DFG News Release

Welch named 2007 Statewide Hunter Education Instructor of the Year

Robin Welch of Mountain View is the recipient of The 2007 California Hunter Education Instructor of the Year award. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) annually recognizes one instructor for the exceptional service he provides to young hunters. Instructors are nominated by their fellow instructors to receive the prestigious award. Welch received the award March 15, 2008 at the annual Volunteer Hunter Instructor Training Conference at Santa Margarita Ranch in San Luis Obispo.

“Robin Welch is one of the finest examples of the 720 volunteer employees working for the hunter education program,” said Captain Roy Griffith, State Hunter Education Program Administrator. “He inspires others and is recognized by his peers for the exceptional work he does. Robin is a joy to work with and exemplifies the spirit and dedication these volunteers have to California’s hunting heritage, the conservation of resources and the protection of species.”

Welch was nominated by the Pacific Coast Hunter Education Association (PCHEA). Several other candidates also merited serious consideration by PCHEA directors but Welch stood out as most appropriate recipient for the honor.

“Robin is an outstanding role model for all hunters and if you ask him, the only challenge he believes he has, is being able to shoot straight and making that one shot a clean kill," said PCHEA President Jim Sanchez.

Welch began as a volunteer DFG Certified Hunter Education Instructor in 1983. He is now part of a team that teaches classes at Reed’s Indoor Range in Santa Clara County. Welch usually teaches three to five classes per year and volunteers every year at the hunter education booth at the San Mateo International Sportsman Exposition. His wife, Thalia, is supportive of his choice to teach hunter education.

Welch has worked with more than 1,500 students and fellow instructors in the hunter education program teaching them game laws, standards of fair chase and emphasizing ethics and respect for the environment.

While serving as a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, Welch suffered an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. The disability did not stop him from pursuing his favorite pastimes of hunting and fishing. In 1971, he earned his Ph.D. in Wildland Resource Science from the School of Forestry and Conservation at the University of California, Berkeley.

Welch has received a Certificate of Appreciation and a Director’s Achievement Award from DFG. He holds the title of Distinguished Instructor under the Hunter Education Master Instructor Program.

Individuals interested in becoming a volunteer hunter education instructor should contact DFG Captain Roy Griffith at (916) 653-9727, or rgriffith@dfg.ca.gov.