Awards
AWARDS 2022
C.W. Watson (SEAFWA)
Dennis Krusac, U.S. Forest Service
SETWS Wildlife Management Excellence Award
Christine Hand, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Conservation of black rails through significant advancement of data, knowledge, and understanding of black rails necessary to advance management and reverse population declines range-wide.
SEAFWA Publication of the Year (2022)
Matthew D. McClanahan, Joshua M. Osborn, Heath M. Hagy, J. Brian Davis, Robert M. Wheat, and Matthew J. Gray. Effects of alligatorweed control in seasonal wetlands managed for waterfowl. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 9:105-113.
SEAFWA Best Student Presentation
Lacy Rucker, West Virginia University, Potential impacts of climate change on the geographic distributions of Plethodon nettingi (Cheat Mountain Salamander) and its primary competitor.
SEAFWA Best Poster Presentation
Cindy L. Von Haugg, Clemson University, Relative abundance of natural cavities suitable for nesting wood ducks.
SETWS Student Chapter of the Year
Haywood Community College
SEAFWA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year
Officer Brandon Lyon, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
TWS Diversity Award
Daryl Ratajczak and Robert Brewer, Student Wildlands Adventure Program
SEAFWA Diversity and Inclusion Award
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
TWS Group Achievement Award
Eastern Spotted Skunk Cooperative Study Group
TWS Fellows
W. Daryl Jones, Karen Powers, John Kilgo
AWARDS 2021
C.W. Watson (SEAFWA)
Robert W. “Bob” Duncan, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (retired)
SETWS Wildlife Management Excellence Award
Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Seabird Colony Team
Rebecca Gwynn, David Norris, Ruth Boettcher, and Stephen Living
SEAFWA Publication of the Year
Hannah J. Leeper and Todd D. Steury, Auburn University. 2021. Potential spatial barriers to black bear dispersal and population connectivity in Alabama. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 8:101-107.
SETWS Best Student Presentation
Madelyn McFarland, Mississippi State University, Avian use of marsh terraces in gulf coastal wetlands of Louisiana.
SETWS Best Poster Presentation
Mikayla Call, Virginia Tech, Survival of American oystercatcher chicks at an important breeding location on the Atlantic flyway.
SEAFWA Wildlife Biologist of the Year
Lori Williams, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
SEAFWA Officer of the Year
Lance Corporal Blake Baxley, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
TWS Diversity Award
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
TWS Publications – Article/Journal
Gunnar R. Kramer, David E. Andersen, David A. Buehler, Petra B. Wood, Sean Peterson, Justin A. Lehman, Kyle R. Aldinger, Lesley Bulluck, Sergio Harding, John A. Jones, John P. Loegering, Curtis Smalling, Rachel Vallender, Henry M. Streby. 2018. Population trends in Vermivora warblers are linked to strong migratory connectivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Vol 115: No. 14.
SEAFWA Director’s Special Recognition Award
Lance Meek, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
Betty Bryant, Arkansas Game & Fish Commission
Caesar Kleberg Award for Excellence in Applied Wildlife Research
Steve Demarais, Mississippi State University
Jay N. “Ding” Darling Memorial Award for Wildlife Stewardship Through Art
Arkansas Northern Bobwhite Conservation Stamp Project
TWS Group Achievement Award
North Carolina Wildlife Federation
SEAFWA Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Award
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
SEAFWA Diversity Outreach and Education Award
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
TWS Fellows
Christopher S. DePerno, North Carolina State University
Rachael E. Urbanek, University of North Carolina – Wilmington
Christopher Moorman, North Carolina State University
AWARDS 2020
Aldo Leopold Memorial Award (TWS)
John Organ, USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Program (Retired)
C.W. Watson (SEAFWA)
E. “Steve” Miranda, USGS Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
SEAFWA Publication of the Year (2020)
Leslie M. Burger and Katherine E. Abell. 2020. Participation in nature-based recreation by diverse, rural Mississippi youth. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 7: 238–245.
SETWS Best Student Presentation
Mark Turner, Influence of soil amendment on forage quality and vegetation structure in old-field communities, University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
SETWS Best Poster Presentation
Nick Masto, Prebreeding migration strategies of mallards wintering in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Tennessee Tech University.
SEAFWA Wildlife Biologist of the Year
Felicia Sanders, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
SEAFWA Officer of the Year
Corporal Mac Davis, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
TWS Diversity Award
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Diversity Outreach Program
TWS Publications – Edited Book
Kurt C. VerCauteren, James C. Beasley, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, John J. Mayer, Gary J. Roloff and Bronson K. Strickland, Invasive Wild Pigs in North America: Ecology, Impacts, and Management.
