AWARDS

Call for Nominations
Awards Presented by Northeast Section, The Wildlife Society

The Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society is looking for nominations for the following five awards. Please consider nominating a deserving member of the Society.

Please Join Us! April 21-24, 2025

The Fellows Program recognizes members who have distinguished themselves through exceptional service to our profession. TWS Fellows serve as ambassadors for the Society and as such are encouraged to engage in outreach and other activities that will benefit and promote both TWS and the wildlife profession.

A maximum of two TWS Fellows per Section may be appointed annually, with an annual Society-wide total not to exceed 10, by vote of Council at the March meeting. Sitting members of Council cannot be nominated.

Nomination details can be found at https://wildlife.org/get-involved/awards/tws-fellows-award-nominations/.  Please submit all materials to awards.twsnortheast@gmail.com or to the NE executive committee by February 15 of each year.

TWS Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award is given by The Wildlife Society to a member of each Section for their long term dedication and service to the Society.  Nominees must have been members of the Society for more than 20 years.  Nominees should have also served the Society to help further in goals at the Chapter, Section, or international level.  More information can be found at:  https://wildlife.org/distinguished-service-award/.  A final nominee will be selected among the candidates by the Northeast Executive Committee and submitted to the Society.  The recipient will be provided an award lapel pin and certificate, to be given during the Awards Ceremony at the TWS Annual Conference.

Please submit all materials to awards.twsnortheast@gmail.com by 1 April each year.

The John Pearce Memorial Award

The John Pearce Memorial Award is awarded by the Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society to Society members in the Northeast for outstanding professional accomplishments in wildlife conservation in the Northeast.

Background

John Pearce was born in Manchester, England in 1908, and his family came to the United States in 1911. He was an avid outdoorsman and his first formal schooling was at the N.Y.S. Ranger School in Wanakena. After his graduation in 1927, John worked for timber companies in New Brunswick and Quebec and became deeply interested in forest-wildlife relations. He received an M.S. degree in silviculture from Syracuse University in 1935.

John’s first professional assignment was with the U.S. Forest Service as a junior biologist studying forest-game relationships, and in 1937 he transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to lead similar studies. His outstanding interest and ability led to his selection as administrator of the Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at Orono, Maine, where many individuals began to fully appreciate his capabilities.

By 1942 John moved to Boston to be a Federal Aid Inspector for the increasing number of projects under the Pittman-Robertson Program. His exceptional administrative ability led to a series of promotions culminating in Regional Director in 1946. John handled the expanding post and programs admirably and became widely known for his personable approach and ability to handle wildlife problems. He visited nearly every field installation and was so interested in helping others that his own writings and publications in the field were limited. As a charter member of The Wildlife Society, he spent much time in helping organize this budding professional organization.

At the age of 40 cancer struck John and he died April 8, 1949. Soon after, colleagues established the John Pearce Memorial Award, and it has grown in stature ever since.

Criteria

The John Pearce Memorial Award shall be made by the Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society to Society members in the Northeast for outstanding professional accomplishments in wildlife conservation in the Northeast.  The basic criteria for judging professional accomplishment of nominees shall be (1) contribution of knowledge and (2) leadership over a period of several years in any areas of wildlife work, including research, management, administration, or education – as evidence by publications, skillful development, and/or application of effective management or educational programs or methods.  Any member of The Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society may nominate persons to be considered by the Awards Committee.  The award may be made to an individual, or jointly to individuals who have worked together for several years

Submit candidate’s names, justifications, resumes, and letters of support to the awards.twsnortheast@gmail.com by 15 February each year.

