The Friends Annual Dinner & Banquet is a Feature Event each year at the Festival of the Cranes. The Friends of the Bosque, a group of organized volunteers that support Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, sponsor the Festival and each year the Thursday evening banquet is a time to celebrate. This year, Dr. Benjamin Tuggle served as the Keynote Speaker. Dr. Tuggle is the Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Region and oversees conservation efforts in four states; New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma. He began his distinguished career with the Service in 1979 at the National Health Research Center in Madison, WI. Since then he has served in key leadership positions throughout the nation, including field experience and time in the agency’s Washington, DC headquarters office. He began his tenure as the Service's Southwest Regional Director in 2005, and is recognized as one of the Service's most outstanding leaders in conservation. The Banquet also recognized the efforts of one of the members of the Friends of the Bosque. A surprised Kale Batsell was honored with the Friends Volunteer of the Year Award!
Festival Banquet Holds Surprises
