Garfield resident honored by AFWA

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Garfield resident and outdoor enthusiast Dave Nomsen was recently honored with the Special Recognition Award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies at the association’s annual meeting in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Nomsen is the Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s vice president of government affairs. He is the organization’s voice on Capitol Hill and one of the most respected advocates in support of the Conservation Reserve Program.

“Everyone knows of Dave’s commitment and devotion to fish and wildlife conservation through his work with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, as well as his leadership in the conservation community,” executive director of the Fish and Wildlife Agencies Matt Hogan said.

“But he also helped our broader community define, focus and mature our Farm Bill proposals and played an instrumental role in the maturation and enactment of the Farm Bill this year. We thank him for his tireless dedication to the reauthorization of the Farm Bill and to the conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats.”

Nomsen is a Clear Lake, Iowa native who received a master’s degree in wildlife management from South Dakota State University. He has been with Pheasants Forever since 1992 where he began as a wildlife biologist for Minnesota.

“This is quite an honor,” Nomsen said of the Special Recognition Award. “I work with a special group of people that have a shared passion.

“When I look at this award, I’ll think of people like my father, who spent his entire career working for the Iowa Conservation Commission, and my mentor Bill Baxter, a longtime wildlife biologist with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission,” Nomsen said. “People who devoted their lives to conservation. Because of them, I devoted mine to the cause as well.”

Nomsen makes his home in Garfield with his wife, Melanie, and his Labrador retriever, Nellie, and springer spaniel, Little TR.

Tags: sports, association, of, fish, and, wildlife, dave, nomsen