Annual WDFW awards recognize community members for their commitment to conservation
Each year at this time, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) recognizes organizations, volunteers, landowners, and educators who have shown extraordinary commitment to conservation across our state.
WDFW’s mission is to preserve and protect Washington’s habitats and fish and wildlife species, while offering sustainable recreation opportunities. Whether offering skills, resources, or time, the following conservation champions all played a role in achieving that mission in the past year.
Volunteer of the year: Alan Billingsley
Alan Billingsley is the best neighbor the South Puget Sound Wildlife Area Unit in Lakewood could have. He has volunteered hundreds of hours over the past six years to helping improve it. Both as the Chair of Service Projects for the Clover Park Rotary Club and independently, Billlingsley has led many volunteer work parties, supervised Eagle Scout and Northwest Youth Corps projects, and secured funding through grants and community partnerships for improvement projects to the unit.
Billingsley’s efforts have resulted in over 2,600 volunteer hours in the past three years alone and helped bring in $75,000 in funding from community-based sources, WDFW’s Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account (ALEA) program, and local organizations.
Billingsley has also created partnerships with Clover Park Schools, Pierce College, and Pacific Lutheran University, introducing hundreds of students and others to the wildlife area. Under his leadership, the unit has seen improvements including new fencing, rebuilt retaining walls, improved ADA access with benches and repaving, interpretive signage, a native plant garden, prairie restoration efforts, invasive species remove, and general cleanup.
Billingsley can often be found mowing invasive plants with his own equipment, growing native plants in his yard and greenhouse to contribute, and seeking input from WDFW staff and local partners to guide his work. His passion, leadership, and tireless work make him an invaluable partner.
Organizations of the year: Asia Pacific Cultural Center and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers of Washington
Two organizations really stood out for their support of WDFW’s work, mission, and staff in the past year, making it hard to choose just one. So, this year there are two winners of the Organization of the year award!
The Asia Pacific Cultural Center (APCC), led by Executive Director Faaluaina (Lu-a) Pritchard and a dedicated team, has worked hard to bridge gaps between communities and government and guide WDFW toward more equitable and effective practices.
APCC has been a key partner on two social science research projects- one on human wellbeing monitoring for Puget Sound recovery and a project on kelp harvesting and consumption. The Center has assisted WDFW staff at community events and collaborated on environmental justice efforts. Their contributions have strengthened WDFW’s understanding of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in Washington and ways in which WDFW intersects with them.
The Washington Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA) has shown exceptional commitment to conservation, community engagement, and unwavering support of Washington’s fish, wildlife, and public lands. Washington BHA has blended grassroots conservation, policy engagement, volunteer mobilization, and public outreach — all with a chapter that is almost entirely volunteer-driven.
Over the past year alone, Washington BHA has organized nearly a dozen work parties across the state focused on restoring and enhancing WDFW-managed wildlife areas and other public lands. The group has hosted wild game feeds that welcome and educate new hunters, those interested in wild foods, and those who have wandered in on accident and stayed out of curiosity. They have partnered with WDFW both financially and logistically to support a public awareness campaign around chronic wasting disease (CWD), helping share critical information with hunters and the broader public.
Across Washington BHA has collaborated with WDFW staff to support projects, provide volunteers, conduct surveys, and offer learning opportunities for the public. Their willingness to invite others into the conversation and their focus on shared values have helped build meaningful relationships that strengthen the conservation community.
Landowners of the year: Jerry and Lavon Chatalein
For decades, Jerry and Lavon Chatalein have provided the only hiking access into the Juniper Dunes Wilderness in Franklin County in WDFW’s South Central Region and maintain the parking lot on the property that welcomes visitors from across the state to experience this unique and beautiful habitat.
The Chatelein’s access point is well-known and featured in numerous hiking guidebooks on Washington and the Pacific Northwest. The only thing they ask in return is a few simple rules- no overnight parking, no shooting, and limited access March through May to reduce risks during fire season and hunting periods.
