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Cheryl Rodriguez, Fiscal Officer for the Office of Conservation Investment, was recently announced as the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s 2024 Natural Resource Professional of the Year. The honor is awarded to individuals who have excelled in efforts to enhance, conserve, and manage Arizona’s wildlife or their habitats.
Rodriguez has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for over 14 years in the Southwest Region supporting state fish and wildlife agencies in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. In her position as a Fiscal Officer in the Office of Conservation Investment, Rodriguez oversees the management and allocation of federal funds and ensures compliance with financial regulations. “Our fiscal officers are vital in the delivery of federal funds to state fish and wildlife agency partners,” said Cliff Schleusner, Southwest Regional Manager for the Office of Conservation Investment. “Thanks to the expertise and dedication that Cheryl and her colleagues bring to their role these funds are distributed to support state level fish and wildlife management, clean water efforts, and outdoor access.”
Two principal funding sources overseen by Rodriguez are the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration funds. Funded through a federal excise tax on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing tackle, and a small engine tax, the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration funds have supported state and territory fish and wildlife agency conservation efforts for over 80 years. The Arizona Game and Fish Department, like other state fish and wildlife agencies across the country, use these funds to monitor and manage wild mammals and birds, stock sport fish into waterways, provide hunter and aquatic education, and maintain Wildlife Management Areas for public outdoor access and habitat management. In 2025, the Arizona Game and Fish Department received $24.8 million in Wildlife Restoration funds and $8.3 million in Sport Fish Restoration funding. This combined $33 million is approximately 1/3 of the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s annual operating budget.
Each year, Rodriguez works closely with Arizona Game and Fish Department staff to ensure that annually awarded federal funds are properly used and managed in accordance with federal laws. “Cheryl and her staff are integral partners ensuring that the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program funds make it to the states,” said Marianne Cox, Chief of the Director's Office of Compliance and Strategies at the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “We like to think she gives us extra special attention here in Arizona, but we know that she treats all of ‘her states’ with special care and consideration and is a consummate professional and sets the standard for exceptional customer service.”
As part of the exceptional customer service Rodriguez was recognized for, she frequently provides technical support to federal grants administration staff at Arizona Game and Fish helping staff to understand federal grant regulations, reporting requirements, and best practices for managing funds to ensure programs are meeting requirements and remain eligible to receive future Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funds. “She helps our Department to navigate the federal funding landscape and align our financial strategies with broader national conservation goals,” adds Cox. “This partnership helps the Department to ensure that internal controls are in place to protect public funds and ensure they are used for the purpose of conserving and managing wildlife and providing recreation opportunities across the state.”
Thanks to a variety of habitats across the state, Arizona is one of the most biologically diverse states in the nation. The partnership between the Office of Conservation Investment and the Arizona Game and Fish Department has enabled conservation and stewardship efforts that benefit some of the state’s most iconic species like Gambel’s quail, mule deer, and the Apache trout. Wildlife restoration funds also support facilities like the Ben Avery Shooting Facility, one of the largest publicly operated target shooting ranges in the country.
“The work Cheryl does to administer grants and support compliance turns federal funds into effective and tangible conservation results that benefit wildlife and people,” added Schleusner. “I think it really speaks to the caliber of Cheryl’s work that a partner organization would take the time to recognize her, we look forward to many more conservation achievements and milestones coming from our state agency partnerships.”
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