad John Godsman. Strathmore. Alberta

]]> By: Mary J Watson https://parkwardenalumni.com/terry-damm/#comment-2662 Tue, 09 Feb 2021 21:27:39 +0000 https://parkwardenalumni.com/?p=5632#comment-2662 What a pleasure to read this. I worked at the Icefield Visitor Centre from 1987-1996, and so knew and worked with Terry during some of his Sunwapta years and Saskatchewan Crossing years. Some of the events Terry touched on are memories we share, albeit in different contexts. His was the active role as a park warden; mine was to record, report, and hold the fort. Which I was happy to do. It had its own exciting moments.

One quiet fall day at the Icefield Centre (the old one, not the one that is there today), I heard Terry being called on the park radio – but surprisingly, he wasn’t responding. Shortly afterwards, the front door opened and Terry came charging through, heading straight for the front desk, calling out, “Clear the way!” Astonished, I stood back and watched Terry vault over the counter as if he’d been training for it all his life, and vanish into our staff room, where the base radio was situated. It turned out that he’d heard his call sign (Whiskey 3) as he was driving towards the Icefield, but his radio wouldn’t let him respond. So Terry, never daunted, headed to the nearest base radio, which happened to be ours. I will never forget the sight of him leaping over the front counter; by not running around its end to access the staff room, he must have shaved at least two or three seconds off his response time! And the issue? Some guy had been reported driving south along the Icefields Parkway with elk antlers visible in the back of his pick up truck. Terry left, except this time, he didn’t vault over the counter (darn it!). As for the fellow with the elk antlers, Terry was able to intercept him, and learn that he had them legally following a hunt in B.C. – but perhaps should have given more thought to their transportation before driving through the middle of a national park with them!

Good times, good memories. Thanks Terry – I am so glad our paths crossed during those Icefield years.

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