Appalachian LCC Chair David Whitehurst Receives Southeast's Most Prestigious Conservation Award
This prestigious conservation honor given in the southeastern U.S. recognizes the individual who has made the greatest contribution to wildlife or fish conservation and was presented at the 66th Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies held in Hot Springs, Arkansas on Oct. 9th.
Whitehurst has 40 years of experience as a fish and wildlife biologist, spending the last 38 years in the Commonwealth of Virginia. During this time, he was instrumental in bringing science-based management to the Commonwealth’s fisheries and wildlife conservation programs. In his four decades in resource conservation Whitehurst has conducted groundbreaking research on striped bass, directed the nationally lauded effort that was the first in the U.S. to successfully exterminate invasive zebra mussels from a state, developed the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail that provides wildlife viewing opportunities while bringing in millions in tourism dollars, helped to establish the Virginia Master Naturalist program, and has been instrumental in many other significant conservation initiatives.
Mr. Whitehurst began his career as a district fisheries biologist. He has since served numerous roles for the Commonwealth’s conservation programs including Director of Planning, Policy, and Public Relations and Director of the Wildlife Diversity Division. Along with his current duties at DGIF and the Appalachian LCC, he is also Chairman of the Management Board for the Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture.
The Clarence W. Watson Award is presented jointly by the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, the Southeastern Section of The Wildlife Society, and the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. It is named in honor of C. W. Watson, a former Federal Aid Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Watson was influential in implementing the Pittman-Robertson Act that provides federal aid for wildlife restoration activities conducted by state agencies and the Dingell-Johnson Act that provids federal aid to states for sport fisheries restoration.
