U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Fall 2011 FishFish && WildlifeWildlife NewsNews
Service Spotlight Conserving the future ConferenCe honor the past, plan for the Future / 6 Next Step: implementation / 9 And more... what’s inside
Departments From the Director / 1 News / 2 Around the Service / 20 Fish tales / 26 our people / 28
Features Service Spotlight honor the past, plan for the Future / 6 Conserving the Future conference engages thousands in Madison and far beyond
by martha nudel And more...
preserving Beauty in the Deep / 16 The search for Hawaiian coral reef management options in a changing climate
by deanna sPooner
FielD joUrNAl editors’ note: Publication of this edition A girl and a Wolf pack / 18 of Fish & Wildlife News was delayed What I learned from spending a day in order to include coverage of the with the wolves national Wildlife refuge system’s vision conference. by roya mogadam
on the cover: Fall cypress trees in Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Mississippi. flickr / creative commons license / frank Peters from the director
relevant, resilient and relentlessly Focused: The Future of the Service
hroughout its history, the Fish and Wildlife Service shared science capacities with our partners in a thas been successful because it has been relevant, national network of Landscape Conservation resilient and relentlessly focused on the resource. Cooperatives. Through two world wars, the Great Depression and the transformation of American society in the postwar This vision will be reflected in our budget, in the work years, we have continually remade our agency to we do and in our training programs. You will hear respond to changing conservation challenges. more in the coming months about how we are beginning to take a strategic approach to the Service Now, the global challenges we face, as well as the budget, linking funding decisions to explicit biological current economic climate in which we operate, outcomes, and identifying representative species that demand that we again reinvent our organization to we believe will be the best indicators of these realize the vision I strongly believe we all share for outcomes. the Fish and Wildlife Service — to become an increasingly effective, relevant, science-driven The Conserving the Future document, which organization that will accomplish the Service’s mission Secretary Salazar and I signed at Pelican Island a few as never before. weeks ago, envisions a refuge system transformed by these principles. The vision it sets forth, which you When I speak about making our organization can read about in this issue, will help us create an relevant, I mean several things. First, we need to increasingly relevant, resilient and focused refuge recognize that America is changing — becoming more system. urban, more diverse, and less physically connected to the outdoors. As a result, it is increasingly difficult Secretary Salazar shares our vision and is challenging for many Americans to understand why conservation us to breathe new life and vision into landscape is relevant to their lives. They need to feel that what conservation. He knows, as do we, that our best work we do affects them personally — whether it’s by often occurs where the Service is the catalyst for providing recreational opportunities, or by conservation work on a broader scale than we could demonstrating the connection between healthy accomplish working individually. Projects like the wildlife habitat and a healthy economy. Dakota Grasslands and Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Areas, and the proposed new Relevancy is also tied to our efforts to make the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Service, and its culture, more inclusive and diverse. Conservation Area are the centerpieces of the We must change with America by bringing new voices Secretary’s vision for America’s Great Outdoors, and and ideas into the agency and finding new ways to its emphasis on partnership-driven conservation. reach out to nontraditional audiences. The largest barrier to this transformation is our own We must increase our focus on resources by setting past success. Many will point to this success and ask, clear biological priorities and pursuing them “Why do we need to change?” We must change relentlessly, by putting our resources where the because America itself is changing. As Rachel Carson science tells us they will do the most good. We must once wrote, “Like the resource it seeks to protect, have the greatest impact possible — which requires wildlife conservation must be dynamic, changing as us to leverage our resources and work with state conditions change, seeking always to become more agencies and other key partners. effective.”
We must continue to develop and employ the Service’s And I’ll end with one more quote, this one from science capacity, making resource management Mother Teresa: “Life is a challenge. Meet it.” I decisions driven by the best available scientific intend to, and if history is any window to the future, information. In order to accomplish that, we will so will the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. invest in the expertise of our employees and build
fall 2011 Fish & Wildlife News / 1 news
catalyzing Bird conservation: the Neotropical Migratory Bird conservation Act
arlier this year, the service enforcement and community results of the u.s.-mexico With the most recent grant, eawarded more than $4.3 million outreach and education. By law, grasslands partnership include: partners will conduct grassland in grants for projects supporting at least 75 percent of the money bird research and monitoring in neotropical migratory bird goes to projects in latin america, n long-term wintering bird mexico to inform conservation conservation throughout the the caribbean and canada, while research and monitoring to and management of high-priority Western hemisphere, funded the remaining 25 percent goes develop the first population wintering grassland bird species. under the neotropical migratory to projects in the united states. baseline for birds in regional they also will conduct training in Bird conservation act. chihuahuan grasslands. mexico to build local capacity for among the projects that grassland bird conservation and matched by more than $15.1 received fiscal year 2011 grants n community outreach, including in colorado to educate students million in additional funds from is the u.s.-mexico grasslands demonstration grazing projects and teachers about grassland partners, the projects will conservation Project, the longest- and workshops, to train biologists birds and habitat. support habitat restoration, running act-funded initiative. and give livestock producers, environmental education, this partnership has leveraged range managers and population monitoring and other more than $2.1 million in grants conservationists the tools they activities within the ranges of with nearly $7 million in partner need to enhance habitat for usf Ws neotropical migratory birds in matches to support habitat grassland birds. the united states, canada, protection and bird population mexico and 13 latin american recovery efforts on tens of n new public-private alliances and caribbean countries. thousands of acres from the that focus on grasslands rocky mountain front to the conservation research and neotropical migratory birds chihuahua desert. monitoring and growing the breed in canada and the united conservation capacity of states during summer and spend partners. the winter in mexico, central america, south america or the (Below) the neotropical act grant helps to conserve the southern cone region’s caribbean islands. the more grasslands. (right) Brewers sparrows are among the more than 300 bird species that than 340 species of neotropical benefit from grants made through the act. migratory birds include plovers, terns, hawks, cranes, warblers and sparrows. the populations of many of these birds are presently nternational in decline, and several species are currently protected as threatened or endangered under
the endangered species act. / Birdlife i al Parera ni B a the neotropical migratory Bird conservation act of 2000 — or neotrop act — established a matching grants program to fund projects promoting neotropical migratory bird conservation in the united states, canada, latin america and the caribbean. funds may be used to protect, research, monitor and manage bird populations and habitat, as well as to conduct law
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American recovery and reinvestment Act Funds Successfully another long-running and obligated by the Service successful neotrop act-funded project is the southern cone grasslands alliance, which has united farmers, researchers, conservationists, rural and urban residents, and government agencies to conserve critical and increasingly threatened grassland habitat in south america. (left): Willapa nWr ycc crew members dig a hole for a new art installation on the salmon trail at refuge headquarters. (middle): more than $633,000 in neotrop new energy efficient administrative and visitor center for the eastern massachusetts nWr complex at the assabet river refuge in act funding and $2.6 million in sudbury, mass. (right): the service is using american recovery and reinvestment act of 2009 funds to construct and install tornado partner contributions have shelters at refuges in the mountain-Prairie region. supported this large-scale, multi- national initiative. Partnership accomplishments include: he u.s. fish and Wildlife entities. the projects include “We look forward to continued T service met its goals for critical infrastructure job creation and infrastructure n Best management practices obligating funds received as part improvements and repairs, development through arra. that show private landowners of the american recovery and habitat restoration, energy from local contractors to service how to help conserve the region’s reinvestment act (arra). efficiency and renewable energy. workers across this nation, the grasslands. the work has proven to be a win- dedicated team effort to help the u.s. department of the win situation for the service and stimulate our nation’s economy n landowner incentives funded interior received $3 billion in communities across america. is benefiting people and wildlife,” with a $750,000 donation from the arra funding when President said ashe. inter-american development. Barack obama signed the “the stimulus contract means legislation into law in february of survival for our business and our for a full list of funded n Bank for farmers and cattle 2009. of that amount $280 million lives,” said craig Joiner of Joiner projects nationwide, go to the ranchers who conserve went to the service. all of this construction whose california department’s recovery Website grasslands habitats. funding has been distributed small business received arra at
