DEC environmental conservation officer named Conservationist of the Year by Onondaga County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) environmental conservation police officer (ECO) Heather Scalisi on July 21 received the Stanley Hamlin Conservationist of the Year Award from the Onondaga County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs. Scalisi was honored for her dedication and commitment to the Onondaga County Federation’s Women in Nature Program (WIN), the DEC said in a recent announcement. The primary mission of WIN is to inspire women to embrace the outdoors through participation at the club’s annual Outdoor Skills Workshop, along with other seminars and recreational outings focused on shooting, hunting, and fishing. ECO Scalisi participated in her first WIN outdoor workshop in 2023 as a designated representative for New York State ECOs. In 2024, she joined the WIN planning committee and, this year, volunteered as chair, coordinating meetings, recording minutes, and ensuring the committee remained focused on the group’s mission of getting more women involved in outdoor recreation. On April 26, Scalisi’s hard work paid off as the annual Women in Nature event attracted 130 women from across Central New York to experience all types of outdoor sports including crossbow shooting, fishing, wildlife cooking, nature photography, and axe throwing, the DEC said.