Recovery Champion Sandy Vissman

The Pacific Southwest Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced their three awardees of the agency’s 2010 Recovery Champion Award. Service employee Sandy Vissman was selected for her work as lead biologist with the San Clemente Loggerhead Strike Recovery Team. Under her leadership the population of this rare bird has grown, and she has forged important partnerships with conservation organizations and agencies. Implementation of the San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike program is especially complicated by the remote nature of the one place where the birds are found. Vissman has overcome these obstacles and shown that results are truly achievable. Image taken from USFWS Pacific Southwest Region Flickr page.