TWS Publications – Monograph
Madelon van de Kerk, David P. Onorato, Jeffrey A. Hostetler, Benjamin M. Bolker and Madan K. Oli. 2019. Dynamics, persistence, and genetic management of the endangered Florida panther population. Wildlife Monographs 203.
SEAFWA Director’s Special Recognition Awards
Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center, Oklahoma Fishing Trail, and Oklahoma’s Outdoors Are Always Open Campaign
TWS Fellows
Kelly Douglass, USDA Wildlife Services, North Carolina
Leslie Burger, Mississippi State University
AWARDS 2019
C.W. Watson (SEAFWA)
Alvin A. Taylor, Retired South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
SEAFWA Publication of the Year (2018)
Michael L. Schummer, Allison M. Smith, Richard M. Kaminski, Kevin M. Hunt, Elizabeth St. James, and Houston Havens “Achievement Oriented Effects on Waterfowl-Hunt Quality at Mississippi Wildlife Management Areas”
SETWS Student Chapter of the Year
University of Tennessee at Martin Student Chapter
SETWS Best Student Presentation
Ryo Ogawa, Mississippi State University, “Movement Strategies of American White Pelicans During the Annual Cycle”
SETWS Best Poster Presentation
Briana Stewart, Auburn University, “Automated Techniques for Interpreting Game Camera Images from Surveys for Eastern Wild Turkeys”
SETWS Wildlife Management Excellence Award
Georgia DNR, Wildlife Resources Division, Southwest Georgia, Region 5 Staff
SEAFWA Wildlife Biologist of the Year
Gary Norman, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
SEAFWA Officer of the Year
Cole Edwards, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
SEAFWA Diversity and Inclusion Awards
Alabama DCNR and Oklahoma DWC
Seth Gordon Award (AFWA)
Ed Carter, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
SFI Conservation Leadership Award
Emily Jo Williams (American Bird Conservancy) and Healy Hamilton (NatureServe)
TWS Diversity Award
Rena Borkhataria, University of Florida, Everglades Research and Education Center and the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program
TWS Fellows
Lisa Muller, University of Tennessee
Colleen Olfenbuttel, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
AWARDS 2018
C.W. Watson (SEAFWA)
Karl V. Miller
Caesar Kleberg Award for Excellence in Applied Wildlife Research
Olin E. Rhodes, Jr.
Conservation Law Enforcement Award (AFWA)
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement
Ernest Thompson Seton Award (AFWA)
Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study
Jay N. “Ding” Darling Memorial Award for Wildlife Stewardship Through Art
Chester O. Martin
SEAFWA Publication of the Year (2017)
Andy Little, Gino D’Angelo, Charlie Killmaster, Tina Johannsen, and Karl Miller, “Understanding Deer, Bear, and Forest Trends in the North Georgia Mountains: The Value of Long Term Data”
SETWS Student Chapter of the Year
Virginia Tech Student Chapter
SETWS Best Student Presentation
Paul Burr, Mississippi State University, “Multi-scale Abundance and Distribution Trends of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in the Mississippi Delta”
SETWS Best Poster Presentation
Joshua H. Nix, University of Arkansas at Monticello, “Habitat Selection of Male Eastern Wild Turkeys in Arkansas Mountain Regions During Reproduction Periods and Hunting Disturbances”
SEAFWA Wildlife Biologist of the Year
Melynda Hickman
SEAFWA Diversity and Inclusion Award
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
TWS Fellows
Steven Castleberry, Mark Smith
AWARDS 2017
SEAFWA
C.W. Watson (SEAFWA)
Cindy Dohner
SEAFWA Publication of the Year
Gregory D. Balkcom and Bobby T. Bond. An Evaluation of Georgia’s Public Mourning Dove Hunting Demand and Opportunity.
SETWS Student Chapter of the Year
Virginia Tech
SETWS Best Student Presentation
John Yeiser. How Close is Close Enough? SpatiallyTargeted Land Enrollment Improves Private Land Conservation Success.
SETWS Best Poster Presentation
Charles Sanders. Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, Leptospira spp., and Parvovirus spp. in North American river otter throughout North Carolina.
National Blue-Winged Teal Award
Curtis Hopkins
SEAFWA Wildlife Biologist of the Year
Dan Gibbs, TWRA
SEAFWA Wildlife Officer of the Year
Brad Hasamear, ADCNR
TWS
TWS Excellence in Wildlife Education
Dean Stauffer, Virginia Tech
TWS Wildlife Publication Awards
Edited Book: David E. Andersen, David A. Buehler, Henry M. Streby. Golden-winged Warbler Ecology.
