Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 11 - 17, 2023 UCW 19 Wildlife Commission announces 2022 Small Game Award winners by MINDY WHARTON Officials with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Com- mission recently awarded the Lawrence G. Died- rick Small Game Award to both an individual and organization whose actions have significantly and positively impacted North Carolina's small game populations and the hunting heritage associated with small game. Kathryn Rand Booher of Rocky Point and the Wake County Wildlife Club were the two recipients honored with the 2022 award. Booher's actions and financial support have con- tributed to bobwhite quail conservation, including habitat improvements, greater public access, edu- cation and advocacy. She is a strong financial sup- porter and active volunteer of the Southeast North Carolina Chapter of Quail Forever and the South Carolina Bobwhite Initiative. She's the liaison be- tween the SENC and the Wildlife Commission, and with her assistance the agency created 7,000 acres of "Quail Trails" on Holly Shelter Game Land in Pender County. e trails have improved access to and the management of early succession habitat, which has enhanced small game hunting opportu- nities and benefited many non-game species. Booher has overseen efforts to manage a longleaf pine forest through thinning and prescribed burns on over 340 acres of her family's land. e direct impact of this work has improved both the habitat and the quail population. Leading by example, she has encouraged other private landowners to effectively manage their own property to enhance habitat for bobwhite quail. G.W. Atkinson, Heather Hill and Jim Hudson of the Wake County Wildlife Club accepted the award on behalf of their 165 members who have worked tirelessly for decades to promote wildlife conser- vation. As a leader in conservation education, the WCWC has impacted young people who have gone on to pursue careers in the wildlife field and cre- ated conservationists with an appreciation for the natural world by highlighting the critical role that sportsmen and women play in the conservation of our wildlife resources. Best known for hosting the Dixie Deer Classic in Raleigh, the club's impacts reach well beyond the annual big game event. Specifically, the club hosts countless workshops aimed at hunter safety, wildlife-associated recreation, education and di- versity in hunting. e WCWC is also the primary non-governmental supporter of the Fur, Fish and Game Rendezvous held each year at Millstone 4-H Camp in Ellerbe. e club offers scholarships to send teenagers to this unique weeklong camp. Since 2014, they have sponsored 30 campers each summer. In addition to monetary support, club members volunteer as instructors to make this camp a suc- cess. e club's efforts provide opportunities for many young adults to attend camp who otherwise may not be exposed to fishing, hunting and shoot- ing sports. In 2020, club officials updated the forest man- agement plan for their 191-acre Durham County property to include commercial thinning, pre- commercial thinning and prescribed burning. ese initiatives will better educate visitors about the importance of habitat management and will also improve habitat for small game on the property. e Small Game Award is named in honor of Lawrence G. Diedrick of Rocky Mount, who served as a Wildlife Commissioner from 1993-2001. Com- missioner Diedrick promoted efforts to address declining populations of bobwhites, and other spe- cies dependent on early successional habitat. Sub- sequent to his death in September 2002, a group of Commissioner Diedrick's friends made memorial contributions to the Wildlife Endowment Fund to support an annual small game award in his honor. e Wildlife Commission created this prestigious award in 2003. Nominations for the 2023 award will open March 1, 2023. Editor's note: Since 1947, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has been dedicated to the conservation and sustainability of the state's fish and wildlife resources through research, scien- tific management, wise use and public input. e Wildlife Commission is the state regulatory agency responsible for the enforcement of fishing, hunting, trapping and boating laws and provides programs and opportunities for wildlife-related educational, recreational and sporting activities. To purchase or renew a fishing, trapping or hunt- ing license and renew a vessel registration, go online at ncwildlife.org. SPORTS & RECREATION Kathryn Rand Booher, center, receives the Lawrence G. Diedrick Small Game Award from Monty Crump, left, the Chairman of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, and Cameron Ingram, Executive Director of the Wildlife Commission. (Photo courtesy N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission) MINDY WHARTON, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910- 484-6200. From left: Monty Crump, Jim Hudson, Heather Hill, G.W. Atkin- son, Cameron Ingram. Hudson, Hill and Atkinson accepted the Small Game Award for the Wake County Wildlife Club. (Photo courtesy N.C. 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