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2003 National Wildlife Refuge System Awards
The
following awards were presented at a reception at the
Centennial
Refuge Friends Conference, February 1, 2003, at the Wyndham
Washington,
DC:
Volunteer
of the year: Jim Montgomery, Bitter Lake NWR
Friends Group of the year: Friends of Blackwater
The
following awards were presented at the 68th North American
Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Winston-Salem, NC
on March 26, 2003:
Employee of the year: Ann Blakley, National Elk
Refuge
Manager
of the year (Kroegel award): Michael Rearden, Yukon Delta NWR
2003 Press
Statement
NWRS 2003 Volunteer of the Year
Award
This award was established to recognize the outstanding
accomplishments of volunteers. Each year volunteers make up a critical work
force that contributes over 1.5 million hours to the operation and management
of the Refuge System.
Jim Montgomery has
volunteered over 10,000 hours at the Bitter Lake NWR over the
past 15 years, while teaching biology full-time as a professor
at the New Mexico Military Institute. His wildlife management
projects include ongoing research on sandhill cranes, the
endangered
interior least terns and small mammals. Over the years, he has
become a recognized expert on sandhill cranes and interior
least
terns, and he established the existence on the refuge of a
banner
tail kangaroo rat species previously unrecorded at that
location.
His painstaking population monitoring work has provided
valuable
data that would otherwise have gone uncollected and
unanalyzed.
Jim
is also an incorporating member of the Friends of Bitter Lake
in 2000, serving as treasurer ever since the beginning and
contributing
countless hours in that capacity in support of the Dragonfly
Festival.
A true multi-tasker, he is widely known to have a ready wealth
of knowledge about the Bitter Lake Refuge biology and Friends
group finances. He has worked closely with Refuge staff and
volunteers,
and earned their respect and admiration for his professional
dedication
and devotion to the Refuge ecosystem.
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NWRS 2003 Friends Group of the Year
Award
This award recognizes a Friends group that has shown outstanding
leadership as a voice of the community and as an advocate for the protection,
conservation, and enhancement of local refuges and the National Wildlife Refuge
System overall.
The Friends of Blackwater group, which supports the
Chesapeake
Marshlands NWRC, was selected as the 2003 Friends Group of
the year. With over 800 members, the Friends group's
contributions
reach well beyond the Chesapeake Marshlands to serve the mid-
Atlantic
region, FWS Region 5, and the entire National Wildlife Refuge
System. Friends volunteers provide the equivalent of 7.5 FTEs
to refuge projects, including habitat restoration, educational
tours and school materials, and improvements to the Visitor
Center
and other refuge facilities. The National Aquarium in Baltimore
depends on the support of the Friends of Blackwater to
implement
their field projects such as the extensive wetland restoration
and monitoring project at Barren Island.
The
Friends of Blackwater was the principal organizer of FORMA
(Friends
of Refuges in the Mid-Atlantic), linking all the Friends groups
in NJ, PA, MD, and VA. The Friends of Blackwater also organized
the 2002 Region 5 Friends of Refuges Conference and helped form
new Region 5 Friends groups by providing financial assistance
and mentoring. On the national level, the group has actively
participated
in supporting the formation and strengthening of other Friends
Groups throughout the system, served as political advocates for
refuges, and made presentations as instructors and mentors at
forums throughout the country. And they maintain an
internationally
recognized website! Over the past 15 years, the members of the
Friends of Blackwater have demonstrated an exemplary record in
advancing the mission of the NWRS by serving their local
community
and beyond with their time, talents, and financial
resources.
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NWRS 2003 Employee of the Year Award
The Employee of the Year Award is presented each year to an individual
whose career has shown a commitment to the conservation of our natural
resources and superior effectiveness in advancing the cause of wildlife
conservation.
Ann Blakley is Administrative
Officer
at National Elk Refuge. Ann provides critical support services
that enable the team of refuge staff to more effectively
accomplish
crucial refuge mission priorities. Her extensive background
knowledge
in a wide range of programmatic areas in addition to her
expertise
in administrative and budget responsibilities make her an
invaluable
resource throughout Region 6. Her attention to detail and
dedication
to following multiple tasks through to completion have proven
crucial to a wide range of special projects. Not only is she
proficient
in office administration, Blakley is skilled in working with a
variety of people with complicated requirements. She regularly
volunteers for additional duties and works as a mentor/trainer
for new Administrative Officers at NWRS field offices. Her
professional
accomplishments have been recognized by the local community as
well; in 1998 she was named "Woman of the Year" by
the
Jackson Hole Business and Professional Women's Club. Ann's
versatility
and adaptability have had significant impact reaching beyond
the
National Elk Refuge into the local community and the entire
region.
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Paul Kroegel - Refuge Manager of the Year
Award
The
award is given in honor and memory of Paul Kroegel, the first manager of the
first refuge established in 1903 on Pelican Island, Florida. His dedication
and effectiveness set a high standard for those who followed.
Mike Rearden has served since 1995
as Manager of the Yukon Delta NWR, one of the largest and most
complex refuges within the National Wildlife Refuge System.
When
the Federal government exerted jurisdiction over subsistence
fisheries
management on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers during a period of
disastrously low runs of salmon in 1999, the varied priorities
of the State and Federal agencies and the Yup'ik Eskimos, the
predominant inhabitants and users of the salmon resource of the
region, could have led to clashes or stalemate. Working with
his
counterparts in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Mike
responded
by in initiating an extensive education program targeting
salmon
recovery efforts in the Kuskokwim River. His efforts to bring
all the interested State, Federal, and Native organizations
together
to discuss concerns resulted in the formation of the Kuskokwim
Fisheries Research Coalition. As a result of these and other
projects,
Kuskokwim River salmon management is widely recognized as one
of the best cooperative efforts in the state.
Mike
Rearden combines wildlife management skills and cross-cultural
knowledge to work with Alaskan Native people and has
demonstrated
an invaluable ability to include the 25,000 residents in 36
villages
on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in the process of resource
management,
promoting a policy of recovery of certain waterfowl species
while
ensuring continued subsistence harvest. For example, he
recently
initiated a "Partners in Bering Sea Conservation"
Science
and Culture Camp in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund,
the refuge, and the Native Village of Mekoryuk. Rearden uses
the
skills gained through a lifetime of positive leadership to
solve
complex problems, combining innovative solutions with effective
public outreach programs to further strengthen the National
Wildlife
Refuge System.
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