Wyoming Game and Fish won the 2026 Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Commission/Board of the Year Award, putting the commission alongside other regional recipients recognized by the 23-state group. Angi Bruce said the award reflects the work the commission has done for conservation efforts in Wyoming.
The commission received the honor at WAFWA awards, which recognize significant contribution to the management, protection or enhancement of fish and wildlife resources within the past five years. Bruce called the award well deserved and said the agency’s commissioners do a strong job balancing scientific and socio-economic needs when setting policies and regulations.
Bruce on the commission’s work
Bruce, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department director, said, “This award is well deserved, and reflects the excellent work our Commission has done for conservation efforts in Wyoming.” She also said, “Our Commissioners demonstrate their commitment to Game and Fish’s mission and Wyoming’s wildlife, and do a great job balancing the complex scientific and socio-economic needs that come with determining effective policies and regulations for our agency.”
The recognition is tied to work done within the past five years, not to a single action. For Wyoming residents who follow hunting, fishing and wildlife rules, that means the commission is being recognized for the policy and management decisions that shape those rules over time.
Dave Zafft and Christina Maleesa
Two other Wyoming Game and Fish employees were also recognized. Deputy Chief of Fisheries Dave Zafft received the WAFWA Professional of the Year Award, and Federal Aid Coordinator Christina Maleesa received the Outstanding WAFWA Contributor of the Year Award.
Zafft started with Game and Fish in 1986 as a seasonal technician and earned his master’s degree in fisheries biology in 1991. He later served as a Lander Regional Fisheries Biologist, an instream flow biologist, a fish population biologist, supervisor of the aquatic assessment crew, assistant fisheries management supervisor and fisheries management supervisor.
Maleesa has worked for Game and Fish since 2014 and has served as federal aid coordinator since 2023. She represents U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6 on the national Federal Aid Working Group, and Bruce said, “We are proud of both Dave and Christina, and we are grateful for all they do to ensure our ability to continue serving Wyoming and its wildlife.”
WAFWA’s regional reach
WAFWA represents 23 states, including Wyoming, and several Canadian provinces. Bruce added, “Our agency is full of dedicated professionals who help keep Wyoming at the forefront of conservation in the country, and these awards are well-deserved.”
For Wyoming Game and Fish, the awards serve as a public measure of how its commission and staff are being judged across the region: on long-term management, day-to-day administration and the work that supports wildlife policy in the state.
