Indiana Chapter members honored by Midwest AWFA

©TWS Indiana Chapter

Indiana received the Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (MAFWA) “Excellence in Conservation” award in 2017. One of seven annual awards given by the 13-state MAFWA organization, the “Excellence in Conservation” recognizes a member agency that has shown excellence in conservation through a specific project. DFW Deer Biologist Joe Caudell, a member of The Wildlife Society and the TWS Indiana Chapter, and Indiana’s bovine tuberculosis (bTB) surveillance team were recognized for implementing a comprehensive program to test hunter-harvested deer in southeast Indiana during the 2016-17 season.

Lymph nodes from more than 2,000 deer were collected, none of which tested positive for bTB. The net result of this collective effort saved the DFW from spending an estimated $1.3 million in license sales revenue to respond to the chronic bTB situation in Indiana. DFW Director Mark Reiter, also a member of TWS and the TWS Indiana Chapter, accepted the award on behalf of the agency & partners at the 2017 summer MAFWA meeting in Nebraska.

This article originally appeared in the Indiana Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s November 2017 newsletter.