Hunter education volunteers honored

by Bigfork Eagle
| March 18, 2015 8:27 AM

Hunter education instructors received service awards from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks at the annual Region One Instructor Workshop last Saturday at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell.

A total of 44 instructors received service awards for their service, ranging from five to 50 years of service.

2015 service awards this year include:

50-year Hunter Education Award: Leonard Howke, Whitefish.

45-year Hunter Education Award: Donald Garner, Kalispell; Paul Murphy, Columbia Falls.

25-year Hunter Education Award: Dan Atkinson; Charlie Stafford, both of Kalispell

20-year Hunter Education Awards: Challis Crismore, Libby; Harold Hudson, Trout Creek; Tressa Schutter, Kalispell; Judy Somers, Kila.

15-year Hunter Education Awards: Sydney Breland, Kalispell; Thad Briggs, Olney; Dennis Urban, Kalispell.

10-year Hunter Education Awards: Garry Keys, Columbia Falls; Tyler Long, Kalispell; David Noble, Libby; Angela Pagel, Kalispell; Crissy Pagel, Kalispell; Jay Sheffield, Libby; James Watson, Kalispell.

5-year Hunter Education Awards: Pat Connolly, Plains; Morgan Corkish, Kalispell; Bergandy Day, Bigfork; Stephanie Diaddezio, Kalispell; Kim Earhart, Plains; Tom Fieber, Polson; Ranee Hazen, Rexford; Russ McAllister, Kila; Benjamin Miller, Rexford; Trevor Paro, Hot Springs; Andrea Seymour, Kalispell; Alan Sichting, Libby; Mackenzie Williams, Kalispell.

20-year Bowhunter Education Award: Tim Bartholomew, Kalispell; Tim Thier, Trego

15-year Bowhunter Education Award: David Conrad, Polson; Wayne Crismore, Plains; Aaron Lasco, Kalispell

10-year Bowhunter Education Award: William Humenik, Kalispell; Jay Sheffield, Libby; Tony Stephens, Libby

5-year Bowhunter Education Award: Pat Connolly, Plains; Kim Earhart, Plains; Larry Keyes, Whitefish; Daniel Sitkins, Kalispell.

All hunter instructors are volunteers for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. They provide safety, ethics, and firearms and archery handling training to young students across Montana. In northwest Montana more than 300 instructors train about 2,000 students each year, FWP spokesman John Fraley said.