Colorado Parks and Wildlife Aquatics Biologist Paul Winkle’s lifelong passion for water and its creatures started with a simple aquarium in middle school.
“Black mollies, angelfish, neon tetras, rosy tetras, gourami,” Winkle recalls the aquarium population vividly, decades later.
Coupled with a love of bass fishing with his father, Winkle was sure of his career path to study and conserve fish species from an early age, although his parents had a few doubts.
“My mother used to suggest I learn a trade skill as a backup, just in case aquatic biology didn’t work out,” said Winkle.
It’s not an unreasonable suggestion, as aquatic biology was not a common area of study in Ohio in the 1970s. Winkle said the majority of his classmates majoring in zoology at Miami University were advancing into the medical or veterinary fields.
But he knew he didn’t want to work behind a desk. Winkle planted his office outside in lakes, reservoirs and rivers, including twenty years with CPW as an aquatics biologist on the South Platte River drainage in Denver. He claims he can launch a boat into any type of Colorado waterbody.
As that chapter of his life ends June 2 and retirement begins, Winkle is modest about his accomplishments with CPW, often directing praise to the numerous other biologists and district wildlife managers.
“My favorite days have been supporting Boyd Wright in the endangered greenback cutthroat trout reintroduction, catching walleye over 10lbs at our annual spawning operations and talking with kids about my job,” Winkle said.
As he cleans out his usually-vacant office, Winkle didn’t want a large party or a big fuss about retirement. He requested a simple lunch with the aquatics team on his last day.
“I’ve joked I probably only spent five days in our lunchroom in my whole career,” Winkle estimated.
His next life doesn’t promise stillness and quiet. There are plans to travel with his wife, Laura, in a vintage 1970 Shasta travel trailer he calls a “canned ham.” There are plans to drive a bus for skiers at Copper Mountain to soak up the altitude and camaraderie. There are plans to golf, a common retirement pastime, which Winkle has recently rediscovered an affection for.
And, of course, there are plans for bass fishing.
Written by Kara Van Hoose. Kara is the Northeast Region Public Information Officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
