RALEIGH, N.C. (Nov. 28, 2012) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will seek nominations for the eighth annual Thomas L. Quay Wildlife Diversity Award from Dec. 1 through Jan. 30.

The award recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to wildlife diversity in North Carolina and who are considered leaders in nongame wildlife resources conservation. 

Anyone interested in nominating someone for the award must submit a nomination form and a detailed essay of the nominee’s contributions to nongame wildlife conservation. The essay is limited to two pages (8 ½ x 11-inch paper, with 1-inch margins, single spaced and 12-point font). Submissions that exceed the 2-page limit will be disqualified and returned to the nominator.

Submit nominations by:

• E-mail to susan.bunn@ncwildlife.org

• Mail to N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Division of Wildlife Management, c/o Susan Bunn, 1722 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1722

• Fax to 919-707-0067

In addition to this year’s nominations, nominations submitted in 2010 and 2011 will be considered while nominations submitted prior to 2010 will be considered upon request.

The Nongame Wildlife Advisory Committee will recommend nominees for consideration by the Wildlife Commissioners at their May meeting. The winner will be announced at the Commissioners’ meeting in July.

The selected recipient of the 2013award will join seven respected wildlife conservation leaders who were previously honored with the Quay Award:

• Thomas Quay, a retired professor of zoology at N.C. State University and self-described “full-time volunteer and unpaid environmental activist”;

• Dr. James Parnell, professor emeritus of biological sciences at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington for his pioneering research on colonial nesting waterbirds and shorebirds on dredge-material islands;

• Randall Wilson, the first supervisor of the Commission’s Wildlife Diversity Program, who was instrumental in growing the program from a staff of four in 1988 to more than 25 biologists;

• Tom Henson, the statewide coordinator for the Wildlife Diversity Program, who was instrumental in developing thriving conservation partnerships, such as N.C. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and N.C. Partners in Flight;

• George Burdick, a former wildlife biologist and retired professor, who staunchly advocated protecting wetlands and their associated waterfowl populations;

• Richard Hamilton, former executive director of the Wildlife Resources Commission, who was the driving force behind many agency actions that benefited nongame animals, including the formation of the Nongame Wildlife Advisory Committee in 1986; and,

• Dr. Harry E. LeGrand, Jr., a vertebrate biologist with the N.C. Natural Heritage Program, who is the program’s authority on the conservation of rare vertebrate animals and their habitats.

For more information on the nomination process, contact Susan Bunn at 919-707-0058.

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Media Contact:
Jodie B. Owen
919-707-0187
jodie.owen@ncwildlife.org