Recipients

YearJohn Pearce Memorial Award Recipient
1951C.W. Severinghaus (NY), E.L. Cheatum (NY), M. King (MD), L. McNamara (NJ)
1955C.B. Belt
1956H. Uhlig (WV)
1957H.C. Chapman
1958H. Silver (NH)
1960Several Forest Products Companies (ME, NH)
1962J. Wilson (NY) and C. Banasiak (ME)
1964D. Benson (NY) and D. Sapp (DE)
1965J. Gottschalk (DC)
1966H. Mendall (ME)
1967L. Lemieux (PQ)
1968W.G. Sheldon (MA)
1969W.M. Sharp (NY)
1970B.S. Wright (NB)
1971L. McNamara (NJ)
1972O.H. Hewitt (NY)
1974G. Moisan (PQ)
1975P. Barske (CT)
1976R.E. Griffith (USFWS)
1977S.A. Liscinsky (PA)
1978M. Coulter (ME)
1979A. Bubenik (ON)
1980R.L. Smith (WV)
1981G.L. Bowers (PA)
1982R.D. McDowell (CT)
1983A. Moen (NY)
1984J.L. George (PA), J.S. Lindzey (PA), R.G. Wingard (PA)
1985J.J. McDonough (MA)
1986R.W. Fuller (VT)
1987S.P. Shaw (PA)
1988R. Darrow (NY)
1989W.E. Dodge (MA)
1991D.G. Dodds (NS)
1992D. Progulske (MA) and D. Decker (NY)
1993J.W. Chadwick (RI)
1994B.W. Day, Jr. (VT)
1995W.M. Healy (MA)
1996P.R. Sauer (NY)
1997R.M. DeGraaf (MA)
1998G.L. Storm (PA)
1999J.F. Organ (MA)
2000D. deCalesta (PA)
2001R.P. Brooks (PA)
2002R.B. Owen, Jr. (ME)
2003L.E. Garland (VT)
2004J.J. Scanlon (MA)
2005W.F. MacCallum (MA)
2006Mariko Yamasaki (NH)
2007Judith Silverberg (NH)
2008No award presented
2009Howard Kilpatrick
2010James E. Evans
2011Dennis Slate
2012No award presented
2013Scot Williamson (CT)
2014John McDonald (MA)
2015Gordon Batcheller (NY)
2016No award presented
2017Peter Pekins (NH)
2018Scott C. Williams (CT)
2019Roger J. Masse (NY)
2020Thomas A. Decker (VT)
2021Duane Diefenbach (PA)
2022Calvin W. Dubrock (PA)
2023Jenny Dickson (CT)
2024Timothy Green (NY)

The P.F. English Memorial Award

The P.F. English Memorial Award is presented annually by the Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society to the outstanding undergraduate senior student of wildlife biology or wildlife management within the region. Its purpose is to acknowledge and to encourage students, and to perpetuate the name of the late P.F. English, an outstanding educator, sportsman, and inspiration to youth.

Background

Dr. P. F. English was an outstanding educator in the field of wildlife management. He published approximately 50 papers and directed the graduate program of over 60 students. In a classroom or on a field trip, his personal philosophy had an impact that carried far beyond the scope of his courses. He staked his professional reputation and ability as a teacher on the competence of his students. Over the years he stuck by the conviction that his students’ accomplishments had not betrayed his trust. He was a charter member of The Wildlife Society and was President from 1946 to 1947.

Criteria

Student must be a senior.

Student must be enrolled in a wildlife biology or wildlife management curriculum including forest science programs with a major in wildlife.

The student must show evidence of promise and/or achievement in scholarship, work experience and professional activities.

Scholarship (50 pts.)
Upper 5% = 50 pts.
Upper 10% = 45 pts.
Upper 15% = 40 pts.
Upper 20% = 35 pts.

Experience (20 pts.)
Work experience with excellent recommendation = 10 pts.
Work experience with good recommendation = 8 pts.
Work experience with satisfactory recommendation = 5 pts.

Activities (30 pts.)

Professional Societies 20 pts.
Member of The Wildlife Society = 10 pts.
Member of other professional society = 10 pts.

Recreational Interests 10 pts.
Member of sporting organization, participation in outdoor recreation, youth and educational interests (e.g., boy scouts, 4-H) and participation in local conservation organizations.

Nominating Procedures

Submit student’s name, transcripts, GRE scores if available, evidence of work experience, and a personal letter of recommendation to the awards.twsnortheast@gmail.com by 15 February each year.

