By Sapna Pathak
Staff Writer

Timothy Carey releases one of his ducks, which number close to a dozen, at the pond near his home. Carey, winner of the state Fish and Game Youth Conservationist Award, gathers his ducks to feed there each morning. (Hooksett Banner/Bruce Preston)

Two years ago, Carol Carey made a three-year commitment for the sake of her son’s passion.

Now 16, Timothy Carey has taken full advantage of that commitment and has no plans on stopping. On April 22, Carey was honored with the first-ever New Hampshire Youth Conservationist Award given by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

Carey was nominated by his mother in December, who kept the fact he won a secret until March before surprising him with the good news.

“I didn’t want to tell him I even nominated him,” said Carol Carey. “He’s not into bragging about it, but I’m a mother and of course I want him to be recognized for all he’s accomplished.”

In the past few years Carey has become heavily involved in teaching other children about the importance of conserving natural resources.

Through hands-on, interactive presentations, Carey is opening the eyes of Granite State youths about the wondrous outdoors.

Dr. Judy Silverberg, PhD, is the wildlife educations program supervisor at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. She said Carey’s contributions have gone above and beyond the award’s criteria.

“He’s done so much to spread the word on wildlife and working with youth,” said Silverberg. “He allows youth to see other youths in leadership roles, and his volunteer work and true love for what he’s doing are evident.”

When Carey was in sixth grade his love for animals prompted him to enter a contest to write an essay on saving endangered species. Carey won the contest, earning his mother and him a trip to Los Angeles for what proved to be a life-changing getaway for Carey.

Visiting the Los Angeles Zoo and seeing a live Wild Kingdom presentation were among the events that heightened and solidified Carey’s desire to take his interest in conservation to the next level.

When he returned to his Hooksett home, Carey began speaking to groups at the Hopkinton Library and the Little Nature Museum. Soon after, he spread his presentations to public schools.

When the home-schooled Carey turned 14, his mother found a program calling for adults who would volunteer once a week for nine months and sign on for a three-year stint to educate themselves on conservation.

“I called them and told them about Timothy,” said Carol Carey. “I said I would sign up if he could come with me because he was the one with the real passion. We were thankful they went out on a limb for us.”

When Carey isn’t reaching out to youngsters, he’s tending to his duck farm. Yes, Carey is the proud owner of over 10 ducks and a few geese to go with them. He admitted it’s a lot of work, but he loves his ducks like they’re part of the family.

Being home schooled gives both Carol and Timothy the freedom to build his curriculum around what he loves. This past May, Carey and his family took a vacation to one of Hawaii’s most private islands.

Carey’s favorite part of the trip was going on a five-day hike with his father and brothers. He said his favorite vacation spot is heading to Washington County in Maine to hike its cliffs.

While Carey’s older and younger brothers generally get involved in outdoor activities to spend time with their father, Carey said he does it truly because he loves being outside. Getting in that extra father-son time is a bonus.

Carey aspires to make a career out of all this. Later this summer he will work on exploring those possibilities.

For now, Carey said he’s got his hands full.

“It’s so nice getting recognized for it,” said Carey. “But I just want to let people know what’s out there and what to protect. We can’t save everything and I know buildings need to be built, but there’s gotta be some areas for people to enjoy, too.”