Two Midwest Region Visitor Services Staff Win National Awards
Cindy Samples (left) and Kelly Blackledge at the
awards ceremony held in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
(left to right) Cindy Samples, Secretary Ken Salazar and Kelly Blackledge
after the award ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Monday.
As part of the American Recreation Coalitions celebration of Great Outdoors Week, two of the Midwest Regions own were honored for their creative and enthusiastic approach to getting people excited about our nations outdoor recreation opportunities. Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuges Cindy Samples was presented a “Beacon” Award and Tamarac National Wildlife Refuges Kelly Blackledge was presented a “Legends” Award at a ceremony hosted by Secretary Ken Salazar in Washington, D.C., on Monday, June 8.
Cindy Samples of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge was presented the “Beacon” Award for her use of new technology in creative ways to facilitate visitor enjoyment within the 261-mile long refuge, including cell phone tours, mystery geocaching, and podcasts to help refuge visitors find, discover, and understand the refuge. Especially exciting is her use of geocaching as a tool to reach new audiences and to use “travel bugs” to encourage visitation of many sites on this and other refuges. Her efforts provide information to actual and potential visitors – and even with those who may never have the opportunity to visit the highlighted sites. Cindy’s efforts included forging a partnership with the Geological Society of America replicable across the nation.
Kelly Blackledge of Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Minnesota was presented the “Legends” Award in part for her work with a number of non-profit organizations, businesses and other agencies to promote birding at Tamarac and other national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge system lands in the area. Because of Kelly’s work with the local community, the Detroit Lakes/Tamarac Refuge area has become a destination for birders around the country.
For the past six years, Kelly has been co-chair of the Detroit Lakes Festival of the Birds, which is held each May. Over time, the festival has focused not only on outstanding bird viewing opportunities, but has incorporated information about the issues and challenges of conservation in the area. Since Kelly’s involvement with the festival there have been significant improvements in attendance, sponsorship and variety. The festival has expanded from three to four days and grown from 200 to more than 300 participants from most of the 50 states. The event is now considered one of the premiere birding festivals in the state.
Kelly has also worked to enhance the reputation of the refuge and local area to birders throughout the state and nation - from maintaining bird feeders at the Visitor Center to working with the Friends to construct observation platforms to teaching front desk volunteers about beginning birdwatching. She is active in the both the local community and the birding community, benefiting both. She is recognized in the community as the voice and face of Tamarac NWR from her regular appearances on the local TV and radio stations. Because of her cheerful mannerisms, her presentations are not only informative but are also entertaining, endearing her to a very supportive fan base. Last year Kelly received the Detroit Lakes Chamber of Commerce Tourism Award for her efforts in promoting the activities in the area.
Since Kelly joined Tamarac NWR, the refuge environmental education program has expanded significantly. She is founder and past board president of Natural Innovations, a community-driven organization committed to assisting individuals and organizations in developing a better understanding of how the health of humans and the environment are interrelated. Natural Innovations submitted and received a grant from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Office of Environmental Education to work with 10 local school districts to identify environmental education opportunities in the area and to demonstrate how they apply to Minnesota education graduation standards. Through this process, Tamarac NWR was identified as an exceptional location to provide environmental education programs targeting kindergarten, first, third and seventh grades. Kelly has worked closely with teachers to develop programs that meet curriculum requirements. Of course, with a limited staff, Tamarac NWR could not offer these activities without help from our volunteers whom Kelly has been instrumental in recruiting, developing and encouraging.
Kelly’s energy, enthusiasm and dedication are limitless earning her tremendous respect amongst her peers. She is equally cherished by the staff, volunteers and friends members who work with her. Her vision and commitment to excellence has established Tamarac Refuge as a model for connecting people with nature to foster land stewardship.