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the Service’s Strategic plan for international conservation
during the first year of the international affairs is now finalizing the plan. after compiling international conservation working to put this language plan components from Phase ii, strategic planning process together into a cohesive format the draft will be made available (Phase i), we sought to gather for the plan. focus groups in for review online. all service input from a wide variety of every service region and the employees will have a special stakeholders. through in-person Washington office emphasized 60-day review period via focus groups, stakeholder the need to coordinate and sharePoint before the plan is meetings and online feedback share activities and ideas on distributed to the public for forms, more than 70 organizations international conservation review. We want you to make this lobal issues are integral to and individuals provided within the service. With your your plan, and we encourage you Gour effectiveness in wildlife responses to structured help, we hope to increase our to read and comment on the draft. conservation and management. questions designed to identify collaboration across the service if you would like to be added to many foreign species are international conservation on international issues. the international conservation valuable to the american public threats, priorities and potential strategic planning e-mail list and for the contributions they make to actions. the meetings and online Whether you were a participant receive important updates about clean air, clean water and other forms engaged all service in one of our focus groups last the plan’s progress, please features we all depend on — and regions and the Washington year, or are just learning of this contact rachel Penrod at for their intrinsic value. migratory office, other federal and state effort, we continue to welcome
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Service launches National Survey on hunting, Fishing and Wildlife Watching
he u.s. fish and Wildlife to assure an unbiased Tservice’s Wildlife and sport representative sample of all fish restoration Program has u.s. households. data collected launched the 12th national is used for statistical purposes survey of fishing, hunting and only and no participant can be Wildlife-associated recreation. identified from information the survey supports information contained in the database and for the only comprehensive follow-up reports. statistical database available on participation and expenditures “Based on the household for hunting, fishing and wildlife- information, the census Bureau watching in all 50 states. as part will select a representative of the survey, the u.s. census sample of 19,000 sportspersons Bureau will contact 53,000 (anglers and hunters) and a households across america, sample of 10,000 wildlife primarily through telephone watchers (observers, interviews. photographers, and feeders) for detailed interviews about their “the last survey published in participation and expenditures 2006 revealed 87.5 million during 2011,” said sylvia cabrera, americans enjoyed some form the service’s chief of national of wildlife-related recreation survey. “therefore, these and spent more than $122.3 billion samples cannot be comprised of pursuing their activities,” said individuals asking to participate hannibal Bolton, assistant in the survey. for those director for the service’s Wildlife individuals who are selected, and sport fish restoration we greatly appreciate their the service’s last survey in 2006 revealed program. “the survey is a critical participation.” information resource for federal $87.5 million americans enjoyed some form and state wildlife agencies, Preliminary findings of this year’s outdoor and tourist industries, survey will be available in the of wildlife-related recreation and spent more local governments, planners, spring of 2012. the survey’s conservation groups, journalists results will be available in a than $122.3 billion in the process. and others interested in wildlife national report and in 50 and outdoor recreation.” individual state reports. final reports will be issued beginning the interviews began in april and in the fall of 2012. the reports, ran through June. a second round when completed, will be posted took place from september to at
fall 2011 Fish & Wildlife News / 5 oger smith / flickr gather toad: r ett / usf Ws ith sign: Jennifer Je W vision W girl future conference center orate ing: artists from alchemy W dra colla B connect ukauskas / usf Ws n ick n guide
interior secretary ken salazar, left; then-refuge chief greg siekeniec; and u.s. fish and Wildlife service Puddles, the refuge mascot, helps edit video footage from the director dan ashe, right, were among those who spoke at the Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the conference. Next Generation conference.
6 / Fish & Wildlife News fall 2011 Service Spotlight Plan for the future
Conserving the Future Conference Engages Thousands in Madison and Far Beyond
by martha nudel
Inside Spotlight... That theme — honoring the past, planning for the future — Next Step: implementation / 9 permeated the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center Passion speeds the process in Madison, Wisconsin, as 1,100 participants came together — thinking Big / 10 and many more tuned in virtually — for the July 11–14 Conserving Bold ideas lead to visionary document the future: Wildlife refuges and the next generation conference, Awe and inspiration / 11 where an invigorated vision for the national Wildlife refuge A team of 400 colleagues crafts the initial vision...and inspires System was ratified. one another along the way he conference was the culmination direction of the nation’s premier network Many hands Make light[er] tof more than a year of deliberations, of public lands devoted to wildlife Work / 12 planning, online and face-to-face conservation. For the first time in Refuge The voices of partners explain discussions, the submission of 239 bold System history, much of the discussion why, more than ever, no one ideas online, and thousands of comments took place online and on such social can do it alone. and votes about the future of the media sites as Facebook and Twitter. 150-million-acre Refuge System. Why Now? / 14 The conference was one of the “greenest” A changing world calls for The Conserving the Future vision in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s enhancing our foundation underscores the importance of building history. It was held in a facility that has and expanding partnerships — working won accolades for its environmental right Brain thinking / 15 together with other federal agencies, design. In addition, the Service worked Creativity and Conserving states, tribes, conservation organizations with The Conservation Fund’s “Go Zero” the Future and citizens. program to offset the carbon created in traveling to the conference — and around And not since the Fulfilling the Promise Madison — by reforesting areas in the conference in Keystone, Colorado, in Lower Mississippi Valley. The conference 1998 had such a broad cross-section of also provided attendees with tools and stakeholders — from U.S. Fish and information to help them change their (above right) monona terrace Wildlife Service employees and own communities, including information community and convention center in representatives of state departments on renewal energy projects nationwide. madison, Wisconsin, helped make the of natural resources to Refuge Friends, conference one of the “greenest” sportsmen, wildlife enthusiasts and In addition to Interior Secretary Ken in the history of the service. partners — determined the future Salazar, four nationally acclaimed >>
