2007 National Wildlife Refuge System Awards

The following awards were presented at the 72nd North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, in Portland, Oregon March 20-24:

Refuge Manager of the Year (Kroegel award): Don Hultman, Upper Mississippi River NF&WR

Employee of the Year: Bill Giese, Blackwater NWR

And at the 2007 Refuge Friends “Beyond the Boundaries” workshop, in Washington, DC March 2-5:

Volunteer of the Year: Marion Sansing, Noxubee NWR

Friends Group of the Year: Friends of San Luis Valley NWR's

Paul Kroegel - Refuge Manager of the Year Award

Bob Fields, NWRA Board Chair; Don Hultman, Manager of the Year; and Dale Hall, Director USFWS ©Tami Heilemann/DOI

This 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.

This year's recipient, Don Hultman of Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge has demonstrated his dedication to the Refuge System through a lifetime of achievement. With management responsibilities for eleven refuges along the 261 miles of the Upper Mississippi River, Refuge Manager Don Hultman is a passionate communicator and a talented leader. Over the past four years, he led a public involvement planning process, hosting 46 public meetings and workshops attended by 4,500 people that resulted in the completion of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge’s Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) in August of 2006. The final plan emphasizes the conservation of natural resources and takes a proactive and balanced approach to public use management. Hultman has also been extensively involved in such programs as the Environmental Management Program, and he wrote the recently published Service Manual Policy Chapter on Refuge Mission, Goals and Purposes.

NWRS 2007 Employee of the Year Award

Bob Fields, NWRA Board Chair; Bill Giese, Employee of the Year; and Dale Hall, Director USFWS ©Tami Heilemann/DOI

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.

Fire Control Officer, William Giese of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge has fought tirelessly for the protection of Little Blackwater River and the Refuge through both his extensive knowledge and technical expertise from his 34 years of service to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and through the mobilization of more than 35,000 community members to sign a petition opposing mega-development in the region. Giese also works effectively as a biologist, law enforcement officer, equipment operator, and manager. Highly instrumental in developing partnerships with both Maryland Nutria and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Giese works to manage wetlands using prescribed fire, protect endangered squirrels and eagles, and eradicate nutria on the Refuge.

NWRS 2007 Volunteer of the Year Award

Marion Sansing, Volunteer of the Year; Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary of the Interior; and Evan Hirsche, NWRA President © Claire Stoker/NWRA

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.

As spokesperson for the Friends of Noxubee and outdoor recreation planner for Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, Marion Sansing has astounded Refuge staff and fellow volunteers with the amount she has accomplished in her relatively short time at Noxubee. She partnered with Mississippi State University to develop a Native plant garden for the Visitor Center; procured print, radio, and even billboard advertisements to attract volunteers and visitors to the Refuge; oversaw all the publicity and implementation of the now annual Noxubee Refuge Photography contest; and partnered with the Wild Turkey Federation to host “Women in the Outdoors,” an opportunity for women to learn outdoor skills from expert instructors.

NWRS 2007 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.

Friends of San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuges support Baca, Alamosa and Monte Vista NWRs. The Friends are responsible for the wildlife-observation walking trail on the Monte Vista NWR; the Alamosa NWR Visitor Center’s new Wetland Learning Center; and a Congressional earmark of $324,000 for the Baca NWR. The Friends keep the community and visitors informed about the wildlife in the San Luis Valley through an imaginative website, quarterly newsletter the Avocet, and participation in monthly “work days” and annual festivals such as the Kid’s Crane Festival held during Refuge Week.

Pictured: Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Secretary of the Interior; Tim Armstrong, President of Friends of San Luis Valley NWR's; and Evan Hirsche, NWRA President © Claire Stoker/NWRA

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These award recipients have contributed greatly to the National Wildlife Refuge System and we commend their accomplishments. Their efforts have truly gone beyond the call of duty and should serve as an inspiration to us all. They richly deserve this recognition.