Kansas Wildlife Federation names 12 award recipients

The Kansas Wildlife Federation -- a 57-year old grassroots organization of hunters, anglers and dedicated conservationists -- has announced winners of the 2007 Conservation Achievement Program Awards. There are 12 distinguished recipients for awards for the past year.

Leading the group, as winners of the Conservationist of the Year award, are Logan County ranchers Larry and Bette Haverfield.

“They are among the most deserving of recognition in the history of these awards,” said Steve Sorenson, KWF’s conservation vice-president. “They risked, perhaps, their ranch and livelihood in defense of their private property rights. Their belief is that cattle ranching and the prairie dog ecosystem can co-exist profitably. It is mostly because of their own devotion to wildlife that property which they own or manage was one of the first release sites for re-introduced black-footed ferrets. This rarest of North American mammals was once lost from the Kansas but recently returned due to the efforts of captive propagation and reintroduction programs and cooperating landowners, such as the Haverfields.”

The Haverfields, along with 11 other recipients, will be honored at the KWF Annual Meeting and 43rd Conservation Achievement Program Awards Banquet on Feb. 9 at the Clarion Inn in Manhattan. Dan Mulhern, biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will recount efforts to bring black-footed ferrets back to the Kansas plains.

Other winners of KWF’s 2007 Conservation Achievement Program include:

• Conservation Organization – Council Grove Chapter of Quail Unlimited;
• Wildlife Conservationist – Brent Konen, Council Grove;
• Conservation Communicator – Marc Murrell, Newton;
• Water Conservationist – Pat Sauble, Cedar Point;y
• Land and Soil Wildlife Conservationist – Jane Koger, Matfield Green;
• Outdoor Skills Instructor – Wayne Doyle, Pratt;
• Farmer/Rancher Wildlife Conservationist – Steve and Jacque Sundgren, Rosalia;
• Stream Monitor – Laura Calwell, Mission;
• Conservation Educator – Laura Downey, Manhattan;
• Forest Conservationist – Jay Allen, Fort Scott; and
• Youth Conservationist – Parker Bohm, Wichita.

For more information about the meeting and program registration, contact KWF officers Don Snider (316-648-8827) or Steve Sorensen (316-214-3001) or email webforbs@cox.net.

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