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plan for the Future, continued from page 7 The lecture series offered opportunities journalists—writing stories, interviewing to hear nine presenters, including participants and creating on-the-spot figures from divergent backgrounds were Brinkley and Majora Carter, host of “The videos. Social media writers brought news among the major speakers. Retired Coast Promised Land,” a public radio show that from the conference to Facebook and Guard Admiral Thad Allen, national has won a Peabody Award. She founded Twitter sites. Photos were posted incident commander for the Deepwater the non-profit environmental justice regularly on Flickr. Horizon oil spill, spoke on the issue of solutions corporation, Sustainable South leadership. Rice University history Bronx, in 2001. Youth engagement was a hallmark of the professor and author Douglas Brinkley, conference. About 20 students — brought who recently wrote The Quiet World: Workshops brought into sharp focus such to the conference through a nationwide Saving Alaska’s Wilderness Kingdom, leading issues as the role of national nomination process — reported on what called the Refuge System a national wildlife refuges within Landscape they saw and heard. treasure. The challenge, he said, is to Conservation Cooperatives, which are make others understand. “If I tell my applied science partnerships; the use of “Ratification of the vision, which was regular buddies in Ohio that I want to save volunteers; youth sportsmen; green tools open to public comment for about 60 days, the whooping crane, they laugh at me. for wildlife refuges; citizen science; and was a major goal of the conference,” said If I show them whooping cranes and how building successful partnerships with Service Deputy Director Greg Siekaniec. majestic they are, they say, ‘We’ve got to private landowners, among others. “But it was not the only objective. save them.’ ” Cutting-edge technology engaged “We feel certain that people who attended Dr. Sylvia Earle, a former chief scientist participants thousands of miles away the conference — and joined us from every at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric from Madison. During the conference, corner of the nation — stand ready to Administration, now a National live streaming video was aired on the make the vision a reality. They will take Geographic explorer-in-residence, charged Conserving the Future Website,
National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones wowed attendees with a slideshow A Few choice Words of winning shots from his photographic career, in which he learned there’s “more the full Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation than one right answer.” The key to vision is available online at
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Now the Work Begins Next Step: Overall implementation of the Conserving the Future vision will be the work of the Executive Implementation Council, chaired by the chief of implementation the Refuge System and supported by the Refuge Passion speeds the process System Leadership Team, and a council coordinator, a full-time position within the Refuge System. Other deadlines are: mplementation of the Refuge System’s Conserving ithe Future vision is on the fast track. Charters have n A refined and final vision document was released been written for each of the three teams established during Secretary Salazar’s visit October 20 to Pelican by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe Island, the first national wildlife refuge. when he closed the Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Next Generation conference July 14. n The Conserving the Future charter, signed by Ashe, calls for developing an overall implementation Those teams will focus on strategically growing the strategy within 90 days of the vision document’s Refuge System, fleshing out details of an urban publication. The strategy will identify teams or wildlife refuge initiative and developing the next individuals tasked with implementing the generation of Refuge System leaders. The third document’s 24 recommendations — and deadlines team — the Leadership Development Council — was to get them done. charged by Ashe to build on the successful approach used to implement the leadership goals of Fulfilling n The Conserving the Future vision will be largely the Promise, the previous guiding vision of the implemented within the next five years, according to Refuge System. the charter. the ratified vision calls In chartering the strategic growth team, Ashe noted for an urban wildlife during his closing conference remarks, “We need a ellicciotto refuge initiative to P rapid, top-to-bottom review of current land acquisition
bring refuge system Jane projects. We need clear priorities and biological programs into at least 10 objectives in order to decide how many new projects cities in the near future. we can take on and how to select them.” some national wildlife refuges — like tualatin Calling the urban wildlife refuge initiative “exciting river national Wildlife and innovative,” Ashe said: “There are many refuge near Portland, important wildlife and habitat management oregon — already serve challenges in our vision for conserving the future. urban populations. We will not succeed in these endeavors unless we have strong support from a connected conservation constituency. People must be a key component in our conservation strategy.”
The initiative seeks to identify successful strategies Fast-track implementation is happening because of national wildlife refuges near cities like Denver, of a passion for progress evident throughout the Minneapolis, San Francisco, New Orleans and Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges and the Portland as the Refuge System works to expand Next Generation conference, July 11–14 in Madison, programs in at least 10 cities in the next few years. Wisconsin. Perhaps no one summarized the passion for conservation more succinctly than historian and Those who didn’t tune into the virtual conference writer Douglas Brinkley, who declared, “If I wasn’t a have a chance to relive the excitement by reading professor, I would want to be like you because of the stories on the Newswire or watching videos available integrity of the Fish and Wildlife Service. You on
fall 2011 Fish & Wildlife News / 9 Service Spotlight: ConServinG The fuTure ick Zuskauskas n thinking Big Bold ideas lead to visionary document
early 240 bold ideas were put forth, and they n gathered more than 10,000 comments. Over a 60-day public comment period last spring, the Conserving the Future draft vision document garnered 9,500 comments online at
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Awe and inspiration mcl eal n A team of 400 colleagues crafts the initial vision... and inspires one another along the way by karen leggett
Angler and author James Prosek said that preserving the diversity of fish and other wildlife is to “preserve the sources of our awe and inspiration.” That is precisely what national wildlife refuges are meant to do and what an invigorated vision should enable them to do better in the years ahead. five core teams, each with 12–15 members, conceptualized the vision that was ratified at the conference in madison, Wisconsin. here, conference he notion of preserving wildlife and We all learned how to “raise our hands” participants walk to the monona terrace twild lands as a source of awe and and engage in spirited but collegial community and conference center, inspiration motivated me and perhaps discussions during our weekly web-based with the Wisconsin capitol dome in the many U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conference calls. Every issue that would background. employees — 400 of us — to nominate later generate comment on the Conserving ourselves to be on a core team, charged the Future Website — such as diversity with drafting the first ideas and versions among staff and visitors, an urban The relevancy team—like most of a new vision to guide the Refuge System presence, a marketing campaign for others — held only two meetings in person for the next decade or so. Fulfilling the the Refuge System, more flexible to reduce our carbon footprint. Intense Promise: the National Wildlife Refuge interpretation of the Appropriate Use conversation and shared food — Wellington System guided much of the Refuge policy — received much debate among core chocolates, Alaskan moose jerky and a System’s work since 1999, but today, team members. Yet there was overarching homemade vegetarian feast — cemented as former Refuge Chief Greg Siekaniec agreement on the principle stated by relations that are sure to prove valuable noted, “new perspectives are needed essayist Curt Meine that “the land ethic long after a new vision is printed. to meet emerging challenges.” will need to embrace, and be embraced by, new constituencies.” We were constantly The 14 months from core team Each of five core teams had 12 to 15 searching for ever bolder ways to engage announcement to Conserving the Future members: Conservation Planning and those new constituencies while upholding conference proceeded with integrity, Design; Conservation Delivery; Inventory, the primacy of the Refuge System mission vitality, and, yes, serendipity. The vision Monitoring and Science; Relevance to a to protect wildlife and habitat. launched at the conference will be the Changing America; and Leadership and Refuge System’s contribution, at this Organizational Excellence. I was Although we had been told not to worry moment in time, to the social evolution struck by the diversity of our relevance too much about “wordsmithing” our of a land ethic and a continuing ability team — younger people relatively new to recommendations, we did precisely that, to preserve the sources of awe and the Refuge System alongside those who and then expressed both angst and inspiration. had helped draft Fulfilling the Promise, appreciation with each new version of the Service employees with expertise in document. We combed through online karen leggett, refuge system Branch of endangered species, coastal programs, comments and bold ideas, suggested communications, was a member of the relevancy construction, visitor services, modifications and generated a significant core team. environmental education and refuge list of useful ways to implement management. recommendations.
