NDCTWS Chapter Awards
The North Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society held its annual Awards Banquet on January 30, 2008 at the Ramada Inn in Grand Forks. Awards were presented to 3 wildlife professionals, 2 private landowners and 7 students. Special recognition awards were also presented to the outgoing President and 1 Chapter member.
North Dakota Award
Recipient: Karen Kreil, North Dakota Natural Resources Trust
The prestigious North Dakota Award is presented annually to a wildlife professional who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession over the course of their career. This year’s award was presented to Karen Kreil of Bismarck, ND. Karen is currently a biologist with the North Dakota Natural Resources Trust, where she is active in Farm Bill issues, acquisitions, and coordination for Missouri River land protection. Prior to this position, she worked for 20 years as a biologist in the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Bismarck office. Here she was instrumental in numerous education and outreach activities, including Habitat Trunks for North Dakota schools, the Keep North Dakota Clean poster contest, and Prairie Day. She served as the Field Office’s senior endangered species biologist, providing leadership for least tern and piping plover conservation, coordination and partnership with regional piping plover teams, and pre-listing conservation for the Dakota skipper. Respected by her peers as a voice for recovery, she was known as an advocate of strong science, a willing partner and collaborator, and an active leader in interagency recovery efforts. She served the Chapter for many years, including terms as Secretary-Treasurer, Executive Board member, Newsletter Editor, and President. In all that she has done throughout her career, Karen has upheld the highest professional standards and demonstrated an unwavering commitment to doing what is right for North Dakota’s natural resources.
Habitat Award
Recipients: Dennis and Shelly Nelson
The 2008 Habitat Award was presented to Dennis and Shelly Nelson, who run a family farm and ranch operation in Barnes County. This award is presented to an individual or group that has made a substantial contribution toward preserving and/or establishing high quality wildlife habitat in North Dakota. In 2005, the Nelsons expressed interest to the Fish and Wildlife Service in the wetland easement program and restoring drained wetlands on their property. A biological evaluation identified 244 wetland basins and 456 wetland acres, mostly in seasonal basins. Despite modifying the easement boundary to please local interests, the Nelsons endured intense anger and scrutiny from neighbors, but never backed down and remained steadfast to protecting the wetlands on their property. Their persistence resulted in permanent protection of these wetlands, providing benefits to wildlife and people of North Dakota.
Law Enforcement Award
Recipients: Jackie Lundstrom, NDG&F & Kevin Prodzinski, MN DNR
The Charles Pulver Memorial Law Enforcement Case of the Year was presented to Warden Jackie Lundstrom of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and Conservation Officer Kevin Prodzinski of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. These officers jointly investigated illegal deer hunting in North Dakota and Minnesota by a Minnesota resident, including hunting with an invalid license and illegal possession/taking of a big game animal. Convictions in both states resulted in loss of hunting privileges, forfeiture of two firearms and processed deer meat, and over $1400 in fines. Criteria used to select this case included its significance, severity, and degree of investigative work required.
Special Recognition Award
Recipient: Bill Bicknell, Legacy Trust Initiative
A Special Recognition Award was presented to Bill Bicknell for his leadership on the Legacy Trust Initiative. Bill recognized the Chapter’s interest in enhancing student participation as well as its role in mentoring their development. This new program has strengthened the Chapter’s connection to the five universities and colleges that provide wildlife education in North Dakota. It has resulted in a student-professional luncheon, career lessons panel discussion, and employment opportunities alert at the annual meeting. This initiative is benefiting both the students and professionals of North Dakota by mentoring and developing the wildlife professionals of the future.
Student Awards and Scholarships
The 2008 Awards Banquet was notable because we expanded the student award program to recognize students from the growing and vibrant natural resource programs at Valley City State University and Sitting Bull College. Undergraduate and graduate award recipients are nominated by faculty at their university for outstanding academic achievement and research initiatives in the field of wildlife ecology in North Dakota. The 2008 Outstanding Graduate Student Awards were presented to Thad Manuwal (M.S. student at University of North Dakota) and Dan McEwen (Ph.D. student at North Dakota State University).
Outstanding Graduate Students:
- Thad Manuwal, University of North Dakota
- Dan McEwen, North Dakota State University
Outstanding Undergraduate Students:
- Greg Hastings, Valley City State University
- Derek Stonefish, Sitting Bull College
- Steve Fasching, Minot State University-Bottineau
- Alex Galt, North Dakota State University
- Kendall Strand, University of North Dakota
Natural Resource Communications Awards
Each year the Chapter recognizes the time and effort expended by those who present scientific information at the Annual Meeting. The evaluation committee, chaired by Dan Svingen, conducts evaluations of style, substance, and adherence to allocated time. This year a new award for the Best Student Poster was presented, and included a $50 honorarium donated by McCain and Associates. Awards for presentations included the Best Student Paper, which included a $50 honorarium donated by Western Ecosystems Technology, and the Best Professional Paper. The awards were presented to:
- Professional Paper: Dave Mushet, U.S. Geological Survey, Jamestown, for "Using Landsat Thematic Mapper Imagery to Identify Potential Leopard Frog Drought Refugia in Stutsman County, North Dakota."
- Student Paper: Nathaniel Emery, University of North Dakota, for "Spring and Summer Reproductive Ecology of Female Greater Prairie Chickens in Northwestern Minnesota and Updates on Translocation to Wisconsin"
- Student Poster: Jamie Murphy, Sitting Bull College, for "Spiny Softshell Turtle Range Expansion to North Dakota."