U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees were honored last week at the 67th U.S Department of the Interior Honor Awards Convocation. This year, 26 Service employees were recognized for their commitment and dedication in conserving the nation’s natural resources.
“These Service men and women are what make our agency great. We are honored that they have dedicated their careers to the conservation of fish and wildlife and proud of what they have accomplished,” said Acting Director Rowan Gould.
This year, five Service members were awarded the Department’s most prestigious award, the Distinguished Service Award. The award is “granted for an outstanding contribution to science, outstanding skill or ability in the performance of duty, outstanding contribution made during an eminent career in the Department, or any other exceptional contribution to the public service.” Service award recipients are, Sam D. Hamilton, former Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mark A. Butler of the Mountain-Prairie Region, Gary B. Edwards of the Alaska Region, William E. Knapp of the Washington Office, and Ronald E. Reynolds of the Mountain-Prairie Region.
At the time of his tragic death earlier this year, Sam Hamilton had dedicated more than 30 years to the conservation of fish and wildlife for the Service. As the regional director for the Southeast Region, Hamilton brought together federal, state, local, and tribal partners to implement water quality improvement projects for the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. He led efforts to establish a carbon sequestration program that helped biologists to restore roughly 80,000 acres of wildlife habitat, and to further restoration projects in the Everglades. As the Director of the Service, Hamilton created revolutionary conservation projects and partnerships that address climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
Learn more about climate change and its impacts on the Nation’s wildlife.
Mark Butler has dedicated his career to the recovery of the Platte River. His expertise in water management was integral to improving and evaluating management on the Platte River. “Mr. Butler’s career,” according to his award citation, “was marked by his dedication to conservation and the use of sound science in the pursuit of restoring the Platte River recovery.
During his long distinguished career with the Service, Gary Edwards has led many efforts to promote wildlife conservation. His involvement in the implementation of Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act provided leadership, knowledge, and experience to controversial and complex issues. According to his award citation, “Mr. Edwards’ insight, sense of fairness and dedication to conserving the fish and wildlife resources have been the hallmarks of his leadership and a beacon for others to follow.”
William Knapp pioneered the Service’s candidate conservation program, emphasizing strategies that would aide candidate species and preclude the need to protect them under the Endangered Species Act. He also helped to launch the Bay Estuary Program, working with Congress to increase appropriations funding and allowing the program to expand to coastal areas. Knapp also helped develop the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, which through voluntary agreements provides expert technical assistance and cost-share incentives directly to private landowners to restore fish and wildlife habitats. He was essential in organizing the Service’s efforts to develop a strategic plan addressing climate change.
Ronald Reynolds’ leadership, ability, and devotion to the Service have led to extraordinary scientific achievements and benefits in the area of wildlife resource conservation. Reynolds authored 25 scientific papers and was involved in another 40 scientific papers authored by teams. His scientific products have solved numerous complex conservation issues. Reynolds’ spatial models used for landscape conservation have resulted in the protection of more than 90,000 acres of wetlands and grasslands in the Prairie Pothole Region alone. Another 100,000 acres of Conservation Reserve Program wetlands and grasslands, which Reynolds identified, were dedicated by the Department of Agriculture. His models and work enabled the Service to form key partnerships with federal, state, local, and non-governmental organizations. The practices he developed have been instituted as a model for the Service’s Strategic Habitat Conservation adaptive resource management framework.
The Department awarded Anne Sittauer the Occupational Health and Safety Award of Excellence. This award recognizes individuals or groups that have performed an outstanding service for, or made a contribution of unusual value to the occupational health and safety of employees, visitors and volunteers. Sittauer served as the Chairperson of the Department of the Interior Watercraft Working Group, a group composed of multiple Department bureaus. In her award citation Sittauer was honored because she identified the need to improve participation, communication and coordination among the Bureaus and the DOI Safety and Occupational Health Council. “As a result of Ms. Sittauer’s leadership, the Working Group was revitalized and today successfully functions as a forum for peer group discussions of watercraft safety issues, development and enhancement of watercraft safety training, and sharing of resources to provide required training,” her award citation reads.
The Meritorious Service Award was awarded to 20 Service employees. The award is “presented for an important contribution to science or management, a notable career, superior service in administration or in execution of duties, or initiative in devising new and improved work methods, and procedures.” Service recipients are:
Michael F. Boylan
Phillip J. Detrich
Robert P. Ford
James R. Gale
Rowan W. Gould
Linda H. Kelsey
Kevin E. Kilcullen
Margaret Laxalt Mackey
Kenneth L. Litzenberger
John G. Mensik
Robert T. Oliveri
Fred L. Paveglio, Jr.
Michael L. Piccirilli
Timothy W. Roth
David E. Sharp
Edward C. Spoon
Elizabeth H. Stevens
John T. Taylor
