Dickerson honored for conservation work

Dena Dickerson

The Mississippi Wildlife Federation has named Dena Dickerson of Clinton as the 2010 Conservationist of the Year as a tribute to her wide-ranging conservation accomplishments. She received the MWF Eagle Trophy.

Dickerson is an environmental biologist with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg. She works with whales, manatees, tortoises and snakes, but the majority of her work has been with sea turtles. She is currently working on a turtle conservation project with Chevron in Western Australia.

She began her ERDC career as a contract student in the Environmental Laboratory.

She earned her master’s in environmental biology at Mississippi College and taught biology and chemistry at Clinton High School.  Conservation officials said Dickerson’s educational influences and expertise in the field have rescued and protected innumerable animals and reptiles through the years, resulting in the well-deserved title as Conservationist of the Year.

Only the fifth woman to receive the award since its 1960 inception, Dickerson said it was an honor because she was nominated and chosen by her peers.