September 2021 - 8

NEWS
Game and Fish recognizes
contributions from employees
CHEYENNE - The Wyoming Game
and Fish Department honored the work
and contributions of employees - past and
present - at its July Game and Fish Commission
meeting in Sheridan.
Six employees earned awards:
- Rick King, Director's Award, chief
of wildlife.
- Meghan Lockwood, Director's Office
Employee of the Year, policy and planning
coordinator.
- Jerry Cowles, Services Division
Employee of the Year, habitat and access
supervisor in Laramie.
- Will Schultz, Wildlife Division
Employee of the Year, staff biologist in
Cheyenne.
- Darren Rhea, Fish Division Employee
of the Year, fisheries biologist in Pinedale.
- Casi Crites, Fiscal Division Employee
of the Year, federal aid coordinator/grant
section supervisor in Cheyenne.
The Director's Award is the Game and
Fish's highest honor, and King earned it for
a multitude of efforts including work on
chronic wasting disease, the ongoing process
of developing an elk feedground management
plan and his interaction with the
Wyoming Legislature.
" There probably isn't anyone who has
a higher workload in the department than
Rick, and he does an amazing job of juggling
a lot of priorities, " Game and Fish Director
Brian Nesvik said. " Rick is a strategic thinker
and he thinks forward. When we're talking
about the great success and achievements in
three to five years, Rick will be a contributor
to that because of the leadership that he's
exerted now and the last couple of years. "
Nesvik commended Lockwood for
her efforts over the last year during the
COVID-19 pandemic to keep the lines of
8 | September 2021
communication open for the department and
Game and Fish Commission to continue to
conduct business.
Cowles was recognized for his involvement
to complete the Commission-owned
Pilot Hill Habitat Management Area acquisition,
and leadership to build a long-term
working relationship between Game and Fish
and the Wyoming Army National Guard for
advanced soldier training on multiple Commission-owned
wildlife habitat management
areas in the Laramie region.
Schultz was lauded the go-to person for
assistance at the Cheyenne headquarters for
front-desk staff, along with wildlife managers
around the state, as well as for his technical
assistance within the wildlife division by
managing data, analyzing big game populations
and identifying IT applications.
Rhea has worked for Game and Fish
for nearly 20 years, and was celebrated for
recently chairing a committee to evaluate
angler use of river fisheries throughout the
state in response to proposed legislation to
regulate guided angling. A long-time fisheries
biologist in Pinedale, Rhea was promoted to
fisheries supervisor in the Jackson Region
in August.
Crites was honored for her work with
grant management of the Wildlife Sport
Fish Restoration Program, the largest grantfunded
program available to Game and Fish.
She leads the grants section in ensuring critical
funding streams and required compliance.
Game and Fish also gave out special
recognition awards to retirees Reg Rothwell
and Rich Guenzel for their continued
research work on pronghorn, and to
Dr. Jim Logan who retired this year as
the Wyoming State Veterinarian for his
collaborative work on wildlife diseases.
- Robert Gagliardi, WGFD
Rick King
Meghan Lockwood
Jerry Cowles
Will Schultz
Darren Rhea
Dr. Jim Logan. (Photo
courtesy of the Wyoming
Livestock Board)
From left to right, Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Director Brian Nesvik, Rich Guenzel, Reg Rothwell and Game
and Fish Commission President Pete Dube.
September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2021
