MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Richard M. Kaminski, a longtime Mississippi State University professor, is being recognized for his contributions and service to wildlife science and conservation.

Kaminski, a professor in the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, received the 2013 Clarence W. Watson Award at the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ meeting in Oklahoma City in October.

The Watson award is the association’s most prestigious honor. It is presented jointly by the Southeastern Section of the Wildlife Society, Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, and the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ directors.

A Wisconsin native, Kaminski is a 30-year MSU veteran and a nationally recognized North American waterfowl and wetlands scientist. He holds the James C. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation at MSU.

During his career, he has received numerous honors. He has been named the Mississippi Wildlife Federation Wildlife Conservationist of the Year, one of Outdoor Life magazine’s top 25 conservationists and a Fellow of The Wildlife Society. He received The Wildlife Society’s Caesar Kleberg Award for excellence in applied wildlife research and the Ducks Unlimited Wetlands Conservation Lifetime Achievement award.

Earlier this year, Kaminski and his current and past graduate students received the Blue-winged Teal Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their decades of contributions to waterfowl science and conservation.

Kaminski holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management and biology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and master’s and doctoral degrees in wildlife ecology from Michigan State University. Before coming to Mississippi, he was a research biologist for Ducks Unlimited-Canada.

Based in Tallahassee, Fla., the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies represents 16 state departments managing and protecting state fish and wildlife resources.