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(SAN ANTONIO)-- The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been recognized for its national leadership with three major awards from the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA). The awards were presented at the annual WAFWA convention in San Antonio on July 22nd.

“We’re very proud of the leadership role our Department plays on the national conservation stage,” said Arizona Game and Fish Director Larry D. Voyles. “These awards from WAFWA reflect not only the high quality of work done by our Commission and Department, they also illustrate the high esteem in which these individuals are held by their peers in the conservation community.”

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission was named the WAFWA “Commission of the Year” for its outstanding work in both wildlife management and representing the interests of the hunting and fishing public. The Commission, including Commission Chairman Robert E. Mansell and Commissioners John W. Harris, Kurt R. Davis, Edward “Pat” Madden and James R. Ammons, was cited for its continuing efforts to provide Arizonans with better products, better services and better connections to the Department.

Arizona Game and Fish Assistant Director Ty E. Gray won the WAFWA “Outstanding WAFWA Contributor of the Year Award,” for his service to the organization. For more than a decade, Gray has served on committees and furthered the conservation goals of WAFWA through countless projects and initiatives. His leadership, commitment and dedication have directly benefitted fish and wildlife conservation, not only in the Western States, but nationwide.

WAFWA also recognized AZGFD’s Steve Rosenstock as their “Professional of the Year.” Rosenstock has led many research studies and produced dozens of manuscripts on wildlife conservation, served as principal investigator and project manager for wildlife research, and is focused on work that will deliver the highest and best outcomes for wildlife conservation.

The Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, founded in 1922, is a quasi-governmental organization of the 23 public agencies charged with the protection and management of fish and wildlife resources in the western United States and Canada. The organization promotes sound resource management principles and the strengthening of federal, state and private cooperation to protect and manage fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest.

Did you know?

The Arizona Game and Fish Department receives NO Arizona general fund tax dollars. We hold the state’s wildlife in trust for the public without a dime from Arizona general tax funds. http://www.azgfd.gov/inside_azgfd/funds.shtml