WASHINGTON, D.C. – JUNE 16TH, 2022
Don’t tell Rod Colvin to find a hobby. With the number of hours he dedicates to Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Nevada, spare time is limited, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Rod was recently named the National Wildlife Refuge Association’s 2022 Volunteer of the Year. He will be recognized for this honor at the 2022 Wildlife Refuge Awards dinner, which will take place on Wednesday, September 14, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC at 6 p.m. Media is welcome to attend and cover the program.
“I am humbled by Rod’s selflessness, his knowledge and abilities, his quiet can-do attitude, and the example he sets for all of us,” said Mike Bower, Refuge Manager at Ash Meadows NWR. “I don’t believe any of us can really repay our debt of gratitude to Rod for everything he has done for Ash Meadows NWR, but the Volunteer of the Year award seems the only truly fitting recognition.”
Some of Rod’s accomplishments include:
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As part of supporting several National Wildlife Refuge System’s Inventory & Monitoring Program projects, Rod worked with staff from the Water Resources Branch to develop and refine weirs and lock boxes for equipment monitoring areas of concern to make sure debris does not impede water measurements from remote equipment.
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Rod’s innovative spirit helped to create effective and efficient solutions to protect a rare native fish from predation. Rod took great initiative to improve existing fish barriers that had been failing to prevent green sunfish invasion. Thanks to Rod’s help, the green sunfish control project has been a great success, with the goal of total eradication getting closer by the day.
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Given that residential volunteers are only expected to work 24 hours per week, not an average of 40 as Rod has done, he has put in the equivalent of over seven years of volunteer service for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Region 8.
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The National Wildlife Refuge Association is a non-profit exclusively focused on protecting, promoting, and enhancing the 850-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, the world’s largest network of lands and waters set aside for wildlife conservation.
For all media inquiries and questions please contact Eden Taylor, Communications Associate at [email protected].
