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February 21, 2007
GRAY RECIPIENT OF “CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR” AWARD
COLUMBUS, OH - Steven A. Gray, chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife, has been named Conservationist of the Year by the League of Ohio Sportsmen. Gray received the award on Saturday at the league’s annual meeting in Fairborn.
“Steve Gray has spent most of his career educating people - especially youngsters- about wildlife and conservation. He supported youth-only hunting seasons, half-priced youth hunting licenses, and the establishment of an apprentice hunting license program for Ohio as ways of getting more kids involved in the outdoors,” said Larry Mitchell, president of the League of Ohio Sportsmen.
The apprentice license program, implemented in 2006, was developed as part of the nationwide “Families Afield” effort. Families Afield projects were designed to remove barriers that prevent hunters from passing along the hunting heritage. Ohio’s apprentice license allows new hunters, adults or children, to sample hunting under the mentorship of a licensed adult, prior to completing a hunter or trapper education course.
There have been a host of achievements for the Division of Wildlife during Gray’s tenure as chief. In 2005, the division was the recipient of the Ernest Thompson Seton Award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for its “determined and progressive promotion of sound resource management.”
Gray also felt it was the wildlife agency’s responsibility to provide hunters, anglers and other wildlife enthusiasts access to quality public fishing and hunting areas. While he served as assistant chief and chief, division-owned public hunting lands increased 100 percent from 95,000 acres in 1991 to 190,000 acres in 2006. During the last year alone, Gray led the drive to purchase 20 acres adjacent to the City of Huron on Lake Erie as a public boat ramp and fishing access point. An additional 5,000 acres of former Mead Corporation lands in southeast Ohio were purchased as state wildlife areas.
Gray, who plans to retire from ODNR on March 31, began his career in 1976 as a wildlife officer. He has been chief of the Division of Wildlife since 2003. Prior to assuming this position, he was assistant chief for 12 years.
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