Tanya Poole Honored as 2021 Outstanding Project WILD Coordinator

August 3, 2021

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies proudly shares the news that North Carolina Project WILD Coordinator, Tanya Poole, is the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Coordinator Award. The Association honors one Project WILD coordinator who performs above and beyond their normal responsibilities with this prestigious award at the annual Project WILD Coordinators’ Conference.

“Tanya’s leadership and optimistic disposition this past year has been a model and inspiration to us all,” said Elena Takaki, Director of Project WILD with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “We are so fortunate to have Tanya as part of the Project WILD network.”

Poole has been the Project WILD Coordinator in North Carolina for over 12 years through her work at the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. During her tenure as the state coordinator, she and her facilitator team have trained over 20,000 educators in WILD curriculum. These educators in turn collectively reach hundreds of thousands of youth with interdisciplinary activities focusing on wildlife, habitat, and natural resource management.

“Tanya is a dedicated, accomplished professional who has garnered the respect of the environmental education community, her colleagues, and her agency. She is so positive and always helps her fellow state coordinators,” said Carissa Longo, Pennsylvania Project WILD Coordinator at the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources - Pennsylvania State Parks, who nominated Poole for this award. “Ever-inquisitive, she is a role model who loves exploring and sharing the wonders of the natural world, especially the mountains she calls home.”

The award will be presented to Poole on Wednesday, August 8, as part of the 38th Annual Meeting of Project WILD Coordinators taking place virtually this year.

Project WILD joined the Association in 2017. Project WILD is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program that focuses on wildlife and habitat. The goal of Project WILD is to develop awareness, knowledge, skills, and commitment resulting in informed decisions, responsible behavior, and constructive actions concerning wildlife and the environment. To learn more about Project WILD, go to www.projectwild.org.

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The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies to advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest. The Association represents its state agency members on Capitol Hill and before the Administration to advance favorable fish and wildlife conservation policy and funding and works to ensure that all entities work collaboratively on the most important issues. The Association also provides member agencies with coordination services on cross-cutting as well as species-based programs that range from birds, fish habitat and energy development to climate change, wildlife action plans, conservation education, leadership training and international relations. Working together, the Association’s member agencies are ensuring that North American fish and wildlife management has a clear and collective voice.