Christine Thomas, associate dean of the College of Natural Resources and professor of resource management at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, was inducted into the (Milwaukee) Journal Sentinel Sports Show Hall of Fame last week.

Thomas received the Hall of Fame�s Conservation Award, given for outstanding contributions to the environment, outdoor preservation or conservation.

In addition to her role as a university educator, Thomas is the founder of Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, a program that teaches women outdoor skills. The nationally recognized program sponsors three-day workshops and seeks to break down barriers to women who want to participate in outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting and camping.

"I am especially honored to receive this award because others whom I admire so much, such as Dean Dan Trainer and former Governor Warren Knowles, have received this ahead of me," Thomas said.

Beginning in 1980, Thomas worked as an assistant to Trainer, an emeritus dean of the College of Natural Resources (CNR), after earning a master�s degree at UWSP. She holds a bachelor�s degree from Central Michigan University and a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and became the first female full professor in the CNR in 1989.

Thomas has received numerous awards, including the UWSP Excellence in Teaching award and Outstanding Faculty Member in the CNR, both in 1992. National recognitions include the National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award and the Budweiser Outdoorsman of the Year. She recently became a member of the prestigious Boone and Crockett Club, serves on the board of directors of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and is secretary of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Foundation Board.

Her book "Becoming an Outdoorswoman�My Outdoor Adventure" was published by Falcon Press, Helena, Mont., in 1997.

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