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Hardaswick Named Refuge Officer of Year

Amanda Hardaswick

LAUREL, Md. - Amanda Hardaswick, originally from Oxford, was named the 2009 Refuge Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, northeast region.  

Officer Hardaswick '07, currently assigned to the Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland, was honored by her peers and management for her proactive approach to refuge law enforcement at one of the most challenging stations in the region. 

Nancy Morrissey, deputy refuge manager, said Officer Harda-swick is an exemplary officer who puts her heart and soul into her job. 

Gary Andres, regional chief for the Office of Refuge Law Enforcement for the northeast region, said Officer Hardaswick is the first woman and youngest person to receive this award. 

Officer Hardaswick began her career with the service as a law enforcement intern through the Student Career Experience Program. She was assigned to the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which consists of nine individual wildlife refuges. 

As a double major at Unity College in Maine, Officer Hardaswick received bachelor of science degrees in conservation law enforcement and wildlife conservation.  

She was assigned to the Patuxent Research Refuge in March 2008 after completing federal law enforcement training.