On May 12th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service honored 16 of its partners at the 2007 Southeastern Regional Director’s Conservation Awards. The ceremony was held in Atlanta, Georgia. Individuals and teams received plaques for accomplishments as varied as mussel habitat restoration, the establishment of an invasive species task force, the installation of sea turtle lighting fixtures along the beach, and the dissemination of information about man-made climate change.?>

“Each person or team honored made ground-breaking contributions toward fish and wildlife conservation,” said Sam D. Hamilton, Southeast Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “We applaud their efforts and dedication, which are freely given in service to the natural world.”

Among the 16 partners to be recognized, those honored included members of the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery based Biologist-in-Training (BiT) Development Team. The Biologist-in-Training program is an experiential environmental education curriculum that utilizes National Fish Hatcheries and streams, lakes, ponds and rivers as outdoor classrooms. The program, which is the first of its kind for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 70 hatcheries nationwide and is also currently the pilot program for 21 field stations in the Southeast Region, was developed through the dedicated time and energy of the 10 member team, including 8 volunteers representing various schools, agencies and organizations from around Kentucky.

Those recognized at the Southeastern Regional Director’s Conservation Award Ceremony included the following development team members: Jean Clement, Russell County Middle School, Jamestown; Rhonda Godby, Rosalie Poland, and Audra Roberts, Union Chapel Elementary School, Jamestown; Jennifer Hardwick, Russell County Soil Conservation District, Jamestown; Steve Spencer, Ed.D., and Terry Wilson, Ph.D., Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green; Belinda Wilkins-Smith, Kentucky Division of Forestry, Campbellsville

For more information on the Biologist-in-Training Program or to learn more about how to become a volunteer, pleasecontact Amanda Patrick, Environmental Education/Outreach Specialist, at 270-343-3797 or via email (Amanda_Patrick@fws.gov).