Recipients

YearP.F. English Memorial Award Recipient
1974Malcolm L. Hunter, Jr.
1975Kenneth Huntington (SUNY-Syracuse)
1976Patricia Riexinger (Cornell Univ. NY)
1977Thomas Smith (W. Va. Univ.)
1978Michael W. Tome (Penn. State Univ.)
1980Tamara E. Tiagwad (Univ. Mass. Amherst)
1981James M. Wentworth (Univ. Mass. Amherst)
1982Stephen K. Swallow (Cornell Univ. NY)
1984Jennifer L. Quinn (Penn. State Univ.)
1985Peter D’Anieri (Univ. Maine)
1986Susan M. Fitzgerald (Univ. Mass. Amherst)
1987David R. Shoemaker (Unity College, ME)
1988Rip S. Shively (Penn. State Univ.)
1989Jeffrey Barber (Univ. Mass. Amherst)
1990Judith C. Loeven (Univ. N.H.)
1991Shawn M. Crowley (Univ. Maine)
1992Eric M. Schauber (Univ. Mass. Amherst)
1993Gil A. Paquette (Univ. Maine)
1994Jeanne M. Hickey (SUNY-Syracuse)
1995Robert Raftovich (W. Va. Univ.)
1996Regina R. Allen
1997Bradley Compton (Univ. Mass. Amherst)
1998Sarah Lupis (Univ. Mass. Amherst)
1999Tansy Wagner (Univ. Maine)
2000Jason Zimmer (Univ. N.H.)
2001Tara Delderfield (Univ. R.I.)
2002Stacey T. Coggins (Va. Tech.)
2003Nathan Webb (University of Maine)
2004Janice Huebner (University of New Hampshire)
2005Christopher W. Habeck (University of New Hampshire)
2006Sarah Spencer (University of Maine)
2007Amy Wynia (University of Rhode Island)
2008Emily E. Samargo (West Virginia University)
2009Ben Wasserman (University of Maine)
2010Jenny Murtaugh (State University of New York Cobleskill)
2011Henry Jones (University of New Hampshire)
2012Anna Kusler (Cornell University)
2013David Keiter (SUNY-ESF)
2014N. Scott Parkhill (University of Maine)
2015Lucas Price (West Virginia University)
2016Hannah Clipp (West Virginia University)
2017Kyle Shute (University of Maine)
2021Brittin Robinson (SUNY Cobleskill)
2022Paige Mokychic (Keystone College)
2023Benjamin C. Simmons (University of Vermont)
2024Karter Witmer (Penn State – Dubois)

Certificates of
Recognition

Description and Criteria

In contrast to the John Pearce Memorial Award, which is presented for outstanding professional accomplishment, Certificates of Recognition may be awarded to people in any area of work, professional or non-professional, who have made noteworthy contributions to knowledge about wildlife or wildlife management, furthered public understanding, or who have made available increased wildlife habitat through modification of land use practices (e.g., agriculture, highways, forestry).  Any member of the Northeast Section may recommend recipients of the Certificate of Recognition.

The Awards Committee will observe high standards in judging contributions. Therefore, a significant advance in techniques in wildlife conservation, in public acceptance, in areas of habitat for wildlife, or in some other facet within our field or interest should be demonstrated. The contribution need not have occurred in the year immediately preceding the recommendation. However, timely recognition is obviously desirable.

Nominating Procedures

Members of the Awards Committee may not know the nominee or may not know of all his/her/their contributions or accomplishments. Therefore, judgment of eligibility could be influenced largely or entirely by the information provided by the nominator.

The following suggestions and guidelines are provided:

If the nominee is an individual, give name, address, and title. Give pertinent biographical information as to personal history, education, employment, and on-the-job experience and training.

If the nominee is a group, give name, affiliation and function. Give name and address of person to be notified if certificate is awarded.

Give the principal interest or activity of the suggested recipient.

Give the nature and location, where applicable, of the contributions or accomplishments.

If an individual was involved in a joint or team project, indicate the nominee’s share of the total effort or contributions.

State the importance and implications of the contributions or accomplishments in sufficient detail.

Submit candidate’s names, justifications, resumes, and letters of support to the awards.twsnortheast@gmail.com by 15 February each year.