Several employees of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife were honored recently for their outstanding service to the agency.
Taking a top honor was regional wildlife biologist Kendall Marden, who works out of the department’s Sidney office, who was presented the Kenneth Anderson Award. It is given annually to a staffer who has made exemplary contributions toward the enhancement of the state’s inland fisheries and wildlife, according to a DIF&W press release.
Marden performs the jack-of-all-trades tasks of a regional biologist, which include being part of aerial research teams studying moose and bald eagles. He has also been part of planning processes for cervid and big-game working groups, and has helped update the department’s animal damage control policies and the DIF&W’s wildlife in captivity rules.
“Kendall’s passion, and broad range of skills and knowledge are invaluable to this department and the public,” DIF&W commissioner Judy Camuso said. “His excellent communications skills and ability to work with a variety of groups and subjects make him an excellent choice for this award.”
Kelsey Sullivan, who oversees the department’s game bird management efforts from the Bangor research office, was named the wildlife division’s employee of the year. Over the past year, Sullivan and his crew have banded more than 2,000 ducks and geese, captured and sampled more than 300 birds for avian influenza, and worked on various other projects.
Katie Yates, the DIF&W’s recruitment, retention and reactivation coordinator, was named the department’s employee of the year in the professional/technical category.
A teamwork award was presented to those staff members — Bob Cordes, Diano Circo, Craig Gerry, Rick Parker and Mike Sawyer — involved with the design and construction of the Summerhaven shooting range in Augusta.
