The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division is one of four states recently recognized by the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Administrator’s Section for their efforts to provide the public with quality fishing opportunities and aquatic education programs. Other state agencies recognized include the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
“We had some excellent projects submitted for consideration this year and it is clear that state agencies are responding to both the needs of the anglers and the fish with Sport Fish Restoration Program funds” said Doug Nygren, president-elect of the American Fisheries Society’s Fisheries Administrators Section and the chief of fisheries for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
The Fisheries Administrator’s Section annually recognizes outstanding fisheries conservation projects and programs that are funded from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration program, commonly known as the Wallop- Breaux or Dingell-Johnson grant program. The projects receiving recognition were selected from a score of outstanding proposals submitted from several state fisheries agencies.
Georgia received the “2010 Outstanding Sport Fish Restoration Access Award- Lake Sturgeon Reintroduction in Georgia.” This project benefits anglers in Georgia and Alabama with its far sighted and far reaching efforts to re-establish lake sturgeon in the Coosa River system.
Historically, the Coosa River supported a population of this prehistoric looking game species. However, none have been documented since about 1970. While the exact cause of the decline of this species in Georgia is not known, biologists believe that intense stocking efforts will result in a self-sustaining population in the future. Lake sturgeon eggs are provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Warm Springs Hatchery in Georgia. Sturgeons have a slow growth rate, so biologists do not expect to allow anglers to harvest any fish until 2027. In addition to stocking, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has also implemented an aggressive outreach effort to involve local school children with the project.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration Program has provided more than $6 billion to state fisheries agencies since the program’s inception in 1950. The program provides critical funding to state agencies for their fisheries conservation and management programs. Additional information on this program can be found at http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/SFR/SFR.htm.
The American Fisheries Society is the nation’s leading organization of professional fisheries scientists. Its membership includes fisheries scientists from all 50 states as well as international members.
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Showing posts with label conservation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conservation. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue Honors TOTO
The Governor began the Conserve Georgia program in 2008 with the goal of encouraging a statewide “culture of conservation” that helps preserve and sustain the state’s natural resources for generations to come.
“Georgia is blessed with abundant natural resources. It’s important to the vitality of our state that we protect these resources for the future,” said Governor Perdue. “Businesses like TOTO are leading the way in creating a culture of conservation, and it is my pleasure to recognize them for their accomplishments.”
Chris Clark, Chair of the Conserve Georgia Council and Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, affirmed the governor’s statement: "We are proud to recognize TOTO USA with the 2010 Conserve Georgia Water Conservation Award, acknowledging their commitment to promoting water efficiency in their facility, products, and community."
Over the past several years, TOTO has garnered numerous conservation awards, both local and national, for its commitment to environmental stewardship. For example, Georgia’s Southface Energy Institute, the Southeast’s non-profit leader in the promotion of sustainable homes, workplaces, and communities, has recognized the company with its prestigious Argon Award for Sustainability for its outstanding environmental leadership. At the national level, TOTO is the only plumbing manufactured honored by the Environmental Protection Agency with its coveted Water Efficiency Leader Award.
The company actively shares its passion for environmental sustainability by serving in the leadership positions of organizations focused on energy and water-efficiency, such as the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green buildingrating system, and the Alliance for Water Efficiency, a national organization dedicated to water efficiency that is spearheaded by the EPA.“TOTO is continuously looking for ways to eliminate waste, create more efficient products, and improve people’s lives through all levels of social sustainability.
From product lifecycle analysis that ensures thesmallest carbon footprint possible to advocating water savings through end-user practices, TOTO is dedicated to natural resource conservation,” stated Bill Strang, Vice President of Operations at TOTO.In fact, all employees at TOTO’s manufacturing facilities are personally involved in the company’s conservation efforts. At its encouragement, they bring their recyclables to the plant, and TOTO ships to the appropriate recycling facilities. “At TOTO, conservation at all levels, including recycling, reducing waste, and manufacturing high-efficiency products is a part of our DNA. It is part of our manufacturing practices and our employees’ daily lives,” continued Strang.
Photo source: Toto USA, Inc
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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Three from DNR Honored for Right Whale Work
Three employees of the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section have been recognized for their outstanding work during the 2008-2009 right whale calving season.
Senior wildlife biologists Clay George and Mark Dodd and wildlife technician Kate Sparks received awards at the recent Southeastern Implementation Team for Right Whale Conservation conference in St. Augustine, Fla., for their contributions to disentangling North Atlantic right whales.
The 2008-2009 calving season included five documented whale entanglements. Four of the whales were freed from the life-threatening fishing gear and line.
Along with Dodd, George and Sparks, those honored for their part in the disentanglement efforts included Tom Pitchford and Katharine Jackson of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Patricia Naessig of Wildlife Trust, Jessica Taylor of the New England Aquarium, Brian Sharp of Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies and Chris Slay of Coastwise Consulting Inc.
