The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Jackie Ferrier, of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Washington, has been named the 2019 Paul Kroegel National Wildlife Refuge System Refuge Manager of the Year.

Presented by the National Wildlife Refuge Association, and given in honor of Paul Kroegel, the first manager of the first national wildlife refuge, the award recognizes outstanding accomplishment by a refuge manager in the protection and management of our national wildlife refuges. This is the first time in the award’s 25 year history that a female refuge manager has been selected for the prestigious award.

“Ms. Ferrier’s extraordinary work taking on the complex issues makes her most deserving of this award,” said Geoffrey Haskett, president of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “Her efforts on Spartina alterniflora eradication, dune restoration, protections for listed species including plovers, larks, and endangered Columbian White-tailed Deer are only a few examples of the remarkable work she is doing on behalf of species and refuges.”

Ferrier has been the project leader for the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge Complex for almost eight years. Willapa National Wildlife Refuge Complex consists of three refuges: Willapa National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for Columbian White-tailed Deer, and Lewis and Clark NWR.

Ferrier’s award was presented on February 27, 2019, at the National Wildlife Refuge Association’s Annual Gala Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.