News : Welcome Our New North Unit Park Ranger!

Ranger Wille and with a giraffe at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

By Austin Wille, North Unit Park Ranger

Hello! My name is Austin Wille, the North Unit Park Ranger for Benton County Conservation. I will be stationed at Rodger’s Park in Vinton, but work at all the parks and recreation areas all across the county as needed. If you see me, stop and say hello!

I grew up in the Cedar Rapids area, with family ties to Benton County. My mother grew up outside of Norway on the family farm before moving to Cedar Rapids. As a kid I always enjoyed being outdoors, whether that be fishing, trapshooting, or playing sports of some kind. When I was young, the school let us take elective classes, when it was available I picked the class where we watched the BBC Planet Earth series, one of my favorites. Our family always took vacations out west, mostly to Rocky Mountain National Park and Yellowstone National Park. We also made sure to ride the cog train to Pikes Peak every time it was available. Our family also loves to visit the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station as well as the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. Both are must visits. I am also a proud Eagle Scout!

I started working in the maintenance department for my high school, where I worked throughout high school and college during breaks and summers. I did a lot of painting over the years, then moved into working with various heavy equipment projects around the school grounds. I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2018 with a degree in Criminology, starting my law enforcement career as a police officer for Belle Plaine in 2020. I then joined the Monona Police Department, most recently serving as Chief up until I joined Benton County Conservation in November last year.

I also followed in my dad’s path, joining the Hiawatha Fire Department in 2019, followed by the Monona Fire Department when I moved up to the Driftless Area continuing my law enforcement career.

In my free time these days, I enjoy fishing, usually for panfish like crappies, bluegill and perch. The secret sauce for a good fish fry is Andy’s Cajun breading. I also enjoy boating, camping and hiking for other outdoor activities. I am a big hockey fan, cheering on the St. Louis Blues in the NHL and my hometown Cedar Rapids Roughriders. I have always had a love for cars, both driving and working on them. A big part of my summers is racing. I enjoy autocross, the safest way to race without having to worry about repeatedly tearing up expensive equipment. It’s basically like setting up cones in a big parking lot and having a mini road course to run through. When I’m not racing, I enjoy cruising and being a part of the car scene in the Cedar Rapids area. My dad and I have been working on restoring a 1970 Monte Carlo for several years, a two-door coupe with a hood over six feet long. All seventeen feet of ‘business luxury’ cost a whopping $3,123 back then. My all-time favorite car is the Eleanor Mustang from Gone in 60 Seconds, but at $1,000,000 I’m priced out of that market. On a completely different note, if anyone has a VW bus or an old station wagon stop in at Rodger’s and hit me up.

At home I have a dog and a grumpy orange cat. My dog is a Plott Hound. Plotts rank 173rd out of 205 for breed popularity in America and I’ve yet to meet anyone who had heard of them before meeting my dog. Plott Hounds were bred to hunt bears and wild boar and is the official state dog of North Carolina. The only thing she enjoys hunting for is the food that falls off the kitchen counter. We just call her the food hound.

My main focus since starting here in Benton County as a Ranger (besides learning the ropes) has been tree cutting and planting on the Old Creamery Nature Trail at the Garrison trailhead, as well as Winegar and Tobin Wildlife Area. We’ve been clearing invasive species and dead trees in those areas to replace with more desirable trees. We have also been patrolling our properties and state land during shotgun season for deer. Our projects for the future hopefully include repainting Wild Rose Cabin and replacing the fishing pier at Rodger’s Park. I’ll be continuing my education at Kirkwood CC in the natural resources field and while learning on the job. I hope to see everyone at some point in the year! Happy trails

- Austin Wille