The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) congratulates Northwest Region Protection Captain Eric Abbott on his retirement after nearly 35 years of service.

Abbott graduated from Rock Port High School in 1987 and attended Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, where he graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and a Minor in Geology in 1991.

He began his MDC career as a seasonal employee with the Fisheries Division in St. Joseph. In 1992, he was hired as a full-time Fisheries staff member in Cape Girardeau. Within four years, he was promoted twice; once to Resource Assistant and again to Fisheries Management Specialist.

Abbott was accepted into the Conservation Agent Training Academy in 1996. He worked as an agent in Shannon and Perry Counties for several years, each before transferring back to his home in Atchison County in 2003. Abbott became District Supervisor for the Northwest region in 2017 and was promoted to Captain in October 2024.

“I had a very fulfilling and rewarding career and I would do it all again,” said Abbott. “I always wanted to give back to my community and let them know I was there for them no matter the need. To build that confidence, you have to instill yourself within the community and I like to think I did that.”

Abbott’s reputation as a dependable, knowledgeable, and dedicated conservation expert is known by colleagues and the public alike.

“In his position, you want an upstanding, reliable person that you can count on at any hour,” said Bryan Gragg, MDC’s Northwest Regional Administrator. “Eric Abbott was just that.”

Abbott retires on January 1, 2026. He is an avid outdoorsman and spends most of his free time outdoors hunting, shooting, and trapping.