According to conference organizers, the group endured harsh conditions and made personal sacrifices to ensure that the critically endangered animals were given every chance for survival.
“We are very proud of the work that Clay, Mark and Kate accomplished during the 2008-09 season,” Nongame Conservation Section Chief Mike Harris said. “Their dedication and commitment to conservation of Georgia’s wildlife are an example for all of us in the Wildlife Resources Division.”
The Southeastern Implementation Team for Right Whale Conservation is made up of more than a dozen organizations and agencies, including the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Wildlife Trust, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the New England Aquarium. All work together to advance right whale conservation along the eastern U.S. coast.
Decimated by commercial whaling in the 19th century, approximately 400 North Atlantic right whales remain. Almost 200 were sighted off the Georgia coast this winter, up from 150 in 2008. The total includes 39 sets of mother and calf pairs, breaking the previous record of 31 calves set in 2001. The rest of the whales were juveniles and non-breeding adults.
Sparks, Dodd, George and wildlife technician Adam Mackinnon, all part of the Nongame Conservation Section staff at the Brunswick office, also completed training and testing requirements this year to earn the designation of captain.
Georgians can help conserve right whales and other nongame wildlife through buying a wildlife license plate featuring a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird. The program is vital to Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funds for its mission to help conserve wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as rare plants and natural habitats in Georgia.
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Senior wildlife biologists Clay George and Mark Dodd and wildlife technician Kate Sparks received awards at the recent Southeastern Implementation Team for Right Whale Conservation conference in St. Augustine, Fla., for their contributions to disentangling North Atlantic right whales.
The 2008-2009 calving season included five documented whale entanglements. Four of the whales were freed from the life-threatening fishing gear and line.
Along with Dodd, George and Sparks, those honored for their part in the disentanglement efforts included Tom Pitchford and Katharine Jackson of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Patricia Naessig of Wildlife Trust, Jessica Taylor of the New England Aquarium, Brian Sharp of Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies and Chris Slay of Coastwise Consulting Inc.
According to conference organizers, the group endured harsh conditions and made personal sacrifices to ensure that the critically endangered animals were given every chance for survival.
“We are very proud of the work that Clay, Mark and Kate accomplished during the 2008-09 season,” Nongame Conservation Section Chief Mike Harris said. “Their dedication and commitment to conservation of Georgia’s wildlife are an example for all of us in the Wildlife Resources Division.”
The Southeastern Implementation Team for Right Whale Conservation is made up of more than a dozen organizations and agencies, including the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Wildlife Trust, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the New England Aquarium. All work together to advance right whale conservation along the eastern U.S. coast.
Decimated by commercial whaling in the 19th century, approximately 400 North Atlantic right whales remain. Almost 200 were sighted off the Georgia coast this winter, up from 150 in 2008. The total includes 39 sets of mother and calf pairs, breaking the previous record of 31 calves set in 2001. The rest of the whales were juveniles and non-breeding adults.
Sparks, Dodd, George and wildlife technician Adam Mackinnon, all part of the Nongame Conservation Section staff at the Brunswick office, also completed training and testing requirements this year to earn the designation of captain.
Georgians can help conserve right whales and other nongame wildlife through buying a wildlife license plate featuring a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird. The program is vital to Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funds for its mission to help conserve wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as rare plants and natural habitats in Georgia.
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008
UGA Honors Student Christina Faust Receives 2009-2010 George J. Mitchell Postgraduate Scholarship
Christina Faust, a University of Georgia Honors student from Athens, is one of 12 national recipients of the 2009-2010 George J. Mitchell Postgraduate Scholarship. She will use her fellowship to study immunology and global health at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.
Faust, who is pursuing a dual bachelor's/master's degree in ecology, was previously named a 2008 Truman Scholar and a 2008 Udall Scholar. The UGA senior, a graduate of Cedar Shoals High School, is the daughter of Lynn and the late Tim Faust, a former professor in UGA's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and the granddaughter of Bob and Marian Olyha, also of Athens.
Faust was chosen from a pool of 300 candidates and is among the 10th anniversary class of Mitchell Scholars. She is the first Mitchell Scholarship recipient at UGA.
"Christina Faust is clearly one of the brightest stars in the UGA academic sky, and I am very proud of her," said UGA President Michael F. Adams. "She has demonstrated remarkable talent and the ability to master a variety of areas of study, characteristics which bode well for her future. I expect great things from Christina."
The Mitchell Postgraduate Scholarship, named in honor of the former U.S. senator who served as chairman of the historic peace negotiations in Northern Ireland in 1998, is a nationally competitive fellowship sponsored by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance for one-year of graduate study in any discipline offered by institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The award promotes a spirit of community and global understanding through linking future American leaders with the island of Ireland.