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Many hands Make light[er] Work The voices of partners explain why, more than ever, no one can do it alone. by evan hirsche a new vision for the refuge System could not have been accomplished without the involvement and input of partners. national and local partners played a vital role in Conserving the future: Wildlife refuges and the next generation. in submitting ideas through the Website,
merica has changed significantly in An increasingly urbanized nation athe past 100 years, and issues like of over 300 million citizens puts global climate change will continue to new pressures on the NWRS. Our vision threaten biodiversity and challenge for the System includes commitments conservation professionals for decades. to effective and active management. This is happening at a time when federal, A ‘hands off’ approach no longer works it takes a village. social state and private budgets for wildlife for these islands of conserved habitat. It is media outlets like twitter conservation are tightening, requiring a also vital that FWS partner with refuge and facebook allowed renewed look at how wildlife conservation neighbors so the ‘islands’ aren’t isolated. hundreds to submit their success is achieved collaboratively across The Service must be a good neighbor with A bold ideas for conserving broader landscapes. Weaving state, states, adjacent landowners, sportsmen the future of refuges. the private and federal conservation resources and other NWRS users to ensure broader ‘hands off’ conversation contined together will be paramount for Conserving conservation of fish and wildlife.” through and beyond the the Future. approach conference. — Bill horn, u.s. sportsmen’s alliance The final Conserving the Future vision no longer document was informed by the input of many individuals and organizations; its My vision is that the Service and works for implementation will depend, as never NWRS serve as focal points for before, on the investment of partners. expanding the individual and collective these Read what these partners said in the commitment of our nation’s citizens to AmericasWildlife.org blog: wildlife conservation. A key question is, islands of ‘How can we inspire more Americans to commit to passing the legacy of conserved conservation forward?’” habitat...” — dale hall, ducks unlimited; former director, evan hirsche, President, national Wildlife refuge u.s. fish and Wildlife service association
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Making it real. the role of partner organizations and state fish and wildlife agencies was critical in the formulation of a reinvigorated vision for the national Wildlife refuge system. conceptual artists with alchemy captured the broad array of partners and the concepts discussed in their daily renditions of the conference. (created by Jessica townsend teague/alchemy)
Expanding into new landscapes The National Environmental Education also improves the NWRs’ ability to enhance Foundation is working with health care youth education and conservation outreach ‘Nature Champions’ who can bring the message of the programs. With President Obama’s America’s Great critical importance of time outdoors to hundreds of Outdoors Initiative and First Lady Michelle their colleagues — and hundreds of thousands of Obama’s Let’s Move Outside program, America has patients. Imagine the impact of every refuge having already taken critical steps toward improving an outdoor education center where health care outdoor education and the inherent values that professionals, parents and naturalists work to get experiencing nature, fish and wildlife present. Our kids outside.” children are the future of coldwater conservation and we urge the NWR System to be ever more available to — kate WinterBottom, national environmental TU’s youth programs and other appropriate education foundation educational opportunities.” Each refuge has the — anderson smith, trout unlimited As we go forward in the future of conservation, we know that we’re going to be facing a lot of challenges, perhaps even more than we have in the potential to Just as the National Wildlife Refuge System past. We think about habitat loss, contaminate issues, is the backbone of conservation lands in the climate change issues and water quality and contribute United States, Friends groups are the backbone of quantity [issues]…the Refuge System will play an public support for national wildlife refuges. We bring important role as we address these challenges.” far more expertise of all kinds to this effort. We are former value military, biologists, engineers and technology — steve Williams, Wildlife management institute; former director, experts, business people, educators, non-profit sector u.s. fish and Wildlife service staff and volunteers. We range from seasoned than the organizers and outreach strategists to new faces and hands.... Our different perspective is a source of Each refuge has the potential to contribute sum of its richness and strength that will create more effective far more value than the sum of its acres, partnership [with the Refuge System].” and we must view each unit in terms of its larger acres...” contribution. In this time of rapid ecological change, — BarBara volkle, friends of assabet river there is no better moment to forge a new role for our national Wildlife refuge refuge lands and waters — one in which the Refuge System reaches across institutional, cultural and generational boundaries to advance conservation across the landscape.”
— Jamie clark, defenders of Wildlife; former director, u.s. fish and Wildlife service, 1997–2001
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Why Now? A changing world calls for enhancing our foundation by greg siekaniec then-refuge system chief greg siekaniec asks four “Do the right thing. it will gratify some people,” quipped Mark Twain, “and students from the Prairie Wetland learning center in astonish the rest.”The energy and vitality generated by the Conserving the minnesota, what the nation can do to grow a new generation of future: Wildlife refuges and the next generation process and conference has conservationists. been absolutely astonishing. And i feel sure that we gratified a lot of people.
s to doing the “right thing” now, out environmental change from the than existed in 1999. WH10 in Fulfilling awe have a straightforward answer to strategic growth discussion. We should the Promise — the recommendation that the “why now” question: When we started be straight up as we talk about wildlife we develop systematic habitat and the process more than a year ago, we adaptation needs. monitoring programs — has become recognized that much had changed since reality in the Refuge System’s inventory Fulfilling the Promise became the Those aren’t the only changes we have and monitoring (I&M) program that guiding vision for the National Wildlife seen in the 13 years since the Promises works to ensure that we understand Refuge System in 1999. Today, we confront meeting in Keystone, Colorado. the extent of environmental and wildlife new challenges. changes so we can make informed Facebook, launched in a Harvard dorm management decisions. Consider the U.S. population. As of April room in February 2004, now has more 2010, the number of people living in the than 500 million active users. The first Today’s challenges require the Service U.S. was 308.7 million, compared to 281.4 tweet was sent on March 21, 2006; almost to collaborate on conservation strategy million a decade earlier. The Hispanic 200 million people around the world now in which the National Wildlife Refuge population went up by 42 percent in the use Twitter. Nearly 100 million iPhones System plays a key, leadership role. 2010 census as compared to 2000. Today, have been sold since their launch in 2007. The concept of “working beyond the one in every six Americans is Latino. In When Fulfilling the Promise was written, boundaries” has entered the conservation 2010, more than 40 million people were we thought “social media” meant an lexicon, going far beyond the concepts 65 or older, up from 35 million in 2000. invitation to a really great party. articulated in Fulfilling the Promise. The trend is expected to continue, with a projected population of 88.5 million older As we considered how to reflect such The world has changed since Fulfilling Americans by 2050. societal and environmental changes, we the Promise emerged as the guiding, knew that the Refuge System needed a strategic force for the Refuge System. And then there’s climate change. The new strategic approach, a new way of The Refuge System has to change, too. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate doing business. Change’s Fourth Assessment Report, While the Refuge System’s basic tenets issued in 2007, estimated that We have accomplished a great deal since won’t change, how we can become approximately 20 to 30 percent of the the 42 recommendations were crafted for relevant to a new generation of world’s plant and animal species are likely Fulfilling the Promise. The first three conservationists must. So was born the to be at increasingly high risk of extinction recommendations in the Wildlife and Conserving the Future: Wildlife Refuges as global mean temperatures exceed a Habitat section have been integrated into and the Next Generation process. The warming of two to three degree Celsius the Strategic Habitat Conservation we national conversation it engendered has above preindustrial levels. In the wake of now use as our day-to-day business model. been unprecedented. that report, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife The recommendation to forge new Service adopted its climate change alliances through citizen and community greg siekaniec, deputy director, u.s. fish and strategic plan in 2010. Yet, as you read partnerships has become reality with 230 Wildlife service, former chief, national Wildlife Fulfilling the Promise, you might tease refuge Friends organizations, many more refuge system
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right Brain thinking Creativity and Conserving the Future
by heather Jerue
The innovative use of community and social networks for the conference on
here was America’s Wild Read, a virtual The Wild Read was moderated by conservation tbook club coordinated by the National writers, including Meine and Will Stolzenburg, Conservation Training Center. Available at author of Where the Wild Things Were, scholars,
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The search for Hawaiian coral reef management options in a changing climate
by deanna sPooner
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Tropical coral reefs are among the world’s most diverse ecosystems, harboring thousands of species in a complex community built by living corals. But in the hawaiian and Pacific islands, as elsewhere, these ecosystems are declining because of human impacts, including climate change.
