Curtis Hopkins, Ph. D. Named National Blue-Winged Teal Award Winner

LOUISVILLE, Kent. – Oct. 31, 2017 – The North American Waterfowl Management Plan partners recognized Ducks Unlimited’s (DU) retired Director of the Southern Region, Dr. Curtis Hopkins, as the 2017 National Blue-Winged Teal Award winner at the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) annual meeting in Louisville this week. The award honors extraordinary commitment to conservation and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP).

Brad Hasamear named 2017 SEAFWA Wildlife Officer of the Year

LOUISVILLE, Kent. – Nov. 2, 2017 – The Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies named Brad Hasamear the 2017 Colonel Bob Brantley Wildlife Officer of the Year at their annual meeting in Louisville this week. Stewart is a senior conservation officer for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Committee Given 2017 SEAFWA Directors’ Special Recognition Award

LOUISVILLE, Kent. – Oct. 31, 2017 – The Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) presented the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Electrofishing Equipment and Safety Committee with a special recognition award at their annual meeting in Louisville this week. The ten-member team has updated and standardized electrofishing guidelines, which multiple states are adopting.

The Large Carnivore Working Group (LCWG) recently went public with the BearWise website (http://bearwise.org/).  The purpose of the website is to provide a forum to communicate central messages supported by SEAFWA states regarding technical information on how to avoid and address bear issues.  The expanding black bear population in the southeast necessitates helping people learn to live with bears.  The LCWG operates as a working group of SEAFWA’s Wildlife Resources Committee. 

As a group, our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the people who have lost homes, livelihoods, and loved ones. Recovering from such events takes a long time. However, in darkest of days there are lights that shine brightly, and the conservation law enforcement officers of SEAFWA states are some of the brightest. Southeastern state fish and wildlife officers are very active as first responders, and states assist each other in such efforts.

Clemson University in South Carolina is excited to announce a new delivery option for its non-thesis masters in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology degree. This online program offered through the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation is for students with experience in natural resources who wish to enhance their professional degree skills. Students potentially include Federal and State Agency wildlife and fisheries employees, educators who wish to increase their knowledge about wildlife and fisheries biology, private industry professionals, and individuals with a variety of other natural resource backgrounds. The program is in a fully online format, allowing lectures to be available 24/7. Students who enroll in 2 courses a semester can complete the degree in as little as 2 years (3.5 years if 1 course is taken per semester). Most students start in the Fall semester but new enrollees are also accepted in Spring and Summer semesters when space permits. For more information please see our website 

http://www.clemson.edu/online/programs/wildlife-fisheries-biology.html

Annually, SEAFWA’s Law Enforcement Chief’s Scholarships are awarded to students who advocate for wildlife conservation. There are three scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each available to deserving students.  This award is intended for students with a passion for the outdoors and an interest in the management and protection of fish and wildlife resources. The scholarship will assist students who are currently studying wildlife, fisheries or law enforcement.

 College Scholarship – SEAFWA Law Enforcement Chiefs

AUBURN, Ala – The Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences recognized James Earl Kennamer, a 1964 game management graduate and former faculty member, as the 2017 Outstanding Alumni Award recipient during a presentation at its advisory council meeting March 1 in Auburn.

Join us for either workshop on Sunday, April 9 at 9:00 am.