Mat Daniels receiving the 2014 Brass Bluegill Award from Barb Gigar of the IDNR

2014 Brass Bluegill Award and Brass Bluegill Meritorious Awards

The Iowa Department of Natural Resource’s Aquatic Education Program recently honored three individuals for their efforts in helping Iowa’s youth become skilled anglers and advocates of fishing and natural resources conservation.

Mat Daniels, social studies and science teacher at Kanesville Alternative Learning Center, is the 2014 recipient of the Brass Bluegill Award. Laura DeCook, Naturalist with Mahaska County Conservation Board, and Greg Wolf, Naturalist with the Davenport Parks and Recreation, are both recipients of Brass Bluegill Meritorious Awards. All three awardees have established outstanding local programs that exemplify the goals of Fish Iowa!. 

Mat Daniels has been involved with Fish Iowa! for four years. He works with 150 students each year and uses the Fish Iowa! curriculum with at-risk students in the Passages Program. Daniels applied for and was granted Fish Iowa! as a curricular choice at his school. It is a nine week course and upon completion students get an elective “Fish Iowa!” credit on their transcript. Daniels says “I believe that fishing is something students can take with them forever.”

Laura DeCook has been involved with Fish Iowa! for eighteen years. She has coordinated fishing and aquatic programs for school field trips, public fishing events, and youth day camps. She also instructs in-class programs relating to aquatics and fishing. Always an advocate of the Fish Iowa! curriculum, DeCook trains and mentors teachers and naturalists wishing to become involved in Fish Iowa!.

Greg Wolf has been involved with Fish Iowa! for twelve years. He started the “Family Learn-How-To-Fish Day” in Davenport.  This day encourages families to discover the excitement of fishing in an urban city. The event is held at Vander Veer Botanical Park Lagoon. Several stations are set up for families to learn different aspects of fishing including: fly tying, casting, water safety, and pole maintenance, among others. Families are also allowed to fish in the lagoon.

All three recipients began fishing at a young age with family members. Their early exposure to the outdoors stirred a lifelong passion that all three have chosen to share with Iowa’s youth. While all three awardees have different programs, they share a commonality of passion for the sport of fishing, and a true desire to see today’s youth given a chance carry on the tradition. Their programs ensure that children will have the chance and opportunity to explore nature, develop a love of the outdoors, and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Fish Iowa! strives to create safe anglers and responsible stewards of Iowa’s aquatic resources. Fish Iowa! is supported by Sportfish Restoration Funds, which are obtained from excise taxes paid on fishing tackle and related items and fishing license dollars.

Media Contact: Barb Gigar, Education and Outreach, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 641-747-2200.