Jim Cardoza earns McDowell Award

Longtime TWS member Jim Cardoza received the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ 2024 Robert McDowell Award for Conservation Management Excellence. The award is the association’s highest honor.

Retired after 45 years with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Cardoza was involved in several wildlife restoration efforts, including the return of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) to the Northeast. He was honored for his innovative methods for studying black bears (Ursus americanus) and for dozens of peer-reviewed articles and books on wildlife management throughout his career.

“His knowledge of the history and present status of wildlife in the Northeast, of all types, is truly encyclopedic,” said NEAFWA President Mark Tisa, director of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, in presenting the award.

A member of The Wildlife Society since 1966, Cardoza has been active in the Northeast Section since 1968, is a charter member of the New England Chapter and has been a Certified Wildlife Biologist since 1978.

The Robert McDowell Award honors career professionals who have made significant contributions to advance fish and wildlife conservation in the Northeastern United States and eastern Canadian provinces.