Our annual awards recipients are the cream of the crop in terms of dedication to public lands, waters and wildlife. The 2023 winners have long-term records of commitment to BHA - and are always ready to do what's needed for our shared places and outdoor traditions.
Justin Spruiell receiving his Dwight D. Eisenhower Award
Justin Spruiell, from Yelm, Washington, was presented with the 2023 Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for positive impact on BHA’s Armed Forces Initiative and the military community. He is a tireless advocate for AFI, and AFI leader Marty Bartram put that best.
“The thing that impresses me most about Justin is his lack of ego. Justin truly only works for the mission of creating more conservationists in the military community. When you desperately need a volunteer for an event at the last minute, Justin can be counted on to be there," Bartram said.
Don Holmstrom and Tim Brass, BHA's state policy and stewardship director
Don Holmstrom, a BHA life member from Boulder, Colorado, was presented with BHA’s 2023 Sigurd F. Olson Award, which recognizes outstanding effort conserving rivers, lakes or wetland habitat. Don has been instrumental in working on the Hill v. Warsewa case in Colorado, which might make navigable rivers more accessible to all Coloradans.
Corey Ellis with his award
Corey Ellis, a BHA member who lives in Missoula, Montana, is the recipient of the 2023 Jim Posewitz Award acknowledging outstanding ethical behavior in the field and the education of the outdoor public on the importance of ethical behavior.
“Corey is persistent, smart and his moral compass is unshakeable,” said BHA Regional Policy Manager Kevin Farron. “He’s not afraid to pick new battles, and I’ve yet to see him give up. He’s written dozens of opinion columns forwarding good policy and opposing bad. He’s influenced decisions and attitudes on issues ranging from the use of drones in hunting, to cellular transmitting trail cams, to using license dollars for pen-raised, tailless pheasant stocking, and much, much more.”
From left to right: Carlos Gomez of G&H Decoys, Josh Mills, corporate conservation partnership lead for BHA, and G&H CEO Ray Penny
G&H Decoys is the 2023 recipient of BHA’s Larry Fischer Award, which honors the memory and contributions of a longtime BHA board member by recognizing exceptional dedication by a business to BHA’s mission. G&H has been one of our brightest contributors in 2022 and 2023, and Ray Penny has been a key cog in some incredible instructional days in the field for new hunters.
“As I work to weave our partners into the fabric of BHA and vice versa, I will look to the example that Ray Penny, Carlos Gomez and the entire team at G&H Decoys have set as one of the gold standards of a true partnership,” said Josh Mills, corporate conservation partnerships coordinator at BHA. “G&H is new to partnering with BHA, but they came out full force last year. Standout volunteers – and companies – give BHA their time, their treasure and their talent, and this year’s winner did that every time we asked.”
Angela Olson, BHA's 2022 Scholar at the University of Louisville
Angela Olson, BHA's 2022 Scholar at the University of Louisville, was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, but moved to Chicago at the age of 5. She earned her associate's degree from Harold Washington College before applying to and receiving acceptance at the University of Louisville. Angela plans to continue studying contract law and finish law school to obtain her J.D. and master's degrees. She worked at the O'Hare Airport in Chicago for nine years before transferring to UPS Air Cargo in Louisville. Angela spends most of her free time working extra hours or cooking.
Created and fully funded by Kentucky BHA chapter leader Col. Mike Abell (retired) and his wife Aline, the BHA scholarship was created in 2020. The BHA scholarship is intended to be awarded to a political science student at the University of Louisville who has aspirations to one day serve in public office but who has little to no experience with hunting, angling or the outdoors. The intent is to immerse them in the BHA community where they will forge relationships and gain experiences on our public lands and waters and walk away with a better understanding of and connection to our conservationist values. The scholarship highlights the importance of reaching across the aisle and celebrates finding common ground.
"Coming out of this program I have realized that fighting for legislation to protect our public lands and animals is a fight that many people should be a part of," said Angela. "I will continue to look forward to future events and hope to have my family join BHA."
