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 Special Honors for Outstanding Work in Education, Outreach, and InternshipsDan Spencer of the Pacific Region Receives one of Interior’s Highest AwardsApr 1, 2024Written Byperson smiling and holding a small toadLena ChangIn 2024, Pacific Region information and outreach specialist Dan Spencer received the Meritorious Service Award. This award is one of the highest distinctions an employee can receive from the Department of the Interior and an honor only given once in a person’s career. Spencer received this award in recognition for his outstanding contributions to the Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – specifically for his dedication to dynamic outreach, engaging education, and the creation of an innovative internship program focusing on Tribal youth, underserved communities, and urban audiences.A man wearing a hat and sunglasses holds a stringed instrument with a harmonica sitting in front of a calm river.Image DetailsSpencer’s enthusiasm and ability to communicate the importance of conservation – while at the same time making lessons fun and engaging for participants – has made the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service meaningful to the people that it serves.Spencerstarted with the Service in Alaska as a biological field intern in 1999. He then worked fisheries technician and park ranger positions over several years in Alaska before joining the Western Washington Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office as a biological science technician in 2009. Although his major position responsibilities were in field support for projects, he began to share his interest and talent for bringing conservation and the mission of the Service to a wider audience.In 2017, Spencer became the first information and education specialist for the newly formed Puget Sound/Olympic Peninsula Complex. Building on his technical and scientific experience as a field technician and understanding of the Service’s mission and values, Spencer developed the extensive education, access, and internship program he is managing today.*Providing Education*Spencer delivers educational aquatic conservation programs through multiple venues including Youth Fisheries Academies, summer day camps, school classrooms, field trips, citizen science projects, and activities at public events. These events engage an array of audiences who have had little exposure to natural resources. This combination of venues and audiences has resulted in a highly successful program that both educates students and increases their interest and awareness of aquatic ecosystems and conservation.The curriculum in Spencer’s program exposes young students to many unique aspects of fish biology and aquatic ecology. For instance, in the Salmon in the Classroom program, students have an opportunity to go beyond textbook biology into the world of resource management and learn hatchery techniques that help raise the next generation of salmon. Spencer has also incorporated fun ways to explore fisheries technology through elements like radio tracking hide and seek, geocaching, and Find your Fish curriculums, allowing teachers and students to use real radio tracking data to understand better how fish use and are dependent on a healthy habitat to survive.A group of people stand together outdoors holding a large banner that says "Youth Fisheries Academy" with an FWS logo.Image DetailsYouth Fisheries Academy at Quinault National Fish Hatchery, Washington in 2018.*Breaking Barriers and Creating Access*Spencer works with community partners and organizations to develop programs that break down barriers of access to fishing through hisAngling for Equityprogramming. He developed the Library Fishing Tackle Loaner Program, which provides fishing gear for checkout at local libraries to make fishing accessible to those who may not otherwise have the opportunity. This popular program has grown from a single location to five since its launch in 2021. Spencer has also developed a successful collaboration with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, providing gear and hands-on demonstrations of how and where to fish.Closer to home, Spencer worked with former intern turned permanent employee, Typhanie Shepherd, to producevideos that teach how to tie fishing knots, cast a line, and other angling techniques. And Spencer often provides one-of-a-kind musical entertainment, using his talent to capture the hearts and minds of anglers of all ages through creative and catchymusic videos.Male Service employee stands beside Big Brothers Big Sisters event participant as he holds a rainbow trout she caught. Lake in background.Image DetailsSpencer with a proud angler at Service event for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Washington.*Preparing the Next Generation of Conservation Professionals, Building Pathways to Employment*Spencer partners with numerous organizations to provide paid internship opportunities, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs sponsoredWaterCorpsprogram, which sponsors 6-month paid AmeriCorps internships for registered Tribal members. He has also partnered with American Conservation Experience since 2018 to provide career building opportunities for youth while supporting population monitoring, hatchery evaluation, and fish production efforts for the Service.This internship program not only provides professional experience to the interns but also teaches them how to mentor others. The interns gain skills in communicating conservation through multiple mediums, experience managing data and field projects, and receive resume building counseling as part of the internship, increasing their chances to be hired for natural resources positions.Three individuals wading in river electrofishing and netting for juvenile salmon.Image DetailsTribal WaterCorps interns assisting with sampling of juvenile coho salmon on the Tsoo-Yess River on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.*Making a Difference*Spencer’s efforts thus far have made an impact on more than 40 interns through numerous avenues such as the Service’s Pathways program, Washington Service Corps, American Conservation Experience, Bureau of Indian Affairs Conservation Legacy WaterCorps program, and MANRRS –Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences. Some of these interns have since become permanent employees of the Service.Spencer’s efforts and efforts of the Pacific Region’s Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program create exposure, give guidance toward education and careers, and recruit interns who are equipped to do the job, while giving practical job experience and often paving a pathway to employment. This work is truly effective in broadening opportunities for people who traditionally may not have had them.“It’s been rare that we’ve had interns that have been less than stellar,” says Denise Hawkins, complex manager of the Puget Sound/Olympic Peninsula Complex. “The breadth of Dan’s programming along with his sincere love of his job and infectious enthusiasm have been a tremendous benefit to the Service and conservation!”And Spencer is grateful for this recognition. He acknowledges people such as Hawkins and former supervisors, college professors, and other mentors who have supported him along the way."I am deeply honored by this recognition and feel incredibly fortunate to have a career that brings such fulfillment,” he says. “I have benefitted from a great deal of inspiration, support, and mentoring throughout my life, so I am highly motivated pay it forward and thankful for these opportunities to do so."Three people smile standing in front of an American flag, and the man in the middle holds an awardImage DetailsDan Spencer (center) receives the Meritorious Service Award with Pacific Region Deputy Regional Director Bridget Fahey (left) and Regional Director Hugh Morrison (right).Story TagsEducationEducation outreachFisheriesInternship programsOutreachWritten Byperson smiling and holding a small toadLena ChangPublishedApr 1, 2024Featured in the StoryDan SpencerOur PeopleFacilitiesMakah National Fish HatcheryQuilcene National Fish HatcheryQuinault National Fish HatcheryWestern Washington Fish and Wildlife Conservation OfficeRelated StoriesService Tribal intern standing along a shoreline holding a fish in a small tank.Our PeopleStory of Service: Elena PrestNov 21, 2023Service intern in river holding a Chinook Salmon with a radio tag on it's dorsal fin.Our PeopleStory of Service: Bethany FackrellNov 27, 2023A woman smiles while holding a Pacific lamprey. Logs and structures from Makah National Fish Hatchery are in the background below the trees and sky.Our PeopleStory of Service: Kathleen GerardJan 29, 2024Latest StoriesTable of fossilsSecond Year Fossil ID Workshop Another SuccessApr 16, 2024A grebe, an aquatic bird, with bright red eyes, black body and white neck and belly, sits on it’s nest above water.RecreationRelocation of Narrows Wake Zone on Lake LowellApr 16, 2024A black and white marbled murrelet floating in calm waterEndangered Species ActRevised Marbled Murrelet Inland Survey ProtocolApr 16, 2024 PaginationPrevious pageCurrent page1Page2Page3Page4Page5Page6Page7Page8Page9Next page
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