A week after Boisean George Graves arrived at Bagram Air Force
Base, two mortars exploded about 100 yards from his office. This
temporary job assignment would be unlike any other in the
wildlife biologists 27 years with USDA Wildlife Services.
Although I didnt fear for my life, it did make me realize that I
was in a combat zone and not to take the overt security of the
base for granted, Graves said in an e-mail last week from
Afghanistan. He is one of four Wildlife Services biologists from
Idaho who volunteered for four-month rotations at U.S. military
bases in Afghanistan, embracing the mission as both patriotic
duty and an opportunity to benefit science. It was kind of my
way to give back to (the troops), said Scott Stopak, who worked
at the base in Kandahar early last year and has volunteered for
a second tour, like Graves. The biologists primary objective:
Haze, trap and/or kill wildlife to keep it away from airstrips
preventing costly collisions that jeopardize the lives of
military personnel. During the