Santel, 39, earned the award for his lengthy undercover investigation of the illegal killing of endangered species, specifically tigers, leopards, snow leopards and the commercialization of their meat, hides and other body parts. The investigation, dubbed ?Operation Snow Plow,? lasted more than six years, covered more than six states and resulted in the conviction of all 17 defendants (16 individuals and one business) charged with violating several federal wildlife protection laws. Combined, the defendants? sentences have resulted in 80 months in federal prison, 52 months home detention, 2,200 hours of community service, $75,000 in fines and $226,000 in restitution to the Fish and Wildlife Federation's Save the Tiger Fund.

?The deterrent affect of the convictions and the massive publicity surrounding this case is immeasurable,? said Nicholas Chavez, assistant special agent in charge at the Services Midwest regional headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn. ?This is a huge honor for Tim and for our special agents,? said Chavez, noting that previous NAWEOA Officer of the Year recipients have been conservation officers from either U.S. states, or Canadian provinces.

Santel will receive his award at the association's annual conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in July. Founded in 1980, NAWEOA is a professional organization for wildlife and fisheries enforcement officers with 8,000 members in the United States and Canada.

?I learned an awful lot during Snow Plow,? said Santel, ?The hardest part was maintaining the momentum of the investigation throughout an extremely long process. I was away from my family for lengthy periods and that was stressful both emotionally, and physically. But, Snow Plow also taught me how to balance my family life and my life as a special agent, which is what anyone in this business has to learn if they?re going to be successful in both areas.?

Oddly enough, Santel's first job in government had nothing to do with enforcing wildlife protection laws. After earning a BS degree in wildlife science from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, the Illinois native went to work as a microbiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in St. Louis. He joined the Service as a wildlife inspector in Boston in 1989. Two years later, he transferred to his home state of Illinois as a wildlife biologist at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge near Carbondale, Ill. Shortly thereafter, he decided to enter law enforcement.

?I became frustrated by seeing too many wrong things happening to the environment, things that were bad for endangered species and other wildlife. As a biologist, all I could do about it was write memos and send them up the chain.? Santel said. ?I?m a results oriented person and I knew that becoming a special agent was going to allow me to make a difference and get results that I couldn?t achieve as a biologist.?

The success of Operation Snow Plow is still keeping Santel busy. ?Because of the publicity we?ve received on this case I get calls from officers all over the country who are involved in similar endangered species investigations. Somehow, I?ve become an authority on tigers.?