SEAFWA News

The Missouri Conservation Commission has selected Jason Sumners as the next director of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), effective June 1, 2024. Sumners currently serves as the deputy director of resource management for MDC and will succeed Sara Parker Pauley, who will retire this spring after 30 years of public service, as director.

“The Commission did a national search for the director position because we knew we had tough shoes to fill with Sara leaving,” said Missouri Conservation Commission Chair Steven Harrison. “Jason is uniquely poised for this director...

Recent research finds that 86 percent of firearm owners and sport shooters who do not hunt support the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, which uses revenues from a tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment to fund wildlife conservation efforts carried out by state fish and wildlife agencies across the country. 

When the Federal Aid legislation was passed in 1937, most of the people who purchased the taxable equipment were primarily hunters—in this way, the funding mechanism represented a classic “user-pay, user-benefit” system in which hunters helped to...

Texas Game Warden Timothy Walker was recognized as the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) Officer of the Year award recipient during January’s Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) Commission meeting.

Walker began his career with TPWD as a member of the 47th Texas Game Warden Training Academy Class. After graduating from the academy in 2001, he has since served the communities of Van Zandt and Angelina Counties.

Walker is a certified master peace officer, a physical training coordinator and participates in simunitions trainings. As a simunitions role...

By Joe Jerek, MDOC

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Director Sara Parker Pauley announced she will retire July 1 after a 30-year career in public service that began as a policy coordinator at MDC and ended as the first female director of the agency when she took the position in November 2016. 

“The opportunity to serve as director of one of the top conservation agencies in the country over the last seven years -- and to work alongside an immensely talented team of staff, partners, and commissioners -- has been a life-changing experience for me,” said Pauley...

At their annual conference held in Corpus Christi, Texas, October 15-18, the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) recognized Dr. Robert J. Warren, retired Professor Emeritus at University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, as the recipient of their most prestigious award, the...

The Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (CAHSS) is pleased to welcome Olivia Harmsen as the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) Regional R3 Coordinator.

Harmsen has been fully engaged in the R3 Community since 2015, serving the past eight years for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) in several roles, including regional hunter training officer, acting administrative branch manager, and R3 Coordinator. During the past five years as the R3 Coordinator she helped drive recruitment, retention, and reactivation...

The directors of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) recently voted at their annual spring meeting for member states to collectively partner with the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports (CAHSS) and the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) to co-fund a southeastern Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation (R3) Coordinator position.  “We all know having a dedicated person to help us with planning, proposals, partnerships, coordination, evaluations, and communication will greatly enhance our capacity as a region to advance R3...

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted to appoint Colonel Roger Young to the position of executive director. He replaces Eric Sutton, former executive director, who retired last December. Chairman Barreto touted Colonel Young’s leadership and experience with challenging conservation issues.

“Colonel Young’s leadership is second to none, and I’m confident that he will do a fantastic job leading the agency,” said Chairman Rodney Barreto. “As executive director, I feel that he will take the FWC to the next level.”

While growing up in...

Jamie Dozier, who leads the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center in Georgetown County for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), has been awarded Clemson University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences (CAFLS) Professional Achievement Award. 

“Throughout his career, Jamie’s accomplishments in wildlife management, research, teaching, and public outreach have exemplified the finest qualities of a wildlife biologist and conservationist,” said Billy Dukes, SCDNR chief of wildlife. “We congratulate CAFLS for this outstanding selection and...

Three recent recipients of the Minorities in Natural Resource Conservation Technical Committee’s (MINRC) scholarships to attend SEAFWA’s annual conference have joined the professional ranks with agencies in the southeast.  Abby Florez is a Wildlife Refuge Specialist in Georgia, Lavendar Harris is also in Georgia as a Wildlife Biologist, and Cerise Mensah is an Environmental/Natural Resources Specialist in Mississippi.

MINRC’s mission is to increase the overall representation of minorities and women in professional occupations within the field of natural resource conservation...