(above) a tropical Pacific coral reef at oral reefs are on the front line In the Pacific, where the Service manages Palmyra atoll national Wildlife refuge “cof climate change,” explains more than a million acres of coral reef in the Pacific abounds with fish. ocean Jeff Burgett, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife habitat in 11 refuges, including the warming and acidification, tied to climate Service biologist and science manager Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife change, are taking a toll on coral reefs. for the Pacific Islands Climate Change Refuge, Service scientists are seeking Cooperative (PICCC), a conservation ways to reduce coral vulnerability. research coalition based in Honolulu and part of national network of Landscape High water temperatures stress corals, Conservation Cooperatives. “Scientists causing them to expel the algae they s W f around the world are documenting severe normally shelter and nourish. These s u / r impacts to reefs from warming seas, and algae do more than give coral their vivid e m a r k y the lowering pH of the oceans will hurt colors; they also release glucose needed e s d n their ability to recover.” for healthy coral function. Without the l i
16 / Fish & Wildlife News fall 2011 oundation f limate limate en/ c er Z h on v (B. symbiotic algae, the white skeleton of the translucent coral animal is exposed. Intense coral bleaching often leads to coral death, as the coral starves without the algae. Even corals that regain their algae are weakened and often succumb to opportunistic diseases.
Coral bleaching is a growing global phenomenon. Last year high water acropora corals subjected to seasonally high water temperatures off tutuila in american samoa appear bleached of temperatures caused a mass bleaching color (left). after 24 hours of treatment (right) with cooled seawater, some of their color has returned. in the Indian Ocean, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. The severe El Niño of 1998 raised ocean surface temperatures to historic levels, killing nearly 16 percent of the world’s coral. We can’t afford the death of these vital ecosystems. Such events are becoming more frequent as the ocean warms. — susan White, Pacific reefs national Wildlife refuge complex
Ocean acidification is also compounding the problem. As the ocean absorbs rising PICCC is funding a study that might One possibility: exploiting the increasing levels of carbon dioxide from the air, it expand the range of management options. use of industrial seawater air conditioning acidifies, impeding the ability of corals systems. Using such systems on tropical to build new limestone skeletons. The Climate Foundation, a private non- islands may provide a low-cost means profit, has developed a field-based cooling to buffer near-shore reefs from climate At present, scientists can predict some system for reef water. Initial tests on the change. coral bleaching events but can’t stop them. island of Tutuila in American Samoa, Managers focus instead on trying to where coral undergoes seasonal bleaching, “We are looking for management actions reduce other stressors such as overfishing have shown that cooling peak water that can give coral reefs a fighting chance and runoff from deforestation and poor temperatures about 1 to 2 degrees Celsius in our changing climate,” explains Susan farming practices. Sediment runoff helps two sensitive species of coral retain White, who manages coral reefs within smothers coral, blocking vital sunlight. their healthy color. the PICCC area as project leader for the But enforcing laws to control these Pacific Reefs National Wildlife Refuge practices is often difficult. With the support of PICCC and other Complex. “We can’t afford the death of partners, The Climate Foundation is these vital ecosystems.” refining the system, testing solid-state cooling modules, solar-powered pumps deanna sPooner, fish and Wildlife service that cool reef water and othertechnologies. administrator coordinator, Pacific region Their conservation potential will depend on their effectiveness, scalability, cost and adaptability to remote sites. editor’s Note: This article was part of a blog series, The Climate of Conservation in America: 50 Stories From 50 States. (left) this small colony of cauliflower coral (Pocillopora Beginning on Earth Day, April 22, the meandrina), located in the french frigate shoals, part U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched of the part of the hawaiian islands national Wildlife a series of 50 stories for 50 consecutive refuge and the Papahanaumokuakea marine national weekdays that explored the many ways monument, hosts more than a hundred endemic accelerating climate change is impacting hawaiian domino damselfish (dascyllus albisella, or may impact fish and wildlife across ‘alo’ilo’i). hawaiian domino damsels prefer corals America. To read all 50 stories, visit the s W f s situated in open sand and along the edges of coral reefs archive for the series at
fall 2011 Fish & Wildlife News / 17 field journal
What I learned from spending and a a day with the wolves story and photos by roya mogadam
Driving a sporty compact car over snow and ice covered dirt roads, winding through majestic mountains vistas, merely inches away from towering cliffs at elevations of over 9,000 feet, sound like all the makings of a great car commercial. in real life, it truly was a bit terrifying — but at the end of the ride was a day i would never
mission: Wolf is forget. My journey was taking me to Mission: Wolf, a sanctuary a sanctuary for for captive-born wolves and wolf-dogs in Gardner, Colorado, on the captive-born wolves and wolf-dogs in gardner, outskirts of the San isabel national forest. colorado.
he sanctuary is perched atop a steep opportunity for a meal may come along, thill at the end of a mile long dirt and may not eat for days after. To mimic driveway. Tepees are set up to serve this natural behavior, Mission: Wolf feeds as overnight shelters for volunteers the animals sparingly during the week— and visitors who wish to wake up to the but on Saturdays they are presented with haunting sound of wolf howls. I was a feast. As feeding time neared, the wolves greeted by Mike, one of the volunteers at joined in an enchanting chorus, all howling the sanctuary who took me on a walking in unison. Closing my eyes I listened to tour of the facilities where I met the their wild song and it was truly 37 wolves and wolf-dogs that have been captivating. rescued by Mission: Wolf. Peering out from behind striking aspen trees, the I was later greeted by Kent Weber, the wolves were curious but cautious — until president and founder of Mission: Wolf. feeding time. While I watched the wolves in complete awe, he told the stories of how some of the I was lucky enough to visit on a Saturday, wolves found their way to his sanctuary. one of two “big feed” days. Mike explained the sanctuary attempts to create, as best One strikingly handsome male wolf, they can, a natural “wild” environment for Apollo, was sold on Craigslist to a dog- these captive animals. Wolves in the wild trainer as a Husky-German Shepherd-mix will gorge themselves after a successful puppy. After bottle-feeding the puppy and hunt, not knowing when another caring for him for months, his owner
18 / Fish & Wildlife News fall 2011 left: Wolf raven meets the author. above: apollo was originally sold on craigslist to a dog-trainer as a husky-german shepherd-mix puppy. began to notice his puppy was special. additional inmates. Kent and his wife, Living in Northern Virginia, I have the After a visit to the vet, Apollo was Tracey, drive across the country with the luxury of having access to many wonderful confirmed to be a wolf. The owner, Ambassador Pack to educate people about wild places even in and near the bustling knowing the difficulties involved in raising wolves and provide audiences with a Washington D.C., metropolitan area. I am a wolf, found his 3-month-old puppy a powerful real-life experience with wildlife. minutes away from the Occoquan Bay home at Mission: Wolf. Apollo resides with He and the pack travel to various places: National Wildlife Refuge where ospreys four other wolves and wolf-dogs, Magpie, schools, government agencies, museums and eagles routinely fly over beautiful Farah, Zeab and Abraham, in the and conservation groups, to name a few. Potomac River vistas; and Great Falls Ambassador Pack. They occupy a huge He even took the pack to Capitol Hill and National Park where the Potomac enclosure with plenty of room to roam and told me a hilarious story about walking cascades over massive rocks and cliffs; as play. Even in the winter, with the aspen through Capitol Hill security with a pack well as the peaceful winding nature trails trees bare, the sanctuary creates a of wolves. at Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge, beautiful natural environment for its the first refuge specifically established for inhabitants. Kent has many riveting stories about the the protection of the bald eagle. With pack, including the tremendous impact he the existence of such urban refuges, I learned the entire facility is “green” and and the wolves have on students in urban witnessing wildlife in America’s Great runs on solar energy generated from a schools who have never even seen a deer, Outdoors is becoming more accessible to large solar panel on the property. The much less a pack of wolves. For them, and more people. Exposing a wide diversity buildings, all constructed by volunteers truly all who meet the Ambassador Pack, of people to the values and beauty of and made from recycled or reused it is a memorable experience with wildlife America’s wildlife can instill in them materials, also are designed to utilize that they will remember forever. a sense of responsibility to support passive solar heating techniques. The wildlife conservation and can encourage buildings have large south facing windows After being at the sanctuary for more than generations of youngsters to become the allowing sunlight in during the day while five hours (it felt like minutes) I left future of wildlife conservation. the back of the buildings are placed into Mission: Wolf with the gift of a priceless the sides of hills in order to better insulate memory and a renewed sense of my roya mogadam, congressional and legislative them by holding onto the natural heat mission as a Service employee and wildlife affairs, Washington office accumulated by the sunlight. conservationist. As I drove back, I reflected on my visit and thought about Kent described his sanctuary as ultimately, just how powerful a personal encounter a jail for wild creatures and his mission is with wildlife can be in fostering a passion to educate people in order to prevent for wildlife conservation.
