Tuesday, May 31, 2016

MT FWP Wildlife Division holds biennial conference, awards

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park's wildlife division recently honored several wildlife staff for their work for the department during the past two years.
The recognition came at the biennial division conference where biologists and wildlife staff gathered from around the state to discuss a variety of wildlife topics, including updates on Habitat Montana, working with landowners, wildlife education and access issues.

"This conference was an important opportunity for the division due to the fact that many of our people are dealing with similar issues and challenges around the state," said FWP wildlife division administrator Ken McDonald. "This gives our folks a chance to share their successes and put their heads together on the most effective ways of managing Montana's wildlife resources."

FWP employs more than 100 people in the wildlife division, most of whom are stationed in communities across the state. They work on a wide variety of issues from big game management, to non-game species monitoring, to habitat conservation, to helping private landowners manage wildlife impacts and habitat.

The awards honored staff for innovative work, dedication and exemplary performance.
Awards

Special Recognition – Mark Szczypinski, a conservation technician in Roundup received this award for his work on the sage grouse grazing project. The award recognizes employees for going above and beyond to further the mission of the agency.

Dave Dziak is a maintenance crew leader in FWP Region 2 and was recognized for a career of dedication to maintenance management on the wildlife management areas in his region. Dziak is retiring from the agency this year.

Karen Loveless is a biologist in Region 3 and tasked with managing, among other things, wildlife in the Paradise Valley on the northern edge of Yellowstone National Park. The public is keenly interested in the wildlife she manages and their opinions about how the management should go are passionate and diverse. However, Loveless has developed a skill at working effectively with both hunters and landowners.

Alan Charles is FWP's landowner and sportsmen relations bureau chief. He was recognized for his work in making the Hunter Access Enhancement Program a success along with his work at growing the Block Management Program to 1,200 cooperators providing access to more than 8 million acres.
Employees of the Biennium – Trevor Throop and Neil Caldwell, who are both pilots for FWP. Both Throop and Caldwell spend many hours in the air each year to help biologists with everything from species counts, to tracking collared animals. This award honors exemplary work in the division during the past two years.

Innovative Thinker – Kristi Dubois, who is a non-game biologist for FWP Regions 2, received this award in recognition of her work monitoring northern bog lemmings, which are candidates for the Endangered Species List and native to Montana. The lemmings are hard little creatures to track, but Dubois developed a method of using trail cameras and DNA sampling to locate the creatures and learn more about their populations and habitat.
Outstanding Project – Alan Wood, a wildlife mitigation coordinator in FWP Region 1, was recognized for his work through the Forest Legacy Program in securing significant conservation easements near Whitefish. The project helps protect critical wildlife habitat along with the Whitefish watershed, while still allowing for timber management in the area.

New Employee Achievement Award – Merissa Hayes, administrative supervisor in Helena, was honored for her work on a variety of fronts including customer service, guiding the production of big game regulations and attention to detail.