2/10/2011
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) recently honored two DNR staff members for outstanding service during 2010.
Wildlife Manager Harry (Mike) Eye received the prestigious
Outstanding Wildlife Manager of the Year Award, which is presented annually to recognize and honor a wildlife manager who has demonstrated outstanding efforts in the management and conservation of the wild turkey and other wildlife resources. In presenting this year’s award on January 15, 2011, NWTF Regional Director
Bob Farkasovsky congratulated Mike Eye for his many years of service to the sportsmen and women of West Virginia.
“The National Wild Turkey Federation is proud of the work accomplished by wildlife managers throughout the country,” said Farkasovsky. “Here in West Virginia, our hunters are most appreciative of the dedication and hard work that Mike and many other Wildlife Managers demonstrate every day.”
In 1989, Mike Eye began his career with the DNR as a Wildlife Manager on the Monongahela National Forest’s Cranberry Wildlife Management Area (WMA). He transferred to the Monongahela National Forest’s Beaver Dam WMA in 1991, and in 2004 he assumed his current duties as Wildlife Manager on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests’ Shenandoah WMA in Pendleton County. In addition to his more traditional wildlife management duties associated with these WMAs, Eye has contributed substantially to the DNR’s Wild Turkey Population Dynamics Study, Appalachian Cooperative Grouse Research Project and Mid-Atlantic Gobbler Study.
“Mike Eye is an enthusiastic, efficient and dedicated Wildlife Manager,” noted
Curtis I. Taylor, Chief of the Wildlife Resources Section. “His career has been one of service, and this is reflected in the many duties and accomplishments he has completed for this agency and the citizens of West Virginia.”
Also at the banquet,
Natural Resources Police Officer Ronnie Runyan accepted the State NWTF
Wildlife Officer of the Year Award. Officer Runyan was recognized for his efforts and commitment to promoting and preserving West Virginia’s hunting heritage. Specifically, Officer Runyan was able to apprehend and successfully see through prosecutions of poachers responsible for hunting and killing turkeys preseason, as well as for exceeding turkey hunting bag limits. Officer Runyon is assigned to Wayne County in DNR’s District 5.
Contact Information
Curtis Taylor, Wildlife Resources Section
304-558-2771
dnr.wildlife@wv.gov