Hunter and Bowhunter Education Awards for Northwest Montana
OutdoorHub 02.28.12
Hunter and Bowhunter Education Instructors will receive service awards from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks at the annual Region 1 Instructor Workshop to be held Saturday, March 3 at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell. A total of 49 Instructors will receive service awards ranging from 5 to 55 years of service.
All service award recipients receive a plaque; additional awards include: 10 year: engraved knife; 20 year: FWP belt buckle; 30 year: .357 pistol; 55 years: special award.
Highlights this year include 55-year Hunter Education Awards for Pat McVay (Kalispell) and Bob Larsson (St. Ignatius). These two instructors joined the original program in 1957. Also, James Crepeau (Arlee) will receive his pistol for 30 years of Hunter Education Instructor Service, and Rich Hjort (Libby) will be recognized for 35 years of Hunter Education Instructor Service.
Other highlights this year include:
- 25-year Bowhunter Education Awards: Pat Allick, Roger Allick, Brad Borden (all of Kalispell); David Yeats (Columbia Falls), Richard Hjort (Libby), Lloyd Rice (Plains) Terry Comstock (Eureka).
- 15-year Bowhunter Education Awards: Jeremy Plummer (Kalispell), Ron Clarke (Whitefish), and Stan Arrant s(Trout Creek).
- 5-year Bowhunter Education Awards: Terry Pietron (Kalispell), Matthew Wenzel (Ronan), William Swagger (Libby), Keith Haggerty (Troy).
- 25-year Hunter Education Awards: James Sprunger (Whitefish), Ed Winebrenner (Hot Springs).
- 20-year Hunter Education Awards: Frank Ricker (Whitefish), Lonny Quimby (Columbia Falls), Virgil Rinke (Ronan).
- 15-year Hunter Education Awards: Patrick Fish, Penny Fish, Wade Fish, Tim Stoddard (all of Whitefish); Peter Drowne and Rod Day (Bigfork), Jeremy Plummer and Brian Somers (Kalispell), Ed Ferruzzi (Trego), George Lyons (Trout Creek).
- 10-year Hunter Education Awards: Carol Manley (Columbia Falls), Richard Bondy (St. Ignatius).
- 5-year Hunter Education Awards:, Rick Nease, Kenny Johnston, Richard Johnston Heather Fraley, Troy Fraley (All of Kalispell); John Kropp (Columbia Falls), Matthew Wenzel (Ronan), Rick Schoening (Polson), William Swagger, Zachary Crace, Frank Sichting, Jr. (all of Libby); Keith Haggerty and Alan Osborn (Troy), Kenneth Benson (Plains).
All Hunter and Bowhunter Education Instructors are volunteers for FWP. They provide safety, ethics, and firearms and archery equipment handling training to young students across Montana. In Region 1 (northwest Montana) more than 300 instructors train about 2,000 students each year.