The Chataleins have also regularly allowed WDFW to conduct wildlife surveys on their ranch. In 2025, their cooperation with the statewide Ferruginous Hawk survey was especially valuable by providing access to private roads, enabling staff to reach survey sites that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to access.
Jerry and Lavon’s commitment to balancing private land stewardship with public access and conservation makes them truly deserving of this award.
Educator of the year: Lourdes Flores
Lourdes Flores, Multicultural Engagement Coordinator with the Pacific Education Institute, has done extensive work to connect multilingual and multicultural communities with Washington’s fish and wildlife resources. Through her leadership with the Wild Washington K-12 education program, Flores has helped make conservation more relevant for Washington’s children and families as well as making WDFW’s programs culturally responsive, multilingual, and community centered. She provides thoughtful feedback, builds authentic relationships with families and educators, and helps WDFW staff better understand how to make fish and wildlife education accessible and engaging.
Flores’ work has helped WDFW connect with new communities, organize family-focused learning events, and support multilingual teacher engagement — ensuring educational materials are both linguistically accurate and culturally meaningful. Thanks to her leadership, students and families who might not otherwise spend time outdoors are exploring salmon life cycles, wildlife habitats, and stewardship in ways that reflect their own communities and languages.
Flores’ work is expanding the reach and impact of WDFW’s education programs in lasting and meaningful ways for generations to come.
The Terry Hoffer Memorial Firearm Safety Award: Jim Fitzgerald
This award recognizes a Hunter Education Instructor whose outstanding commitment and teaching excellence over the previous 12 months clearly exemplifies exceptional performance.
Jim Fitzgerald, a hunter education instructor for 14 years, has an extraordinary list of accomplishments and contributions not only to the Hunter Education Program, but to the agency in general. Always looking for ways to advance the Hunter Education Program, Fitzgerald was instrumental in offering a class for Skokomish Indian Tribe members and is now helping the tribe develop its own hunter education program.
This is just one of many examples of Fitzgerald’s passion for training new hunters. He never hesitates to help his regional hunter education coordinator, including certifying 11 new instructors over the past year, recruiting instructor candidates from the firearm club where he teaches, and building relationships with many instructors.
Fitzgerald stepped up to lead and revitalize a dwindling team of volunteer instructors, which filled a large geographic void to help meet public demand for hunter education classes. He is a current member of the Hunter Education Instructor Advisory Committee and has been an active contributor to program improvements. He is a former Master Hunter Advisory Group member and served as chair of that group.
Fitzgerald’s work at the 2024 National Hunting and Fishing Day event was instrumental in making it a successful event. WDFW applauds Jim for his “above and beyond” commitment to the people of Washington and to continuation of the state’s hunting heritage.
Association of Retired DFW Employees Award: Wendy Bilodeau
The Association of Retired Fish and Wildlife Employees (ARFWE) was created to maintain connections with life-long friends among WDFW former colleagues; to continue contributing to the protection of fish and wildlife populations, habitat, and responsible recreation; and to help preserve and share the history of the agency. This award honors a current employee who has provided at least 20 years of extraordinary contributions that produced significant impacts for the state.
North Central Region Customer Service Specialist Wendy Bilodeau started with WDFW in 1994 and has been an amazing asset to the Department ever since. Her strong work ethic, reliability, and dedication are unmatched. She is warm and welcoming to both co-workers and the public, mentors new customer service staff, and helps anyone who asks. Bilodeau is very customer service driven, and perhaps most importantly, is known as the “fastest phone answerer in the west.” Wendy is extremely knowledgeable in a wide variety of fish, wildlife, habitat, lands, and enforcement related topics, which makes her a valuable resource for both staff and members of the public with questions.
Bilodeau maintains a current contact list of WDFW retirees from her region and regularly communicates with retirees and the ARFWE regarding important agency news and accomplishments. Wendy’s commitment to public service, her support of WDFW staff, and her ongoing efforts to communicate with retirees make Wendy a well-deserved recipient of this award.
Congratulations and thank you to all of this year’s award winners for the work they do to support WDFW’s mission and goals. WDFW’s successes and critical work couldn’t be accomplished without them.