fall 2011 Fish & Wildlife News / 19 around the service
re-establishing the oak for stream restoration projects to oak savannah restoration pacific habitat in this area will benefit satisfy requirements of a habitat at Basket slough has been several species of birds — the conservation Plan. the Water “piecemealed” over the years white-crested nuthatch, acorn Bureau contributed $40,000 to as funding has come available. refuge takes Unique woodpecker and western blue- the project. oak thinning has occurred on Approach to restoring bird — and create a corridor for approximately 100 acres; about oak Woodland populations of the endangered “it’s great that we’re using trees 200 acres of oaks remain in need in a corner of the nation where blue butterfly between the two from a project to restore oak of treatment. some people view douglas fir parcels of land, Beall said. habitat in the Willamette valley trees as sacred, the staff at and at the same time helping “it’s a work in progress that Baskett slough national Wildlife “it will open up a flight path threatened salmon in the sandy happens in small steps,” Beall refuge in oregon has labeled the between the tnc land and the Basin” near Portland, said the said. “But it will be very satisfying conifer an invasive species — refuge and facilitate movement Water Bureau’s angie kimpo, over time, when the birds and at least on 2,558-acre refuge. between the two groups (of who helps implement the hcP. other wildlife respond to it.” butterflies), which have been and with good reason: over the interrupted by this stand of about 20 to 30 large-diameter fir Joan JeWett, office of Public affairs, years, fire suppression in the trees,” he explained. trees were left at the Baskett Pacific region Willamette valley has allowed slough restoration site and will the fast-growing douglas firs the trees were selectively felled be topped to create snags for to overtake the oak trees that last winter by loggers who cavity-nesting birds. then refuge historically dotted the prairie, had to walk into the hilly area. staff will grind stumps from the midwest squeezing out much of the native they were removed in may by logged firs, mow the area and habitat and the species that helicopter, necessary because of reseed it with native grasses and depend on it. once spread the steep terrain, lack of access plants. the area will need to be region Welcomes throughout low-lying areas roads and the need to protect initially treated mechanically New Dive officer and foothills of the valley, oak habitat. over two days, a Boeing because burning isn’t an option. after 10 years of leadership nick savannah now ranks as one vertol helicopter owned by rowse from the twin cities of oregon’s most endangered columbia helicopters of aurora, “there’s no way we could do a ecological services field office is ecosystems — mostly due to oregon, carefully lifted the felled controlled burn at this stage of stepping down as the regional farming and development but timber — some whole trees, some the restoration,” Beall said. dive officer and handing the firs have also played a role in cut into logs — and laid it down in “there’s no access, it’s too close duties over to scott yess from the their demise. neat piles in a nearby field. it will to private property and there’s la crosse fish and Wildlife be hauled off by the Portland too much fuel.” conservation office. “We’re trying to take out every- Water Bureau, which will use it thing that isn’t oak and remove “scott and i have been diving the threat of fir,” said refuge together over the last decade. Biologist Jock Beall. he is over- he has been my dive buddy on seeing a 40-acre restoration many occasions. i know his skills project that will benefit the under the water and i know he is endangered fender’s blue butter- a leader. i feel very comfortable fly and three bird species of with him becoming the leader of concern. the dive team,” said rowse on his successor. labeling oregon’s state tree an invasive species helped the yess is looking forward to the refuge get a $77,000 grant from new challenge. “it has been an the refuge Program’s invasive interest of mine to follow up after species program. the money is nick,” said yess. paying for the removal of about 900 trees from refuge land and as regional dive officerm yess another 100 from adjacent land rachel york, refuge law enforcement hopes to shine a spotlight on the owned by the nature officer for the Willamette valley nWr dive team to let the region know conservancy. most of the trees complex, on patrol to ensure that are douglas firs — some 120 feet people stayed out of the area where the tall. a small number are maple helicopter was moving the trees. and cherry.
