Donald “Wayne” Brewer

Longtime resident of Seneca County, Donald ‶Wayne″ Brewer, age 69, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at Geneva General Hospital.

Wayne is survived by his wife, Linda, and his children; Christie Marie Brewer of Hayts Corners, Donald T. Brewer of Fairfield County and Douglas W. Brewer of Seneca Falls, his siblings; Roger (Kathy) Brewer of Romulus, Pam Armitage of Hayts Corners and Martin (Lisa) Brewer of Ovid, and his nieces and nephews; Billy, Donna, Scott, Kelly, Kerry, Sarah, Matthew, and the beloved family dog, ‶Mia″.

The family will receive friends from 4:00 to 7:00pm on Thursday, March 7, 2019 at Covert Funeral Home, 7199 South Main Street in Ovid. A Memorial Service will be held at Ovid Federated Church at 10:00am on Friday, March 8, 2019 with a reception immediately following at the South Seneca Sportsman❜s Club. A private interment will be held at Ovid Union Cemetery at the convenience of the family.

From a very young age, Wayne and his family were deeply involved in 4-H. The childhood lessons he learned as a member of 4-H had a lasting impact on his life and his career. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation in Wayne❜s memory to Seneca County 4-H, located at 308 Main Street Shop Centre in Waterloo.

Wayne was born in Geneva, New York, on September 4, 1949, the eldest child of the late Donald J. and Rose M. (Travis) Brewer. He was a small-town farm boy from Ovid, New York. His parents were second-generation farmers who instilled in their four children a strong work ethic and high moral character. These core values inspired Wayne❜s considerable academic and professional achievements. Upon graduation from Interlaken High School, he earned his A.A.S. degree in Natural Resources from SUNY Morrisville, later winning alumni of the year in 1997. He then entered Cornell University, where he earned a B.S. in Wildlife Science. He subsequently enrolled in the University of Connecticut and earned an M.S. in Zoology. In 1994, Wayne attended the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, graduating with a perfect grade point average.

It was during his childhood that Wayne developed a deep love for the outdoors, wildlife and nature. He was happiest walking through the woods identifying and following animal tracks, scoping out ‶that elusive big buck″, or fishing in the Finger Lakes Region. His love for the outdoors and passion for wildlife was contagious and it informed his environmental career choices. Early on, he recognized he could make significant contributions to the protection and preservation of wildlife and natural habitats by becoming an Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO). At the time, the physical requirements for an ECO included a minimum height of 5 feet 9 inches. He was hired as an ECO on June 28, 1973 and then relieved of duty five days later because he was one-quarter inch too short. Wayne was undeterred and for two months, he engaged in a regimented plan to stretch his body by hanging upside down every day. He added one-quarter inch to his height and in September of 1973 he was reinstated and appointed to the position of ECO of Seneca County. Little did anyone know at the time how that quarter inch of height would define Wayne❜s career. He rapidly ascended the ranks at NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and at the age of 31 became the youngest person promoted to Captain in the history of the agency. When he retired after 25 years of public service, Wayne had achieved the rank of Colonel and served as the Director of the NYS Environmental Conservation Police, supervising a staff of 340 environmental law enforcement professionals across DEC❜s nine regions.

In early 1975, Wayne attended the very first Basic Training school for Environmental Conservation Officers, winning the Director❜s Award for having the highest grade point average. It did not take long for his infamous tireless work ethic to be noticed by his superiors because in 1977 he was awarded the prestigious Conservation Officer of the Year award.

The next year Wayne was promoted to Lieutenant in the office of Law Enforcement for DEC. He worked in NYC at Tower 2 of the World Trade Center where he was head of Region 2. During this time, he worked with U.S. Fish and Wildlife service to create a grant that funded the first ever federally funded state endangered species enforcement unit.

In 1980, he was promoted to Captain and was in charge of Long Island. With this promotion, at the age of just 31, Wayne was the youngest officer promoted to the rank of Captain in the 100-year history of DEC.

Wayne was promoted to Investigator Captain in 1983 and transferred to the Albany District Office. During this time he worked closely with management staff to help create and organize this new (and first ever in DEC) criminal investigation unit, later named the Bureau of Environmental Conservation Investigations (BECI).

In 1984, Wayne was promoted to the position of Major and was in charge of the statewide field operations of BECI. One of his proudest career achievements happened soon after. He had the overall responsibility for ‶Operation Berkshire″, a two and a half year undercover operation involving the illegal trafficking of black bear gall bladders from the northeastern United States to Asia. This operation, which encompassed seven states and one Canadian province, resulted in more than 1,000 charges and established the standard for undercover surveillance and day-to-day operations of fish and wildlife in New York.

Following ‶Operation Berkshire″ in 1987, Wayne was promoted to Colonel and was the Assistant Director of Investigations. He was the field supervisor for the Division of Law Enforcement❜s BECI. The millions of forfeiture dollars that were recovered from his undercover operations involving organized crime and the solid waste industry were later used to conduct a six-month basic training academy for Environmental Conservation Officers and to purchase much needed equipment.

In 1993, Wayne was promoted to Assistant Director. He was assigned the duty of field commander for the entire Division of Law Enforcement and oversaw all operations of both Uniform (Regional) and Investigative (District) offices across the State. During his tenure, two of his undercover fish and wildlife commercialization operations led to the largest federal ‶Lacey Act″ cases in the nation at that time.

In 1997, at the age of 47, Wayne was promoted to Director of the Division of Law Enforcement for New York State Environmental Conservation Police. He was responsible for the overall management of 340 law enforcement professionals statewide.

Upon retirement, Wayne returned to his beloved Seneca County, fulfilling a promise he made to come home and serve his community. He worked as a Seneca County welfare fraud investigator and part-time deputy for several years before serving for a year as Seneca County Undersheriff. However, writing and teaching were the defining characteristics of his second career. Wayne was a prolific freelance outdoor writer with countless articles published in local and regional newspapers, statewide and national environmental magazines, and trade journals. He was a proud member of the New York State Outdoor Writers Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America, and Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers. He loved fishing and retirement afforded him the time to do so, rekindling his fond memories of participating in many Bass Masters tournaments while being a member of the Capital District Bass Masters for 16 years.

Wayne also served as an Adjunct Instructor at Keuka College, Cayuga County Community College and Wells College teaching classes in criminal investigation, police ethics, and environmental conservation law.

Whether composing articles for outdoor publications, sharing his experience in environmental law enforcement with college students in the classroom, or fishing the Bass Masters circuit, with his words and his actions Wayne spent his retirement years encouraging young men and women to revere and protect nature by entering environmental professions.

Wayne valued his family above all else, always finding the best in his wife Linda, while gently encouraging their three children to fully reveal and embrace their unique and individual talents.

Dad, as you sail and trek into your final fishing and hunting spot, we find peace in the knowledge that you will always be our North Star. Thank you for showing us through your actions the definition of integrity. We miss you and love you dearly. See you in the stars. – Your Family