This award is given annually to an individual who has significantly contributed to fishery conservation within the Division. Quite simply, Ron is deserving of this award because of his passion and enthusiasm for conserving and restoring native cutthroat trout.

From the beginning of his career he has worked to define current distribution of Colorado River cutthroat (Oncorhynchus clarki pleuriticus) and Bonneville cutthroat (Oncorhynchus clarki utah) and, as best possible understand their historic native range in Wyoming. Ron has worked for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for 20 years, and is now the Green River Regional Supervisor where he and his staff work tirelessly to secure the future of these two native trout.

Ron has been at the cutting edge of native fish conservation and restoration from the early days of his career. His initial work assisted in laying the foundation for management and conservation of the Colorado River cutthroat trout and he initiated the Colorado River cutthroat trout restoration program for the Upper Green River drainage. He has worked diligently with federal agencies to implement the Interagency Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Management plans for the Upper Green River drainage, and has played a key role in developing the Conservation Agreement and Strategy for Colorado River Cutthroat Trout in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.

Ron has also been heavily involved with conservation and restoration of Bonneville cutthroat trout. He initiated surveys and studies to more firmly establish the conservation and management needs for this subspecies in the Bear River drainage, and has contributed significant skill and effort to multi-agency implementation of the Interagency Bonneville Cutthroat Trout Management plan.

Ron is an active member of Trout Unlimited, served as President of the AFS Colorado-Wyoming Chapter from 1998 to 1999, has been active in the AFS Fish Management Section, and the served on the Western Division AFS Riparian Committee. For the past four years Ron has actively assisted University of Wyoming graduate students with various Bonneville cutthroat trout life history research projects, and he has tirelessly promoted public education about native cutthroat trout subspecies.

Ron is an excellent supervisor and has mentored many. His continual and contagious enthusiasm, innovative and proactive approach to native fish restoration and conservation, his outgoing personality, and willingness to assist all, have made Ron an outstanding asset to native fisheries resources, his colleagues, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the Western Division. For these significant and continuing contributions we are pleased to present this Western Division Award of Merit to Ron Remmick.

Presented by Bill Bradshaw
WDAFS Past-President & Awards Committee Chair
April 30, 2002