20 / Fish & Wildlife News fall 2011 around the service
“scott and i were on the river Missouri: climate concerns great fish, which can weigh as usf Ws talking about it and we were both Add to challenges Facing much as 60 pounds, and have certified divers,” rowse recalls. Sturgeon recovery efforts distinctive long, flat snouts. “We said, we could do this, and above-average fluctuations in then engineers dammed and for a lot less. that’s what kicked rainfall, snowmelt and runoff in straightened the missouri, off the dive team.” the lower missouri river are eliminating tree snags where complicating fish and Wildlife sturgeon feed, hide and spawn. in its first year back, the midwest service efforts to recover endan- overharvesting by commercial region’s dive team, consisting of gered pallid sturgeon, one of the roe fishermen further stressed only rowse and yess, operated continent’s largest freshwater the species, listed as endangered under the auspices of the fish. unusually low water levels in in 1990. scientists are now national Park service’s diving 2004 and 2006 have been followed factoring climate change into the safety regulations. today the by record high levels since 2007, recovery equation. region has eight authorized divers say scientists. the service is and operates under u.s. fish and working with the u.s. geological Wildhaber is working with Wildlife diving safety regulations, survey (usgs) through the researchers from the university chapter 241 fW 10, which was national climate change Wildlife of missouri and iowa state approved in 2006. three addi- science center and science university to build complex tional service employees in the support Partnership Program to computer models that examine region are seeking authorization anticipate how a range of such the potential impacts of varying status, bringing with them new changes may impact pallid stur- precipitation, water flow and opportunities. geon recovery efforts throughout water temperature on the water- the region, encompassing shed, river hydraulics and fish “in the last three or four years we missouri, nebraska, iowa, populations. have gained quite a few new kansas and south dakota. members,” said yess. “that for sturgeon, some potential opens up for larger joint projects “essentially we are trying to changes can be double-edged (top) nick rowse during a pool training with all or part of the team.” build a more comprehensive swords. higher water tempera- session with the midwest region’s dive picture of how the fish may tures, for example, team in la crosse, Wisconsin. (Bottom): though rowse admits he will react” to changes in water level would raise fish metabolism, after ten years as the midwest’s miss the camaraderie when he and temperature that might be spurring growth and reproduc- regional dive officer, nick rowse, left, retires, he has high hopes for the associated with a changing tion — as long as adequate food hands the regulator over to scott yess. team’s future. rowse and yess climate, said mark Wildhaber, is available. if food is scarce, agree that the number one goal usgs research ecologist. however, fish growth and repro- for the dive team is safety, but duction would likely slow the team exists as a resource. beyond that both believe that the for centuries, rivers in the West in warmer water. >> “[the dive team] brings another dive team can make a serious and midwest teemed with these capability to the service,” said contribution to the conservation yess, “in that we have the oppor- of aquatic resources and help the tunity to get into the habitat, the service in its mission. natural environment, and see the conditions first hand.” katie steiger-meister, external affairs, midwest region the midwest region’s dive team was re-established in 2000 after over a decade of inactivity. Both rowse and yess played an inte- gral role in the reemergence of the team. the two were working together in 1999 and had just agreed to pay contract divers mark luehring and Josh schloesser, $25,000 for three weeks of work childhood friends, and now both fishery to examine zebra mussels. biologists, pose with a 74-pound adult lake sturgeon captured in the Bad river. during spawning eggs can make up 25 percent of a females body weight.
fall 2011 Fish & Wildlife News / 21 around the service ark Bauer ourtesy of m c
Missouri, continued from page 21 caviar is more sought after, but pallid sturgeon have also been high water flow can likewise harvested for their eggs. the help or hinder sturgeon recovery. service’s recent listing of shovel- in spring, high flow benefits the nose sturgeon as threatened may Jeff sloan holding the raven rQ-11a. fish, triggering migration and help protect both species. the conditioning spawning sites. listing permits law enforcement But in summer, high flow actions in portions of the missouri the thousands, mostly within the individual birds and whether washes fry downstream, reduc- and mississippi river basins boundaries of the monte vista software used to count birds ing survival and recruitment into where pallid and shovelnose national Wildlife refuge. on the imagery could produce the adult population. sturgeon co-exist. estimates similar to what the since the 1980s, personnel from biologists counted from the service biologists are trying recovery scientists meanwhile the service’s division of ground. the team met for a week to rebuild the pallid sturgeon are trying to plan for an uncertain migratory Bird management at the refuge, beginning march population through captive future. “there isn’t one answer,” (dmBm) have done population 19, 2011, to test their idea. breeding. since 2002, the neosho Wildhaber said. But he and his estimates by counting cranes national fish hatchery has colleagues think computer from aircraft and from vehicles immediately, they encountered produced more than 27,000 pallid modeling offers them their best on the ground. While these obstacles. Because this was the sturgeon and stocked them in shot at adapting wildlife manage- surveys have resulted in excel- first mission of its kind, the the lower missouri. ment practices to changing lent estimates of abundance, certificate of authorization (coa) climate conditions. they are relatively expensive, granted by the federal aviation the service and usgs tag all time consuming and involve risk administration restricted the area hatchery-raised fish and monitor ashley sPratt, office of Public to the pilots and biologists and time of day of the operation. their survival. But so far, pallid affairs, midwest region conducting surveys. operators could fly the unmanned sturgeon populations aren’t aerial systems only between civil bouncing back. recently, under a memorandum twilight, thirty minutes before of agreement with the u.s. sunrise, and thirty minutes after “the million-dollar question is mountain- army, the u.s. geological survey sunset. cranes are most concen- why do we come across (usgs) acquired several trated on the roost at night and hundreds of shovelnose sturgeon unmanned raven rQ-11a aerial leave the roost early to feed. this [a sister species] and only a prairie systems from the army that are left the team only a small window single pallid when we are out used in surveillance missions. of time before birds began flying on the river sampling?” said Using ravens to count cranes usgs and service personnel had and could not be counted. tracy hill, project leader of the sandhill cranes are awe-inspiring an idea: the raven could fly over service’s fish and Wildlife birds valued by bird watchers and roosts and count cranes using Before flying the test mission, the conservation office in columbia, ornithologists for their spectacu- videography. team performed several flights missouri. lar migrations and by hunters for over cranes during the day at food. most individuals who follow over the course of the winter, various altitudes for proficiency the pallid’s feeding habits could these birds are familiar with their they would develop a study checks and to assess the cranes’ be partly accountable. While migrations through the Platte proposal and seek supporting reactions to the unmanned shovelnose sturgeon feed river valley in central nebraska funds, as well as apply for the primarily on silt plankton and each spring. the rocky mountain necessary authorizations to fly small invertebrates, pallid population of cranes takes unmanned aerial systems over a sturgeon depend on larger another spectacular migration, specific area. in the spring, when sandhill cranes at a roost site. organisms, such as other fish, from nesting grounds in montana, the birds congregated at the for food. changes to river habitat idaho, utah and Wyoming to refuge, biologists would count and water flow have reduced wintering areas in new mexico, cranes from the ground. the the availability of those organ- arizona and mexico. raven would then fly over the isms, a situation that could be cranes to capture videography exacerbated by a changing these birds congregate in the of the birds. using this informa- climate. san luis valley of colorado a tion, the team could determine few weeks each year to rest and whether video from the and commercial roe fishing feed. during the evenings, they unmanned aerial systems was remains a threat. shovelnose concentrate on roost areas by of sufficient quality to detect
22 / Fish & Wildlife News fall 2011 around the service