"Many of our students impress me, but Christina Faust truly inspires me," said David S. Williams, director of UGA's Honors Program. "We need leaders who understand the delicate interwoven nature of our complicated ecosystems, and who can envision and articulate answers and approaches. Christina is a leader for our times, and I am extremely proud of her."
Faust's commitment and passion for a career in wildlife conservation has been reinforced through her undergraduate research experiences at UGA. She has combined her interests in infectious diseases research and the way ecosystems are affected by completing thesis research on the avian influenza virus through UGA's Odum School of Ecology with a related study through the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in UGA's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Faust was one of 12 students selected internationally to present at the International Wildlife Disease Association Conference in 2007. She also presented twice at UGA's spring undergraduate research symposium sponsored by the Honors Program's Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. She has won several conference awards, including "Outstanding Master's Presentation" at the 2008 Graduate Student Symposium at UGA's Odum School of Ecology.
Faust, who is also the recipient of a Foundation Fellowship, UGA's premier undergraduate scholarship for academically outstanding students, has studied, volunteered and traveled to five continents. Her most recent trip took her to Nanjing, China where she spent three weeks at the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control. Faust is planning to participate in a study abroad program in Antarctica in December.
In addition to her research activities, Faust has been very active in extracurricular activities to promote recycling and other conservation efforts. She helped organize a recycling program with three student clubs during UGA's football home games this season, collecting about four tons of glass and plastic so far. Faust also holds leadership positions with the Go Green Alliance Council and the Sustainable Development Committee of the UGA Ecology Club.
"I am honored to receive the Mitchell Scholarship to continue my studies in Ireland," said Faust, who would also like to complete a Ph.D. in the ecology of infectious diseases. "I hope to approach wildlife health issues from sociological and environmental perspectives in order to develop the most sustainable and effective solutions to our planet's most pressing challenges."
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Faust, who is pursuing a dual bachelor's/master's degree in ecology, was previously named a 2008 Truman Scholar and a 2008 Udall Scholar. The UGA senior, a graduate of Cedar Shoals High School, is the daughter of Lynn and the late Tim Faust, a former professor in UGA's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and the granddaughter of Bob and Marian Olyha, also of Athens.
Faust was chosen from a pool of 300 candidates and is among the 10th anniversary class of Mitchell Scholars. She is the first Mitchell Scholarship recipient at UGA.
"Christina Faust is clearly one of the brightest stars in the UGA academic sky, and I am very proud of her," said UGA President Michael F. Adams. "She has demonstrated remarkable talent and the ability to master a variety of areas of study, characteristics which bode well for her future. I expect great things from Christina."
The Mitchell Postgraduate Scholarship, named in honor of the former U.S. senator who served as chairman of the historic peace negotiations in Northern Ireland in 1998, is a nationally competitive fellowship sponsored by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance for one-year of graduate study in any discipline offered by institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The award promotes a spirit of community and global understanding through linking future American leaders with the island of Ireland.
"Many of our students impress me, but Christina Faust truly inspires me," said David S. Williams, director of UGA's Honors Program. "We need leaders who understand the delicate interwoven nature of our complicated ecosystems, and who can envision and articulate answers and approaches. Christina is a leader for our times, and I am extremely proud of her."
Faust's commitment and passion for a career in wildlife conservation has been reinforced through her undergraduate research experiences at UGA. She has combined her interests in infectious diseases research and the way ecosystems are affected by completing thesis research on the avian influenza virus through UGA's Odum School of Ecology with a related study through the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in UGA's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Faust was one of 12 students selected internationally to present at the International Wildlife Disease Association Conference in 2007. She also presented twice at UGA's spring undergraduate research symposium sponsored by the Honors Program's Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. She has won several conference awards, including "Outstanding Master's Presentation" at the 2008 Graduate Student Symposium at UGA's Odum School of Ecology.
Faust, who is also the recipient of a Foundation Fellowship, UGA's premier undergraduate scholarship for academically outstanding students, has studied, volunteered and traveled to five continents. Her most recent trip took her to Nanjing, China where she spent three weeks at the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control. Faust is planning to participate in a study abroad program in Antarctica in December.
In addition to her research activities, Faust has been very active in extracurricular activities to promote recycling and other conservation efforts. She helped organize a recycling program with three student clubs during UGA's football home games this season, collecting about four tons of glass and plastic so far. Faust also holds leadership positions with the Go Green Alliance Council and the Sustainable Development Committee of the UGA Ecology Club.
"I am honored to receive the Mitchell Scholarship to continue my studies in Ireland," said Faust, who would also like to complete a Ph.D. in the ecology of infectious diseases. "I hope to approach wildlife health issues from sociological and environmental perspectives in order to develop the most sustainable and effective solutions to our planet's most pressing challenges."
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