Provo, UT. —  Daryl Lutz, Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies Wild Sheep Initiative Coordinator, received the prestigious Phillip W. Schneider Lifetime Achievement Award at the WAFWA 2025 Summer meeting. “This award is presented to an individual who has made outstanding achievements on behalf of the resource, and Daryl has done that exceedingly well for our wild sheep resources,” said Kevin Hurley, Vice President of Conservation Emeritus of the Wild Sheep Foundation. 

“This award is presented to an individual who has made outstanding achievements on behalf of the resource, and Daryl has done that exceedingly well for our wild sheep resources,” said Kevin Hurley, Vice President of Conservation Emeritus of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “He has served all WAFWA members and far beyond with his leadership addressing needs and opportunities under the Wild Sheep Initiative.” 

 Daryl started with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in 1990 as a habitat biologist in southwest Wyoming. From there, Daryl worked as a wildlife biologist and Wildlife Management Coordinator around the state and currently serves as co-chair of Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Bighorn Sheep Working Group.

“In his role as Wild Sheep Initiative Coordinator, Daryl organizes and communicates wild sheep management needs across all the WAFWA jurisdictions,” added Hurley. “This includes providing leadership on test-and-remove actions, annual population status reports, harvest strategies and results, and much more.”

Daryl has worked closely with the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) for many years and serves as an Ex-Officio member of WSF’s Professional Resource Advisory Board.

“We are thrilled to see Daryl’s decades of work recognized with this award,” offered Gray N. Thornton, President and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. “Daryl has been and remains a great advocate for wild sheep, and we greatly appreciate all his efforts.”

The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), based in Bozeman, Mont., was founded in 1977 by sportsmen and other wild sheep conservationists. WSF is the premier advocate for wild sheep, having raised and expended more than $145 million, positively impacting these species through population and habitat enhancements, research and education, and conservation advocacy programs in North America, Europe, and Asia "To Put and Keep Wild Sheep On the Mountain”. In North America, these and other efforts have increased bighorn sheep populations from historic lows in the 1950s-60s of 25,000 to more than 85,000 today. WSF has a membership of more than 11,000 worldwide. 

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