The Boone and Crockett Club presented Bill and Linda Demmer and Mark Rey with its most prestigious award, the Conservation and Stewardship Award, for their leadership on the William A. Demmer Scholars Program. The award was presented last week during the Club’s annual Spring Meeting held at the 90th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The Conservation and Stewardship Award is given annually to the organization or entity that best exemplifies excellence in natural resource conservation and stewardship—core values of the Boone and Crockett Club and its founder, Theodore Roosevelt.

“The Boone and Crockett Club’s Conservation and Stewardship Award recognizes a group that plays an essential role in implementing Theodore Roosevelt’s vision of Conservation: acts of guarding, protecting, developing, and using natural resources wisely and sustainably; and Stewardship: planning for and managing natural resources responsibly,” commented Tony Caligiuri, President of the Boone and Crockett Club. “The Demmer Scholars Program is having a profound effect on the training of future wildlife conservation policy professionals and we were honored to recognize Bill and Linda Demmer for their vision and sponsorship as well as Mark Rey for his leadership in implementing the program.”

The Demmer Scholars Program was conceived in 2009 by Bill and Linda Demmer to provide college students with exposure to and experience in policy making on a national level related to natural resources and conservation. Mark Rey has led development and teaching of program content to each of the 389 Demmer Scholars to date. The students come primarily from three Boone and Crockett Club-affiliated universities: Michigan State University, Mississippi State University, and the University of Montana. The program requires a competitive application for a 12-week natural resource policy course and paid internship with a government agency or non-governmental organization active in natural resources policy making in Washington, DC. So far more than 100 agencies and organizations have hosted Demmer Scholars. Course work and internships provided through the program have exposed these students to a variety of natural resource management challenges, introduced them to a broad range of both working professionals in the field and policymakers (many of whom are Boone and Crockett Club members); and enriched their overall academic experience with applied conservation policy analysis and training. More than 70 former Demmer Scholars are now employed in natural resource policy positions in Washington, DC, with numerous others working in the state policy arena, with non-profit organizations, in the private sector with forestry or other industries, or have gone on to pursue natural resource law degrees.

“Through the Demmer Scholar internships, the students get real-world experience, see classroom principles applied in practice, and make valuable career contacts for educational and employment opportunities in the future,” commented Mark Rey upon receiving the award. “I greatly appreciate the leadership of Bill and Linda Demmer for their vision in creating this program and their continued support to make it so effective.”

“We are excited that the Demmer Scholars Program has developed into what we all hoped it would become,” said Bill and Linda Demmer. “Receiving the Boone and Crockett Club’s Conservation and Stewardship Award is a tremendous honor and recognition for this program.”