DU's Wentz recognized by outdoor writer organization

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 28, 2009 – The Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (A.G.L.O.W.) awarded Dr. Alan Wentz, Ducks Unlimited group manager of conservation, communications and marketing, with the group's Golden Glow Individual Award at the association's annual conference this past week.

AGLOW president, DU director of communications & Wentz

(L to R) Bobby Whitehead, A.G.L.O.W. president; Tony Dolle, DU director of communications and Dr. Alan Wentz, Golden Glow Award recipient, pose for a photo at the 2009 Golden Glow Awards banquet in Gaylord, Mich.

The prestigious award is given to an individual who has directly influenced sportsmen and women through conservation efforts. Award winners are nominated by and voted upon by A.G.L.O.W.'s Council of Past Presidents. Past winners include the father of modern day conservation, Aldo Leopold.

"The Golden Glow Award is the highest award within our organization," said Bobby Whitehead, president of A.G.L.O.W. "Over the years, we have recognized the great contributions of outdoor icons. Dr. Wentz's nomination stood above all the rest and was immediately approved by the council of past presidents."

Wentz accepted the award on Thursday night at the Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Mich., during the 2009 A.G.L.O.W annual conference Golden Glow banquet. With more than 100 attendees, Wentz's lifetime award was presented last, capitalizing the event.

"I understand that outdoor writer organizations are the foundation of how conservation efforts are fueled," Wentz explained. "Informing sportsmen and women about what can be done, what needs to be done and how we can work together to accomplish more in the name of conservation is a vital asset to all of us. The Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers is a key piece to that puzzle and I'm honored and humbled to be recognized by the organization."

Wentz has spent a lifetime in conservation, including testifying before Congress and state legislatures more than 100 times throughout his career. In 2008, he was re-nominated to the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, the advisory group for all federal wetlands grants in North America of which Wentz is the longest-serving member. His efforts have promoted waterfowl hunting and all other outdoor activities throughout his career and properly demonstrate his commitment to natural resources from which all sportsmen and women directly benefit.

"Sportsmen and women are the nation's true conservationists and this needs to be recognized at all levels, from the first time fisherman to those who have spent a lifetime following the writings of many A.G.L.O.W. writers who do such a great job promoting outdoor recreation," Wentz said. "This award means so much to me and is a testament to A.G.L.O.W's dedication to conservation."

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with nearly 13 million acres conserved. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands – nature's most productive ecosystem – and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.

Chris Jennings