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Tenley Skolfield and Alexandra Conover Bennet Honored with Fly Rod Crosby Lifetime Outdoor Achievement Awards
Earlier this month MDIFW presented Tenley Skolfield of Solon and Alexandra Conover Bennett of Willimantic with the Fly Rod Crosby Lifetime Outdoor Achievement Award in honor of their dedication to the stewardship and wise use of natural resources, and their active roles in Maine’s rich outdoor traditions.
Tenley has dedicated her life to the outdoors, introducing hundreds of people to the outdoors as a mentor, guide, and volunteer, and working tirelessly on numerous boards to promote conservation, provide opportunities, protect the outdoors.
With her passion for the outdoors cemented as a child, she became a master Maine Guide in 1999 and established “As the Crow Flies Guide Service.” She later restored Fish River Lodge on Eagle Lake, providing a wonderful atmosphere for families and friends to hunt and fish.
Tenley recognized how fortunate she was to be exposed to outdoor experiences during childhood and made it a point to pass along her skills. She has been a teacher and role model in the Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) program, mentored women on annual upland bird hunts, and has used her guide service and sporting lodge to mentor countless children and first-timers.
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Alexandra has embodied the spirit of the quintessential Maine guide for over 45 years. Always a champion of conservation, she has fought to keep the Maine woods accessible for all and has made it a point to work to conserve, protect, and enhance a Maine way of life by serving on numerous boards and commissions.
Alexandra cofounded North Woods Way with her partner Garrett Conover in 1980, and has guided thousands of people by canoe, snowshoe, and toboggan. She is also an expert canoe paddle carver, and to this day, continues an apprentice program that teaches her students the art of paddle carving.
In 2018, Alexandra was presented with the Piscataquis County Outstanding Conservation Educator of the Year Award for her exceptional work in natural resource ecology and education. She is also an accomplished author. She and Garrett co-wrote Snow Walker's Companion: Winter Living and Traveling Skills in the North, which has become the quintessential guide to winter trekking and camping.
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About the Award
The Fly Rod Crosby Outdoor Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to an individual who is dedicated to the stewardship and wise use of Maine's natural resources and who has been active in the Maine outdoors for a lifetime.
The Fly Rod Crosby Outdoor Lifetime Achievement Award honors not only the annual recipient, but also recognizes Cornelia "Fly Rod" Crosby, and her work in promoting and showcasing Maine's outdoors.
Nominations must be submitted between January 1 and July 1 of the calendar year.
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