The Richard J. Guadagno Memorial Scholarship Fund was created to honor the memory of Rich Guadagno, a passenger on the hijacked flight that crashed in Western Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.

Guadagno worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 17 years and served as the Refuge Manager for the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. He devoted his life to the conservation of natural resources. The Scholarship Fund was established in tribute to Rich Guadagno’s legacy and is supported by contributions from the Guadagno family and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2011, NFWF announced a $10,000 challenge grant through which it will match private contributions made to the Fund.

Since the Fund's inception, 27 scholarships totaling $35,500 have been awarded to undergraduate and graduate students attending Humboldt State University and/or The College of the Redwoods who have demonstrated a keen interest in wildlife biology and natural resource conservation. The annual scholarship awards range from $250 to $2,000.

Awards are made on the basis of academic achievement, introductory and support letters, a concise description of the scope and importance of proposed work, and plans to share results. Preference is given to projects located on or otherwise benefitting the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Humboldt Bay, or the surrounding watershed. In 2012, one graduate and three undergraduate awards were made to provide support for studies that included Sudden Oak Death impacts on wildlife, vector-based disease ecology in fishers and ringtails, engaging disadvantaged youth in urban creek restoration, and course work in natural resource planning and interpretation.

A complete listing of scholarships awarded to date may be accessed here.

Donors may send contributions to:

Richard J. Guadagno Memorial Scholarship Fund
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
1133 Fifteenth Street, NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005

Or donate online here.