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Fish & Wildlife Honors
<br />Service Director Steve Williams was awarded
<br />The Outstanding Alumni Award from Penn
<br />State's College of Agricultural Sciences. The
<br />award is given annually to undergraduate
<br />or alumni of the College of Agricultural
<br />Sciences who have had significant career
<br />advancement as recognized by an employer,
<br />professional association, or similar entity,
<br />distinguished and diverse service to their
<br />community, and are members of the
<br />Penn State Alumni Society. Williams
<br />graduated from Penn State with a B.S. in
<br />Environmental Resource Management
<br />in 1979 and a Ph.D. in Forest Resources
<br />in 1986. Between his B.S. and Ph.D.,
<br />he obtained his M.S. in Biology from the
<br />University of North Dakota. Williams was
<br />honored at a reception and dinner at the
<br />Nittany Lion Inn on October 24, 2003.
<br />He also had the opportunity to interact
<br />and share his experiences with students
<br />and faculty.
<br />Mary Timm, a talented environmental
<br />educator from Tetlin National Wildlife
<br />Refuge in Tok, received the U.S. Fish and
<br />Wildlife Service's fifth annual national
<br />"Sense of Wonder" award on November 13,
<br />2003 in Sparks, Nevada at the National
<br />Association for Interpretation conference.
<br />She was selected from a field of seven
<br />nominees from across the country. The
<br />Service's "Sense of Wonder" award is
<br />presented each year to an employee who
<br />has designed, implemented, or shown
<br />visionary leadership in an interpretive
<br />or environmental education program,
<br />enhancing public stewardship of our wildlife
<br />resources. The award is named for Rachel
<br />Carson (1907-1964), marine biologist and
<br />former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
<br />employee, who authored the books,
<br />A Sense of Wonder and Silent Spring.
<br />Bonnie Strawser, Alligator River National
<br />Wildlife Refuge (NC) Wildlife Interpretive
<br />Specialist since 1980, received the American
<br />Recreation Coalition's Legends Award in
<br />June for conceiving and leading Wings Over
<br />Water, a week-long festival that draws
<br />hundreds of people each year to more than
<br />100 educational activities about birds, wildlife
<br />and nature exploration in eastern North
<br />Carolina. The Legends Award, presented
<br />during Great Outdoors Week, June 9-12
<br />in Washington, DC, honors outstanding
<br />federal employees for significant
<br />contributions to enhancement of the nation's
<br />outdoor recreation resources, facilities and
<br />experiences, especially on public lands.
<br />In 1989, Bonnie helped start the Coastal
<br />Wildlife Refuge Society, the Friends group
<br />that raises more than $100,000 annually for
<br />Alligator River and Pea Island Refuges.
<br />The Society was selected Friends Group of
<br />the Year in 2001.
<br />Tom Jasikoff, manager of Montezuma
<br />National Wildlife Refuge and the
<br />St. Lawrence Wetland and Grassland
<br />Management District in New York, received
<br />the John S. Gottschalk Award in recognition
<br />of the partnerships he has fostered to
<br />promote and protect these federal lands.
<br />Jasikoff was recognized for his instrumental
<br />role in restoring and protecting habitats on
<br />33,000 acres in the Northern Montezuma
<br />Wetlands Complex, which brought together
<br />the Service, the New York Department
<br />of Environmental Conservation, Ducks
<br />Unlimited, and the Friends of Montezuma
<br />Wetlands Complex. The award, presented
<br />annually to a Service employee in the
<br />northeast, is named for John S. Gottschalk,
<br />former Northeast Regional Director who
<br />served as the director for the Service in
<br />the mid-1960s.
<br />Greg Austin, Project Leader, Hopper
<br />Mountain National Wildlife Refuge,
<br />California, Vivian Rice-Smuin, Regional
<br />Energy Manager, and Melissa Ennis,
<br />formerly of Hopper Mountain National
<br />Wildlife Refuge accepted a Federal Energy
<br />and Water Management Award at a
<br />ceremony held on October 29, 2003, in
<br />Washington, D.C. The team demonstrated
<br />environmental leadership by successfully
<br />installing a 1.76-kilowatt photovoltaic solar
<br />system to provide 100 percent of the power
<br />for a remote California Condor research
<br />station at Hopper Mountain NWR. The
<br />solar system provides electricity and
<br />water pumping, eliminating dependance
<br />on an unreliable gas-powered generator.
<br />Approximately 23,000 kWh, $1,025,
<br />and 31,000 pounds of air pollutants are
<br />saved annually.
<br />Ken Edwards, Manager of Imperial National
<br />Wildlife Refuge inYuma, Arizona, along with
<br />Mark Orton, Regional Energy Manager,
<br />Charles Caldwell, Engineer, and Mary Ann
<br />Crafton-Williams, Contract Specialist (of the
<br />Service's Albuquerque, NM Regional Office)
<br />accepted a Federal Energy and Water
<br />Management Award at a ceremony held on
<br />October 29 in Washington, DC. The team
<br />demonstrated environmental leadership by
<br />installing photovoltaic solar collectors on the
<br />visitor center and office at Imperial National
<br />Wildlife Refuge. The solar system provides
<br />10 kilowatt hours or about 47 percent of
<br />the building's energy needs representing a
<br />yearly savings of 20,200 kilowatt hours,
<br />$1,625, and 27,500 pounds of air pollutants.
<br />The Service received a $20,000 rebate from
<br />the Arizona Public Utilities Commission.
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