Richard Kiessel, a resident of Crawford County, who was Michigan's 2007 Hunter Education Volunteer Instructor of the Year, was selected as a national finalist for the 21st Annual Winchester Volunteer Hunter Education Instructor of the Year Award.

Kiessel was recognized for this honor by Winchester Ammunition and the International Hunter Education Association during the IHEA annual conference last month in Fairview Heights, Ill. Winchester's top award went to Walter Norton of Texas. Ricky Moss of Alabama also was selected as a finalist. Kiessel was selected for this international award out of consideration of more than 70,000 volunteer instructors across North America.

This is the second time Michigan has had a finalist. Jim Delaney of Oakland County was a finalist for the award in 2006.

A hunter education instructor since 1974, Kiessel is a retired public school teacher from Wayne County who first started teaching hunter education in a school gymnasium while he was still a teacher. He and his wife now live east of Grayling in the heart of Michigan's Kirtland's warbler habitat.

Kiessel is the volunteer instructor coordinator for Crawford, Oscoda and Roscommon counties. An avid outdoorsman, he is a member of several natural resources and sportsmen's organizations. He is the community service coordinator for the Mio Moose Family Center, where he regularly teaches a hunter education course. He is a former "Moose of the Year" winner for his volunteer hunter education efforts.

"Richard Kiessel is more than just a volunteer hunter education instructor," said Sgt. Kevin Davis, northern Michigan hunter education field coordinator for the DNR, who submitted Kiessel's nomination for the national award. "He is an ambassador of the conservation education message with a legacy of demonstrated leadership and dedication."