TWS Fellows
Roger Applegate, Eric Pelren
AWARDS 2016
SEAFWA
C.W. Watson
John Fischer (GA)
SEAFWA Publication of the Year
Tyler Pittman and David Krementz, Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Efficacy of Landscape Scale Oak Woodland and Savanna Restoration in the Ozark Highlands of Arkansas
SEAFWA Wildlife Biologist of the Year
W. Matthew Knox (VA)
SEAFWA Wildlife Officer of the Year
Willard E. “Wes” Stewart (SC)
SE-TWS
Student Chapter of the Year
University of Tennessee – Martin
Best Student Presentation
Mirka Zapletal, University of Louisiana-Lafayette
Carnivore diet on Louisiana barrier beaches.
Best Poster Presentation
Sam Saunders, Louisiana Tech University,
A comparison of radio tag attachment methods in Henslow’s sparrows.
TWS
Diversity Award
Alix Pedraza (SC)
L. McAtee and G. V. Burger Award
Roger Applegate (TN)
TWS Distinguished Service Award
Stephen Rockwood (FL)
Jim McDonough Award
Reggie Thackston (GA)
TWS Fellows
Darren Miller (MS), Michael Mengak (GA)
AWARDS 2015
SEAFWA
C.W. Watson Award
Todd Holbrook, Georgia Department of Natural Resources (retired)
SE-TWS
Best Paper Award
Jeremy J. Flinn, Stephen Demaris, Bronson K. Strickland, Kenneth L. Gee, Stephen L. Webb, Phillip D. Jones, and Harry A. Jacobson.
“Estimating age and antler traits of photographed male white-tailed deer.”
Best Student Presentation Award
Jordan Nanney, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
“Influences of prescribed fire and herbicide applications on forage availability for cervids in the Cumberland Mountains, TN.”
Best Student Poster Award
Lacey Rucker, Alabama A&M University
“Amphibian use of road ruts as breeding wetlands located in upland hardwood forests on the mid Cumberland Plateau.”
Student Chapter of the Year Award
Virginia Tech Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society
TWS
Aldo Leopold Award
James D. Nichols, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Distinguished Service Award
Randy Spencer, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
Conservation Education Award
Writing, Book: Adam T. Rohnke (Mississippi State University) and James L. Cummins (Wildlife Mississippi)
Writing, Article Series: Mississippi State University Staff
Fellows
Olin Rhodes, University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
AWARDS 2014
SEAFWA
C.W. Watson Award
Fred A. Harris, North Carolina Wildlife Federation
SE-TWS
Best Paper Award
Jessie L. Birckhead, Craig A. Harper, Patrick D. Keyser, David McIntosh, Elizabeth D. Holcomb, Gary E. Bates, and John C. Waller.
“Structure of Avian Habitat Following Hay and Biofuels Production in Native Warm-season Grass Stands in the Mid-South.”
Best Student Presentation Award
Michael Cherry, University of Georgia
“Predator exclusion decreases white-tailed deer vigilance while foraging.”
Best Student Poster Award
Max Cox, University of Tennessee – Knoxville
“Changes in bat activity in response to prescribed fire and canopy reduction in Tennessee hardwood forests.”
Student Chapter of the Year Award
University of Tennessee – Knoxville
TWS
Aldo Leopold Award
Bob Warren, University of Georgia
Honorary Membership
Dave Steffen, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
Distinguished Service Award
Frank Boyd, USDA Wildlife Services, Auburn
Special Recognition Service Award
John Bowers, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Fellows
L. Mike Conner, Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center
Sara Schweitzer, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Student Chapter of the Year
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Student Chapter Advisor of the Year
Steven Castleberry, University of Georgia
AWARDS 2013
SEAFWA
C.W. Watson Award
Richard M. Kaminski, Mississippi State University
Wildlife Biologist of the Year
Tim Ivey, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
SE-TWS
Wildlife Management Excellence Award
Forest Management Unit (FMU), Georgia Wildlife Resources Division Best Student Chapter Award
Best Paper Award
Joshua L. Grace, Michael J. Chamberlain, and Darren A. Miller, “Effects of row spacing and debris distribution on deer forage and carrying capacity in newly established loblolly-pine plantations in Louisiana.”
Best Student Presentation Award
Ashley Unger, Oklahoma State University, “Impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on lesser prairie-chicken resource selection and survival in Oklahoma.”
Best Student Poster Award
Lauren Watine, University of Florida, “Diet of another Florida invader: the coyote.”
Student Chapter of the Year Award
University of Tennessee at Martin
TWS Fellows
Lenny Brennan, Texas A&M University
Loren Wes Burger, Mississippi State University