Harrison Stasik and Kylie Schumacher, BHA collegiate program coordinator
Harrison Stasik, former president of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point BHA college club, received BHA’s 2023 Rachel Carson Award, which honors young leaders for outstanding work on behalf of hunting, angling and conservation. Harrison is an killer advocate for BHA and our public lands, waters, and wildlife, and we are certain he will continue to do so in the coming years!
“During his tenure as club president, Harrison has taken the program by storm and led UWSP BHA to be the top-ranking club in the Collegiate Program,” said Kylie Schumacher, BHA collegiate program coordinator. “He earned the club the Public Land Owner Stewardship Fund grant two years in a row. He took his club members on a trip to experience one of BHA’s priority and most cherished landscapes, the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Along with his teammates, he won BHA’s Hike to Hunt competition, raising over $2,000 for BHA. He’s also led the program’s biggest fundraiser, the Gear & Beer Bash, two years in a row, raising a total of nearly $20,000 for the club and collegiate program. He excels at building relationships with partners, peers and mentors and has set the club on a path to success moving forward.”
Andrew McKean with his Ted Trueblood Award
Andrew McKean, the Glasgow, Montana-based journalist who currently is Outdoor Life’s hunting and conservation editor, received BHA’s 2023 Ted Trueblood Award for outstanding communications on behalf of backcountry habitat and values.
“He has an honest passion for conservation,” said Katie McKalip, BHA vice president of external affairs and communications, “and he has a deep appreciation of the role played not just by hunters and anglers but also by diverse collaborators like farmers, ranchers and businesses. He calls himself a public policy nerd, but he likewise possesses an ability to see the many human sides of contentious issues, imbuing his writing with an informed evenhandedness that’s all too rare these days.”
Texas has been so important in fighting for public access across the Lone Star State!
BHA’s Texas Chapter was presented with the George Bird Grinnell Award, which honors the outstanding BHA chapter of the year.
“It is an honor and privilege to work alongside this year’s Grinnell award winner in the name of public land and water conservation,” said Katie DeLorenzo, BHA Western regional manager and Texas BHA chapter coordinator. “The leaders of our Texas chapter have passionately defended hunting and fishing access, contributed to large-scale habitat conservation from the coast to the panhandle grasslands, and will invest $8K annually for three years to fund an American Fisheries Society Hutton Scholar to support the TPWD River Access Program. Simply put, Texas BHA is comprised of exceptional individuals doing exceptional work to further BHA’s mission in Texas and beyond.”
Buzz Hettick and Katie McKalip, BHA VP of external affairs and communications, at the Outdoor Writers Association of America conference in Casper, Wyoming, in 2022
Buzz Hettick of Laramie, Wyoming, received the Mike Beagle-Chairman’s Award. Named after a BHA founder, it is given to an individual who shows outstanding effort on behalf of BHA.
“Buzz epitomizes action,” said Land Tawney, BHA president and CEO. “He is the ‘man in the arena’ Theodore Roosevelt spoke of – figuratively, if not literally. From the backcountry to the state legislature and everywhere in between, you can always count on Buzz.
“It’s fitting that Buzz Hettick has been awarded the Mike Beagle-Chairman’s Award for his unwavering efforts to help found our Wyoming Chapter, increase hunter access, and stand up for healthy habitat,” Tawney concluded. “Wyoming and America are better places because of his work. Be more like Buzz!
Finally, Tony Wasley, former director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife and current president of the Wildlife Management Institute, received BHA’s Aldo Leopold Award for exceptional work and dedication to the conservation of terrestrial wildlife habitat.
“Tony’s most notable accomplishments included leading sagebrush ecosystem conservation within and beyond Nevada, raising awareness of the threat that feral horses and burros present to our arid Western landscapes, and partnering across user groups, including Tribes, ranchers, mining companies and many others,” said BHA North American Board Chair Ted Koch. “Tony’s positive and inclusive style keeps folks on his side in the fight for conservation. He calls it like he sees it, but he does so with love and respect for people and the resource.”
About Thomas Plank
Communications Manager for BHA