Keith Saucier, 1st Vice President of Louisiana Wildlife Federation (LWF), passed away on Saturday after a battle with cancer. Many of our members may have worked with Keith when he was LWF President in 2000 and 2001. You may have known him through his various leadership roles for LWF since joining the LWF board in 1991. Keith was an effective volunteer, a thoughtful colleague and a champion for wildlife and habitat conservation and protection. He was LWF’s strongest advocate for the state’s acquisition of Elmer’s Island, making it available for recreation and insuring its preservation for the future. Most recently he was LWF’s leading voice to protect the Artificial Reef Development Fund, urging LWF to take action. While his passion for saltwater fishing was an obvious motivation for the projects he worked on, he was equally interested in preserving all wildlife. For example, Keith led a project over several years to distribute more than 1,000 bluebird boxes around Ascension Parish after joining East Ascension Sportsman League’s (EASL) board of directors in 1989. He served as EASL president in 1993 and 1994 and remained on the EASL board through 2015. For both organizations, he consistently volunteered to chair committees and organize events. There were many issues and volunteer efforts Keith was engaged with – too many to list here. Our condolences to his wife, Cindy, and his family. We hope they know many of us in the Wildlife Federation family at the national, state and local level appreciated his contributions. Keith cared about the preservation and success of Louisiana Wildlife Federation and East Ascension Sportsman’s League because he believed in helping citizens have a voice in managing our resources and encouraging people’s enjoyment of being outdoors. He lived his values about protecting our environment and he will be deeply missed.
-Rebecca Triche, LWF Executive Director
(Photo of Ken Dancak, LWF President for 2011, presenting Keith Saucier with the President’s Cup for outstanding service to LWF in 2011)