TWS member Steve Berendzen named outstanding refuge manager

TWS member Steve Berendzen, refuge manager at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Alaska, received the 2021 outstanding refuge manager award from the National Wildlife Refuge Association.

The award recognizes outstanding accomplishments by a refuge manager in protecting and managing national wildlife refuges. The association praised Berendzen for balancing new legislative requirements for oil and gas development at the refuge with the system’s historic charge of providing resources for wildlife.

TWS member Steve Berendzen is refuge manager at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Alaska. Credit: USFWS via Facebook

Berendzen has worked his entire career in the refuge system, beginning in 1985, and has worked in numerous regions, from the Hawaiian Islands to the Alaskan Arctic. In his current role, Berendzen is responsible for over 19 million acres in the largest and one of the most complex refuges in the system.

Award winners will be honored at a reception and dinner Aug. 19 in Washington, D.C. The event will be streamed live on various platforms, including Zoom, Facebook and YouTube.