Awards banquet honors 2008 winners

The Kansas Wildlife Federation (KWF) has announced the winners of the 2008 Conservation Awards Program (CAP) honors. Eleven Kansans and two organizations were honored for their work on conservation of the state’s natural resources at the KWF annual meeting and awards banquet March 7 in Manhattan.

Dave Hilley, Kingman, was recipient of the Conservationist of the Year honor. Hilley recently retired after 29 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 18 at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) near Hutchinson. At Quivira, Hilley helped implement many projects, including a large work and storage shed, a visitor’s center, an environmental education classroom, two disability-accessible nature trails, an accessible fishing pier, an accessible youth fishing pond, two accessible photo blinds, an accessible waterfowl hunting blind, an accessible observation tower, a public spotting scope, a refuge auto tour, and a friends group to help organize special events. Hilley also spearheaded development of a voluntary water conservation agreement with the refuge and area landowners to avoid court disputes over water rights along Rattlesnake Creek.

Other award winners include the following:

• Conservation Organization, Tuttle Creek Lake Association, Manhattan;
• Conservation Educator, Angela Anderson, Allen;
• Wildlife Conservationist, Lloyd Fox, Vassar;
• Land and Soil Conservationist, Bill Sproul, Sedan;
• Conservation Communicator, Pete Janzen, Wichita;
• Forest Conservationist, Greg Ellis, Baldwin City;
• Water Conservationist, Stacie Minson, Wakeeney;
• Stream Monitor, Big Creek Middle Smoky Hill River Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategies, Hays;
• Outdoor Skills Instructor, Jim Kellenberger, Jetmore;
• Farmer/Rancher Wildlife Conservationist, John Anderson, Paola;
• Youth Conservationist, Rachel Roth, Wichita; and
• Conservation Legislator, John Grange, El Dorado.

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