Secretary Salazar Presents "Casting Light Upon the Waters" Committee with Partners in Conservation Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today presented a Partners in Conservation Award to the Casting Light upon the Waters committee for their work in protecting fishery resources and reducing user conflicts in Wisconsin.
It was one of 26 national awards to individuals and organizations presented at a ceremony at Interior headquarters in Washington, D.C. to honor “those who achieve natural resource goals in collaboration and partnership with others.”
The 26 Partners in Conservation Awards recognize conservation achievements resulting from the cooperation and participation of a total of 600 individuals and organizations including landowners; citizens' groups; private sector and nongovernmental organizations; and federal, state, local, and/or tribal governments.
“The Partners in Conservation Awards demonstrate that our greatest conservation legacies often emerge when stakeholders, agencies, and citizens from a wide range of backgrounds come together to address shared challenges,” the Secretary said. “The participants in the Casting Light upon the Waters – Joint Assessment Steering Committee have moved Wisconsin's walleye fishery from the focus of violence and conflict to one of national renown as one of the country's best managed fishery resources.”

These efforts have helped ensure a sustainable fishery resource that is shared by the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe, Chippewa), who have been able to exercise their traditional ways of life through treaty fishing rights and by state licensed anglers to enjoy the recreational experiences fishing in Northern Wisconsin lakes.

“These 26 awards recognize the dedicated efforts of thousands of people from all walks of life, from across our nation– and from across our borders with Canada and Mexico,” Salazar noted. “They celebrate partnerships that conserve and restore our nation's treasured landscapes and watersheds, partnerships that engage Native American communities, and partnerships that engage youth.”

This award is shared by:

Administration for Native Americans
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Robert Jackson
Mark Kuester
Discover Wisconsin
Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Tom Busiahn
Francis Stone
Voigt Intertribal Task Force
Wisconsin Counties Association
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources