Carl Zenger Named Recipient of the 2025 Refuge Volunteer of the Year

For Immediate Release October 2nd, 2025
Contact: Eden Taylor etaylor@refugeassociation.org

New York conservation volunteer honored for 45,000 hours of service at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

BASOM, NY – The National Wildlife Refuge Association is proud to announce that Carl Zenger has been named recipient of the 2025 Refuge Volunteer of the Year, one of the top honors of the 2025 National Wildlife Refuge Awards, now in their 31st year. The Refuge Association’s annual Wildlife Refuge Awards honor those whose service strengthens the National Wildlife Refuge System — the nation’s largest network of public lands and waters dedicated to wildlife conservation.

Zenger, a lifelong New Yorker from Lockport, has contributed more than 45,000 volunteer hours—the equivalent of 22.5 years of full-time work—to Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, which spans more than 10,000 acres across Genesee and Orleans counties in western New York near Buffalo. It is part of the Oak Orchard and Tonawanda wetlands complex, recognized as a Bird Conservation Area and one of the most significant migratory bird stopover sites in the Atlantic Flyway.

Iroquois NWR protects vast marshes, forests, and grasslands that provide resting and nesting grounds for hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl and songbirds each year, while also supporting bald eagles, river otters, and a rich diversity of fish and amphibians. It is one of over 570 national wildlife refuges that make up the National Wildlife Refuge System — a network of more than 850 million acres of lands and ocean that conserves wildlife while providing clean water, flood protection, and outdoor recreation for communities nationwide. Carl’s dedication has touched every part of Iroquois, from restoring habitats and mentoring volunteers to creating opportunities for families across western New York to connect with nature.

Restoring Habitat & Protecting Species

Zenger’s work is most visible across the refuge’s grasslands. Each year, he mows and maintains about 200 acres of habitat, ensuring that migratory birds and pollinators have the open fields they need to survive. This is part of nearly 1,500 acres of early successional habitat that Iroquois NWR manages through mowing, haying, prescribed fire, mulching, and planting. Zenger’s role as the refuge’s primary mower has been essential to keeping these lands healthy and vibrant.

He has also been the driving force behind the refuge’s bird conservation programs. Zenger maintains more than 50 bluebird boxes, launched a purple martin project that now fledges over 700 birds annually, and expanded nesting opportunities for the American Kestrel, which has declined by 85 percent in New York. He is also a permitted bird bander and has banded hundreds of bluebirds, tree swallows, and purple martins on the refuge, contributing valuable data to regional and national studies.

“Carl is a vital thread in the fabric of our refuge—his unmatched dedication to conservation, from championing grassland restoration across 200 acres annually to launching a multi-species cavity nesting program, continues to inspire and connect our community to the natural world,” said Emily Kelly, Park Ranger at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

A Volunteer of All Trades

In addition to his conservation work, Zenger is known as the person who can step in wherever the refuge needs him. During staffing shortages, he has taken on everything from tractor and mower maintenance, snow plowing and salting, and equipment repair to safety inspections, chemical inventory, and electrical labeling. He has repeatedly filled gaps when the refuge has been without a full-time maintenance professional, keeping operations safe and functional for staff and visitors.

“As a volunteer, Carl is the epitome of what refuge staff are like across the National Wildlife Refuge System. An individual whose passion and dedication is transformed into skills and tasks to ensure that the refuge can work towards its goals and objectives for trust resources and visitors. A person of all trades, Carl has assisted, initiated and filled in gaps for projects as needed for the refuge, but the best thing is that he is just a terrific individual!” said Tom Roster, retired Refuge Manager, Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Connecting People to Nature

Zenger’s service extends beyond habitat and maintenance. He is also a mentor to more than 20 volunteers and has introduced countless interns and students to hands-on conservation work. Through his guidance, the next generation of stewards has learned not only practical skills but also a sense of responsibility for wildlife.

He has also made conservation accessible to the community. For the refuge’s largest annual event, Spring into Nature, Zenger builds hundreds of bluebird houses and “toad abodes” as kits for children and families. In 2024, more than 500 participants attended, many leaving with their own handmade habitat structures to place in backyards across western New York. To streamline the process, Zenger fabricates wooden jigs that ensure each kit is easy to assemble for the public.

These projects, along with his educational nest displays showcasing different bird nesting strategies, help thousands of visitors understand the importance of cavity-nesting species and empower them to take conservation home.

A Legacy That Reaches Beyond Iroquois

As a founding member of the Friends of Iroquois NWR, Zenger has served as President, Vice President, Secretary, and board member, while also raising funds from local businesses to support the refuge. His decades of work exemplify how volunteers extend the reach of the National Wildlife Refuge System, building bridges between conservation and community.

“Talk to anyone in western New York about the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, and you’ll hear Carl’s name. Forty-five thousand volunteer hours — over 22 years of full-time work — and he’s still out there leading by example,” said Desirée Sorenson-Groves, President & CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “He’s restored wetlands, mentored volunteers, welcomed families to the refuge, and even made sure generations of bluebirds and purple martins have a home. That kind of grit and love for the mission can’t be manufactured. Carl proves what we know to be true: the Refuge System survives and thrives because of everyday people who just keep showing up.”

As a birder, I know what it means to see a flash of bluebird wings or hear the bubbly song of purple martins returning each spring. At Iroquois Refuge, those moments are possible in no small part because of Carl Zenger,” said The Honorable Lynn Scarlett, Board Chair of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “His dedication has created and nurtured homes for birds and countless other species, while also fostering a community of people who care deeply for these lands. Carl reminds us that conservation is sustained not just by policies, but by the caring hands and hearts of people on the ground.”

Recognition Events

Carl Zenger will be recognized locally at a celebration on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, from 12:00–2:00 pm at Bent’s Opera House in Medina, New York, co-organized with the Friends of Iroquois NWR. To RSVP and for more information please visit refugeassociation.org/carl.

His story will also be featured nationally during the 2025 National Wildlife Refuge Awards—Virtual National Celebration of the Refuge System on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at 7:00 pm ET.

To learn more visit refugeassociation.org/awards.

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As the only nonprofit solely dedicated to supporting the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wildlife Refuge Association protects, promotes, and enhances America’s wildlife heritage through strategic programs that serve the Refuge System and wildlife beyond its boundaries. The organization addresses Refuge System funding, management, and strategic growth, while also promoting programs that maximize the system’s conservation impact.

The National Wildlife Refuge Awards, presented annually by the National Wildlife Refuge Association since 1994, honor the exceptional contributions of volunteers, professionals, and partners who strengthen the National Wildlife Refuge System. Now in their 31st year, the awards celebrate the people whose passion and dedication protect wildlife, restore ecosystems, and connect communities to the natural world.

The National Wildlife Refuge System is the largest network of public lands and waters in the world dedicated to wildlife conservation, encompassing more than 570 refuges and 850 million acres. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, refuges provide critical habitat for thousands of species and offer opportunities for Americans to experience nature through hiking, hunting, birding, photography, and education.