Washington, D.C. June 6, 2021 –

Phillip Pollock spent his youth investigating the woods behind his home in northeastern Iowa, with his three older brothers. They went hiking and fishing and he considered himself an amateur bird watcher. Pollock completed undergraduate work at the University of Iowa and worked as a graduate teaching assistant in the university’s Museum of Natural History. He knew then that his profession was to be in the natural sciences and museum field.*

Recently, the National Wildlife Refuge Association named St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge Friends Group, headed by Phillip Pollock, the 2021 National Wildlife Refuge System Friends Group of the Year. As the Friends president, Pollock, represents the 230 Friends Group members. They will be honored at a reception and dinner on November 16th, 2021 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. The event will be streamed live on Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube to celebrate their accomplishments as well as awardees in other categories.

“This is a tremendous honor for us.” Pollock said, “It is a reflection on all the dedicated volunteers, previous board members, and refuge staff who have worked in unison through the years.”

Pollock continued, “We are fortunate to have this huge, protected acreage to draw from. For every minute and hour of my volunteer time, I get an unimaginable sense of well-being, both in spirit and mind, as a return gift. It’s a place where you can get lost in just breathing in the views.”

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*Pollock later worked at the Grout Museum of History and Science in Waterloo, Iowa for five years. Then he moved to Florida to work at the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee where he wrote a book describing Archaic and Paleo Indian cultures in Florida. His work focused on communications, publication design and photography. Beginning in 2001, he took those skills and applied them to web administration at both the FSU Law School and the Florida State Courts Administrators Office. He has been retired for seven years.

For more information, please visit https://www.refugeassociation.org/awards or contact Courtney Lewis, National Wildlife Refuge Association, 202-577-3200.