Bass Pro names top conservation partners of 2011

Springfield-based outdoor retailer Bass Pro Shops has named its 2011 Conservation Partners of the Year.

During the company's annual Christmas luncheon Dec. 23, Bass Pro founder Johnny Morris presented the awards to Bob Ziehmer, director of the Missouri Department of Conservation, and Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing, according to a news release.

Ziehmer, who took the reins of the conservation department in January 2010, is the eighth director in the department's 75-year history.

“All of us at Bass Pro Shops are proud to honor Bob and the Missouri Department of Conservation for everything they have done for all of us as Missourians to protect our right to hunt and fish as well as for their conservation efforts that help protect the wildlife and their habitat,” Morris said in the release.

Childress, a former NASCAR driver, leads NASCAR team Richard Childress Racing, which has won championships 12 times. He also serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association and the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation.

“I have had some great times sitting around a campfire with (Childress) on hunting trips and during that time discovered the true heart this man has for conservation,” Morris added in the release.

Past recipients of the award include Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association, Rob Keck of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Jeff Trandahl of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and John Hoskins of the Missouri Department of Conservation.[[In-content Ad]]