Reservists, Volunteers Honored

About 5,000 reservists and volunteers bring skills, labor, equipment and materials to Fish and Game projects each year. Many important functions in fish and wildlife management simply could not be carried out without the help of Idaho citizens who give freely of their time, talents, tools and materials. Reservist and volunteer activities are coordinated in each of Fish and Game's seven regions. Outstanding individuals are honored for their service in various ways and at different times throughout the state. The following were honored recently in Boise for their help in the Southwest Region. The Mountain Home District Reservist Award this year went to two men, Al Wintermote and Dalis Tannler, both new to the program. A few examples of their efforts include maintaining fences at Andrus Wildlife Management Area, removing noxious weeds at Ted Trueblood Wildlife Management Area (WMA), reinforcing the chain link roof at the Idaho Black Bear, Incorporated enclosure and grinding more than 100 grapefruit spoons used statewide to scoop out brain samples from harvested deer and elk to test for Chronic Wasting Disease. Projects also included bitterbrush and riparian plantings, access area clean up, native seed collection, beaver-proofing trees, mountain lake stocking, sage grouse check stations and signing CJ Strike WMA with boundary and informational posters. Wintermote, it was noted in the awards program, also included his nine-year-old son Alec in the work. Tannler was thanked for helping teach kids the basics of fishing on Free Fishing Day. Treasure Valley Reservist of the Year was Carol Wike of Boise who was recognized for more than 1,000 hours of service that has included serving a crew leader year after year during the staggering bitterbrush, wetland and riparian planting marathon every spring. She was thanked for her supervision of "from rowdy high school students to miniature people in the form of cub scouts to employees of corporate offices." Her work at the Idaho Bird Observatory was noted along with professional demeanor, leadership and upbeat attitude. Southwest Region Reservist of the Year of 2002 honors went to Bret Brandli of Mountain Home. Southwest Region Regional Supervisor Al Van Vooren said, "You have been one of the most stalwart reservists since your appointment in 1999. We sincerely appreciate your steadfast dedication, relentless reliability, strong leadership, stellar work ethic, positive attitude, contagious enthusiasm and delightful sense of humor! "Besides working hundreds of quality hours to accomplish many different reservist/volunteer projects, you have contributed more than 500 hours teaching Hunter Education. The Department is proud to have you serve as a Hunter Education instructor, providing an excellent role model for your students. Your versatile skills and willingness to help with a huge array of very different projects makes you an exceptionally valuable reservist. Thank you for eagerly giving a hand no matter what the job, whether it entails your expertise, such as welding, instructing hunter education, teaching kids how to fish, or just plain hard labor, including planting, pulling weeds, picking up trash and pounding fence posts." Arleen and Ralph Schaeffer of Boise were recognized for more than a decade of service with the Outstanding Volunteers of the Year 2002 Award. Van Vooren praised the Schaeffers for "your outgoing, friendly nature which makes people enjoy working with you, your infectious enthusiasm, your strong work ethic and your easy going, positive manner. "Thank you for all of your excellent help at the MK Nature Center, including special events like Idaho Salmon and Steelhead Days! Thank you for your unflinching help with our annual four-month long planting projects! We are grateful to Ralph for maintaining his humor even when supervising youngsters planting bitterbrush! Thank you for collecting native seeds, even after you, Arleen, got stung by angry yellow jackets whose nest you accidentally whopped with the tennis racket! We admire your lifestyle of volunteerism, giving much of yourselves to make the world a better place." The same award went to Darlene Stark of Boise for hundreds of hours of work including maintaining fences which were built to enhance and protect wildlife resources in southwest Idaho. "Thank you for splicing and stretching barbed wire, resetting and replacing posts and herding trespass cows out of exclosures. Thank you for working in all kinds of weather extremes! Thank you for driving thousands of miles every year over rough roads to travel to and from the project sites," Van Vooren said. "You are fantastic to assist your husband, Pete, with the daunting job of maintaining all of those fences which are scattered over millions of acres in southwest Idaho." The award was also presented on behalf of David Krosting, Acting Manager, Lower Snake District BLM.