Each year since 1965, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation has honored a select group of leaders in the conservation and stewardship of wildlife and its habitat in Tennessee through the statewide Conservation Achievement Awards. This year’s award winners include:
Youth Conservationist of the Year: Ryan Greer of Jefferson County
Ryan Greer started the Jefferson County High School Hunger Challenge in 2014, one of the first clubs in the state to participate in a program that brings Hunters for the Hungry into a high school setting. Over the 2015-2016 whitetail deer season, Ryan and his Hunger Challenge club captured the top awards in both the individual and team categories, creating a GoFundMe page that raised more than $1,500 for deer processing in Jefferson County, and combined with deer donations made in his name, Ryan was personally responsible for almost 13,000 meals provided to hungry people in his community. Altogether, his Challenge team provided over 26,000 meals for Jefferson County residents, and through it all Ryan maintained a 4.4 grade point average.
Forest Conservationist of the Year: Rob Klein, National Park Service
Very few people know more about the role of fire in the forest ecology of the Southern Appalachians than Rob Klein of the National Park Service in Sevier County. As fire ecologist for the Appalachian/Piedmont zone for the NPS, Klein has contributed substantially to the conservation community through both his day-to-day work and through his involvement with the Southern Blue Ridge Fire Learning Network. He has also been a frequent contributor to various scientific publications on the subject, and how it relates to Southern Appalachian plant species such as the yellow pine and oak and what that means for wildlife. He also volunteered recently to lead a Landscape Conservation Forecasting process to help educate the forest conservation community on the role of fire in forest management.
Water Conservationist of the Year: Dr. Phillip Bettoli, Tennessee Technological University
Look back the most important issues of conservation through time, and water quality and the health of aquatic species are at the top of the list. For the last four decades, Dr. Phillip Bettoli has been a national leader in fisheries science. While he teaches at Tennessee Tech, Dr. Bettoli also spends time on state waterways directing studies as the unit leader for the United States Geological Survey’s Cooperative Fishery Research Unit. His most recent research concerns the population explosion of the invasive silver and bighead Asian carp species, but he has published dozens of papers on stocking strategies and the ecology of crappie, walleye, sauger, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and numerous other fish and aquatic species.
Conservationist of the Year: Charlie Arant, CEO, The Tennessee Aquarium
There is perhaps no finer freshwater aquarium on the planet than our own Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, and a large part of its success can be traced to its 21-year chief executive, Charlie Arant. Throughout his tenure, the facility opened 10 major exhibits and emerged as the industry’s best in terms of animal care and exhibit quality. In 1996, the aquarium established the Southeast Aquatic Research Institute to study and conserve aquatic animals in the region. Now known as the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute, the organization conducts scientific studies that help to restore and protect the region’s natural ecosystems and encourage the public to take conservation action. Though Mr. Arant officially retired on March 15, he has delayed that retirement so he can oversee the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility opening this September that will expand the Institute’s operations and play a critical role in training future generations of scientists and conservationists.
“All of the winners have made significant contributions to conservation in our state, but Charlie Arant and the Tennessee Aquarium have educated thousands of people on Tennessee’s unique ecosystems while also serving as a key national resource for training and research,” said Mike Butler, CEO of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation. “His legacy will live on through the Conservation Institute for generations to come.”
Now in its 70th year, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation leads the conservation, sound management and wise use of Tennessee’s Great Outdoors. To learn more and to see a full list of winners from the 51st Annual Conservation Achievement Awards, visit www.tnwf.org.