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Banquet Schedule Women in
Outdoors Wheelin'
Sportsman
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2008 VOLUNTEERS APPRECIATION NIGHT By Kim Passeretti, State Secretary Pictures by Bob Passeretti, Jim & Pat Williams
Volunteers all across Kentucky came together to celebrate a successful organization and the accomplishments of local chapters and individuals at the 11th Annual "Volunteers Appreciation Night", held at the St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Shepherdsville, KY., on Saturday, January 12 2008. Musical entertainment by Roger and Clay Coombs was enjoyed by all.
Special Guest Speaker for the evening was Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources' Commissioner Dr. Jon Gassett.
The 2007 recipient of the Shelley Nickell Memorial Award was presented to Jonathan Davis. Jon has been a member of the NWTF for over 30 years and is a Diamond Life Member. He had been instrumental in the membership growth in our state. Jon has served as master of ceremonies for Jim Strader seminars, turkey calling contests, seminars at Fort Know, as well as others. His vast knowledge of the Wild Turkey has made him an invaluable asset to the Kentucky State Chapter. Jon has served as local chapter president, State Chapter president, District Director, and State Board member. He had been awarded the "Roger Latham Award" and inducted into the "Kentucky Turkey Hunters" Hall of Fame. His support of the JAKES, FFA, 4-H, NASP, WITO and Wheelin' Sportsmen is second to none. He was one of the first to help start and belong to an archery club in Kentucky. He helped implement the KY/NWTF infrastructure and the banquet/chapter system as it exists today. He taught many classes, in local schools, about the Wild turkey. Jon's teaching of good conservation practices and ethical hunting parallels those that Mr. Shelley started around the turn of the 20th century.
Kentucky Turkey Hunters "Hall of Fame" Awards were presented to Mickey Craig and Gregg Snyder.
The Kentucky All-Star Committee Award is the newest award and enjoys its third year in recognizing outstanding individuals for their leadership on the local level. Award winners are:
Ron Virgin (Northeast Chapter) - President, Ed Johnson (Buffalo Trace Chapter) - Treasurer, Tammy Plamp (Heartland Chapter) - Secretary, Matt Moore (Edgewater Limbhangers Chapter) - Banquet Chairperson, Sandy Creech (Jackson County Chapter) - Sponsor Chairperson, Donna Harmon (South Central Kentucky Chapter) - Ticket Chairperson, Carolyn Ritchie (Heartland Chapter) - Donations Chairperson, Larry Butler (Northern Kentucky Chapter) - Publicity Chairperson, Shawn Canada (Green River Chapter) - Arrangements Chairperson, Ben Baker ( Pine Mountain Chapter) - District Director, Pat Ritchie (Heartland Chapter) - District Director, and Perry Johnston (Double Eagle Chapter) - District Director. Congratulations to all!
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES BY CHAPTERS
Kentucky/NWTF District Directors were also recognized: Lenny Ausbrooks, Ben Baker, Larry Butler, Anthony Carnes, Phillip Coldiron, Debi Crouch, Jonathan Davis, Ken Dozer, Ricky Hardin, Kent Hopkins, Perry Johnson, Sonny McClanahan, Jim Murphy, Dennis Pierceall, Pat Ritchie, Chris Rowley, TJ Trent, Jim Williams and Randy Wise. Thank you for all you do for KY/NWTF!
RANDOM SHOTS
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The
Conservation Officer of the
Year Award
was presented to
K-9 Officer Charles Phillips.
Officer Phillips joined the Kentucky Fish & Wildlife Resources as a Law
Enforcement Officer in 1999. In his third year as an officer, he added
additional duties as a K-9 Officering working in Boone County and continues
in both law enforcement and K-9 responsibilities to date. Throughout
his life, Officer Phillips has planted food plots, trees, made and and
placed wood duck boxes, and enhanced wildlife habitat on his own farm as
well as neighboring farms. He has worked closely with the Division of
Forestry in planting, improving trees and natural habitats on the Reb Stacey
Woodland and Wildlife Area and the Eagle Creek drainage basin. Officer
Phillips instructed a 10-week K-9 Academy, training new handlers and dogs.
He has also been involved with training the Ohio DNR on commercial fishing.
Officer Phillips, along with his K-9 Choco, have assisted the State Police
and Owen County Sheriff's Department in finding stolen machine guns taken
from a burglary in Owen County, assisted state arson investigators in
finding two shell casings at the scene of an arson and shooting, tracking
down three hunters during the spring turkey season who were hunting over a
baited area, found stolen guns near the Silver Grove Schools, and
apprehended a robbery suspect after tracking him from a library to a beer
bottle he had dropped, into an open field, and back to his sister's home.
Each year, Officer Phillips sets up several youth and public events within
his district. the JAKES event is one of the best and most successful.
Other important aspects of Officer Phillips' dedication to Fish and Wildlife
includes the development of educational programs for schools, boy scouts,
girl scouts, and summer recreational programs. All of these programs
are geared towards involvement in outdoor education, and ethical hunting and
fishing. The Kentucky State Chapter congratulates Officer
Charles Phillips for his dedication and commitment! 
Mickey Craig is all about
teaching the finer points of being a sportsman in all wildlife-related
activities. His biggest thrill is taking a person on their first
successful wild turkey hunt, whether it's a 12-year old boy or an 81-year
old man. His attention to detail, hard work, and tenacity continue to
be his strongest attributes. His is totally committed to preserving
our hunting heritage, and promoting sound conservation practices.
Mickey continually promotes hunting, trapping and fishing as a way of life
to young people, and does his best to show them the recreational value of
the outdoors. His interest in turkey hunting led him to help charter
the Kincaid Longspurs Chapter, where he just finished his second year as
chapter president. Over the years, he has served the chapter in many
capacities and has always chaired the youth hunting committee, setting up
hunts, year after year, for the future of this sport. His is a 25-year
veteran of the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife and is presently
assigned as Conservation Officer for Pendleton County. For his 25
years of service and dedication towards the protection and promotion of the
wild turkey, he was selected as the 2006 Kentucky NWTF Conservation Officer.
His is a regular instructor at WITO events, chairs youth fishing, squirrel
and turkey hunting, and trapping programs year after year. The
excitement rendered from calling the "Old Tom" within shotgun range keeps
this inductee in in constant search for new turkey hunters!
Gregg Snyder is an avid
turkey master, has scored several grand slams, and has harvested some
exceptional trophies in each of the wild turkey species. He has been
tireless in his efforts to support the NWTF, as well as many local chapters
in raising awareness of the benefits of being a volunteer of the NWTF.
Gregg has generously shared his hunting talents with children and
handicapped alike, and is considered a man of high hunting ethics. He
has been a wonderful host to sportsmen from all across the nation and
locally. He has donated countless dollars of his own, as well at Wild
Turkey products. His support has been invaluable to the National Wild
Turkey Calling Contest, and it was he who initiated Wild Turkey's
Sponsorship of this event. Gregg is mainly responsible for the
sponsorship dollars given to the National Convention for the calling
contests. He has been a Sponsor member of the Wilderness Trail Chapter
for eight years, and serves in the capacity of Plant Manager for the famous
Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY. 
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