New York Chapter: Awards

We’ve moved! Visit https://newyorktws.wixsite.com/home for the latest information.

Awards

Nominations for Chapter awards are sought on an annual basis. The awards continue an annual endeavor by the Chapter to recognize contributions to the wildlife profession by highly qualified individuals. Award recipients will be determined by a majority vote of the members of the Executive Committee, sitting as a Nominations and Awards Committee, and chaired by either the Past-President or President-elect. Nominations will be considered for the following awards:

Outstanding Professional: This award will be made to a wildlife professional, or group of wildlife professionals working together, for outstanding professional accomplishments in the wildlife field in New York State. Included in the criteria for judging the professional excellence of the nominees will be contributions to knowledge, innovation, importance, applicability, and leadership in any facet of wildlife work including research, management, preservation, conservation, administration, education, and enforcement. Nominees for the award need not be members of NY-TWS. The person making the nomination must be a currently active member of NY-TWS, NE Section of TWS, The Wildlife Society, or a student chapter of TWS.

Outstanding Conservationist: This award will be made to an individual, or group of individuals working together, outside the wildlife profession for significant contributions to the field of wildlife management; for furthering public understanding of the wildlife resource; or for developing, initiating, or coordinating programs in the wildlife management field which have notably enhanced the wildlife resource in New York State.

Stuart Free Award: This award acknowledges a legacy of diligent, focused, hard work. The award will recognize the effort of individuals or groups who have exhibited tenacious effort and diligent professional service in a manner that is inspiring to their peers, and a cumulative contribution that has been overlooked or taken for granted. Like the Outstanding Professional Award, it is intended to encourage and reward the work, accomplishments and important contributions of an individual or group as opposed to a specific accomplishment.

Honorary Members: This designation is conferred to persons who, by a majority vote of all Chapter members, have been thus recognized for their achievements; they do not pay dues but have all benefits of membership.

Outstanding Student: Awards will be considered for outstanding students in the following two categories:

Outstanding graduate from a four-year school. The student must have received a bachelor’s degree from a New York State institution.

Outstanding graduate from a two-year school. The student must have received an associate’s degree from a New York State institution.

Note: At its July 30, 1993 meeting, the NYTWS Executive Committee voted to drop the requirements that recipients of the Outstanding Student Awards be currently registered as students. This vote reflects a decision that these awards are intended to recognize past performance.

Procedure:
Letters of nomination should be as detailed and specific as possible and reflect the true quality of the candidates. Selection of the recipients of the awards will be based entirely on the information submitted about the nominee to the Nominations and Awards Committee. Each nomination must be received by December 31 and should include the following information:

Nominee’s full name, present position or institution, address, and phone number.

A clear statement supporting the nomination including specific information on the nature of the accomplishment (who, what, where, when, why). General statements are very difficult to evaluate.

Supporting information such as publications, newspaper articles about the candidate or his/her programs, photographs; letters of recommendation from peers, supervisors and teachers; listing of outside activities, community service, volunteer organizations, etc.

The Chapter Awards continue an annual endeavor by our Chapter to recognize contributions to the wildlife profession by highly qualified individuals.

Past Award Recipients

Outstanding Professional

1980
Ronald Howard

1981
Gary Parsons

1983
Robert Darrow

1984
Gene Hocutt

1985
Robert Chambers

1987
George Teidman

1990
Peter Nye

1992
Harlan Brumsted

1993
Human Dimensions Research Unit

1994
Milo Richmond

1995
Gordon Batcheller

1997
David Kunstler

1999
Bryan Swift

2000
James F. Farquhar III

2001
NYS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

2001
Richard B. Chipman and USDA Wildlife Services staff
“Fresh Kill Landfill Emergency Response Project”

2002
George Mattfeld

2002
Drusilla Pagan

2004
Angie Berchielli

2005
Michael Losito

2005
Adirondack Ecological Center

2006
James Beemer

2007
Ward Stone

2015
Mark Kiburz

2017
Kevin Berner

Outstanding Conservationist

1980
Roger Chase

1981
Gordon Meade

1984
Robert Boice

1985
Wally John

1994
William Schwerd

1996
Stuart Free

1998
Montezuma Focus Area Implementation Team

2000
CARA “Team”- Howard Cushing, Mary-Alice Koeneke, John Major, John Matusewicz, Bud Woodfield, Kevin J. Lowry, and Kevin Berner & SUNY Cobleskill Students

2004
Nuisance Wildlife Control Manual – Development Team

2007
Robert Chambers

2017
Alan Tousignant

Stuart Free Award

2000
Joe Dell

2001
Lou Berchielli

2003
John Ozard

2003
Kevin Berner

2007
Jane Graves

Honorary Member

1987
C. W. Severinghaus (Parent Society)

Outstanding Student

1980
Dan Pisaniello (Cornell)

1981
Andrew Behrend (CESF)

1984
David Santillo (CESF)

1990
Ricky Relyea (CESF)

1991
Barbara Teetsel (CESF)

1993
Mitschka Hartley (Cornell)

1995
Jeanne Hickey (CESF)

1996
Joe Therrien (Cobleskill)

1998
Seth Bathrick (Cobleskill)

1998
Lee Lattimer (Cobleskill)

1999
Ian Trefrey (Cobleskill – 2yr.)

1999
Kevin Lowry (Cobleskill – 4yr.)

2000
Amy Mazurkiwecz (Cobleskill – 2 yr.)

2000
Christopher J. Butler (Cornell – 4 yr.)

2001
Johanna Duffy (Cobleskill – 2yr.)

2002
Jason Beeler (Cobleskill – 2yr.)

2003
Michael Anderson (Cornell – 4 yr.)

2005
Selinda Schlierman (Cobleskill – 4yr.)

2016
Briana All (Cobleskill)

2017
Katherine Findlay (Cobleskill)