aircraft. the first results were not video from the flights was pieced in the fall, when the cranes Secretary Salazar launches encouraging. during mid-morn- together using mosaicking soft- return. the team will also seek America’s great outdoors ing, while cranes were feeding ware. usgs personnel then used authorization to fly the raven pilot projects at rocky in the fields, raven flights at manual and automated methods over roosts at night, which would Mountain Arsenal NWr several altitudes caused the to identify and count the cranes reduce the likelihood of airstrikes secretary of the interior ken birds to flush. however, when using the thermal signature of the between cranes and the raven, salazar attended the dedication the raven flew over birds in cranes on the imagery. Because expand the amount of time of the new, green-built visitor the afternoon, while they were the down-looking camera likely available for videography, and center at the rocky mountain loafing in fields, the cranes provided the most accurate minimize potential conflicts arsenal national Wildlife refuge did not become as agitated. count, the team used the count between raven flight crews and in late may and used the occa- from the second operational flight refuge visitors. ultimately, the sion to announce three america’s With this experience in hand, to compare estimates. the team hopes to complete a full great outdoors conservation the team conducted the first test ground observers had counted survey of cranes on all roost sites projects in colorado. secretary flight over a roost early on march 2,692 cranes on the area. the within the refuge boundaries in salazar was joined by colorado 23. the flight began at 6:36 a.m. raven videography showed 2,567, the spring of 2012. governor John hickenlooper, and conducted several passes a difference of only 4.6 percent. council on environmental Quality over the cranes, at altitudes vary- this effort would not have chair nancy sutley, national ing from 75 to 300 feet, before this initial effort to count cranes succeeded without the substan- Wildlife refuge system chief returning. this first flight was a using the raven reached mile- tial efforts of many agencies and greg siekaniec, regional director great success. the birds did not stones for the participating individuals. floyd truetken, team steve guertin, national Park appear to react negatively to the agencies. most notably, this was member and manager of the service deputy director Peggy raven flying over them, and the the first approved unmanned monte vista national Wildlife o’dell and other elected officials, cranes were clearly visible on the aerial systems flight in the refuge, and refuge Biologist partners and stakeholders from thermal imagery. national airspace system for the scott miller both enthusiastically metropolitan denver and other department of the interior, to supported the effort and allowed parts of the state. secretary the team launched the raven which both the usgs and the it to take place on the refuge. salazar highlighted the role of the again, on the morning of march usfWs belong. it also demon- the project was supported by refuge in delivering conservation 24, using a new, modified down- strated the potential this usgs Quick response Program to a fast-growing urban popula- looking thermal camera, to better technology has for biological funds, through a proposal led by tion as well as the state’s capture the signatures of individ- investigations. leanne hanson of the usgs in leadership in promoting outdoor ual birds. the operator made fort collins, and in-kind contribu- recreation and protecting natural multiple passes over the cranes, the team considers this effort an tions by the usfWs. mark Bauer resources and open space for at varying altitudes, to determine unqualified success, but realizes (usgs/Parallel incorporated) future generations as models for where the videography produced more work is required before the and Jeff sloan (usgs) operated the america’s great outdoors the best images. the flight lasted technique can be used in opera- the raven during the morning initiative. 24 minutes and made 13 passes tional surveys. the team is flights. mike hutt (Project over the roost. once again, the planning next steps of this proj- leader, usgs unmanned aerial “colorado is setting an example cranes did not appear to react ect, using lessons learned from systems Project office), harry for the rest of the nation as to the negatively, and the camera the initial effort to help develop keiling (aviation management value of recreation and conserva- provided excellent imagery. additional surveys at the refuge directorate), and Phil owen tion to our economy and quality (usgs/aerodyne) oversaw the of life,” said secretary salazar. operations and provided program “today begins a new chapter in support. current and retired staff the strong partnership between of the usfWs national Wildlife the state of colorado and the refuge system and division of department of the interior, and ark Bauer migratory Bird management and i look forward to working with biologists from usgs conducted the governor to help turn these
ourtesy of m ground-based surveys and projects into reality.” c assisted with raven field operations, and personnel from the three ago “pilot” projects a private company (energies) in colorado include efforts to provided hardware and software enhance existing greenways in support. metropolitan denver and create linkages between arsenal, >> alicia king, migratory Bird Program, Washington office
fall 2011 Fish & Wildlife News / 23 reinvestment act, the new visitor center features a solar power
system, state-of-the-art exhibits Photo courtesy of arcus eilemann / doi h showcasing short grass prairie ami t ecology and the history of the site the Western alaska lcc work- and environmental education shop’s goal, an admittedly facilities. the center will be the ambitious one, was to “identify primary public contact station for the priority science information the more than 200,000 annual needs for meeting shared visitors the service anticipates management objectives in light hosting. of projected climate change impacts,” and to do this for an matt kales, external affairs, lcc that covers a wide diversity mountain-Prairie region of ecological conditions spanning more than 750 miles from north to south. landscapes in the lcc include the permafrost dominated alaska tundra of the seward Peninsula, the complex river delta systems from left to right: steve guertin, regional director, mountain-Prairie region; ken of the yukon and kuskokwim salazar, secretary of the interior; steve Berendzen, Project leader, rocky mountain Breaking trail with the rivers, the abundant volcanoes arsenal national Wildlife refuge complex; greg siekaniec, chief, national Wildlife Western Alaska landscape of the alaska Peninsula, and the refuge system; and, dean rundle, Zone supervisor, national Wildlife refuge system conservation cooperative transitional forests of permafrost- (and former Pl at rma nWr), celebrate the dedication of the new visitor center at a recent alaska science work- free kodiak island. While the rocky mountain arsenal national Wildlife refuge. shop may provide a roadmap to objective might have appeared help other groups deal with daunting, participants were given complex landscape-scale issues. plentiful tools —workshop struc- Secretary, continued from page 23 partnerships to help advance ture, preparation, access to america’s great outdoors in in late april of this year, a group expertise and reference materials two Ponds national Wildlife colorado and throughout the of more than 150 stakeholders —to aid the process. refuge, rocky flats national region, which the secretary has and subject-matter experts Wildlife refuge and other open visited several times in the recent gathered in anchorage, alaska, much of the most immediate spaces in the region and, eventu- past to learn about other model to discuss research priorities preparation for the april event ally, rocky mountain national america’s great outdoors proj- for the Western alaska took place at local meetings and Park; a push to conserve — using ects, including the service’s landscape conservation a framing workshop organized by perpetual conservation ease- dakota grassland conservation cooperative (lcc) for the next the lcc steering committee and ments and other innovative area and flint hills legacy five years. Participants came held in late 2010 and early 2011. tools— working landscapes in conservation area. from across alaska, representing these gatherings laid the ground- the san luis valley, home to the state and federal agencies, work for the tasks ahead by san luis valley national Wildlife the ribbon-cutting ceremony at alaska native organizations, 1) identifying decision makers, refuge complex and a vital geog- the refuge marked a major mile- academia and the non-govern- stakeholders and scopes of raphy for stone in the rich history of mental conservation community. decision the lcc would intend migratory birds and other trust arsenal, capping the successful to support, 2) determining resources; and a partnership in transformation of a superfund lccs are applied conservation resource management objectives the yampa river Basin to further site to a premier urban national science partnerships between and outcomes of interest, and protection of lands and waters in wildlife refuge, where wild groups of stakeholders within 3) specifying “attributes” that one of the state’s most intact american bison graze in the a geographically defined area. would indicate how well high- watersheds. the service’s shadow of denver’s skyline and they are intended to be true level management goals were mountain-Prairie region, long a bald eagles nest hard by what cooperatives, formed and being met. leader in community-based, large was once dubbed the “most directed by their partner landscape conservation, will play polluted square mile on earth.” agencies and organizations. a central role in planning and constructed in part using funds nationwide 21 lccs have been delivery of these projects and will from the american recovery and identified to date. leverage existing programs and
24 / Fish & Wildlife News fall 2011 around the service
vation and pledged a $10 donation to the great ape conservation headquarters fund for each person using the Breakout groups considered both subregional and species-specific research needs coupon code “gr8aPe.” during and priorities. Service partners with go Ape the sunny and cool holiday USA to raise Awareness for weekend 145 supporters raised the workshop opened with a relevant to each taxa group, all great Ape conservation $1,450 for great ape conservation. plenary session, which “set the in the context of the regional on endangered species day, may the company added $1,050 for a stage” for the work to come. and sub-regional climate-driven 20, 2011, the u.s. fish and Wildlife generous total of $2,500 for the speakers provided overviews of changes anticipated in the lcc. service’s Wildlife Without great ape conservation fund. the projected impacts of various Borders program launched a aspects of climate change on in identifying key species for the partnership with go ape usa, a the funds from go ape and all western alaska. the topics lcc, participants were instructed company that operates a highly donations to the great ape included anticipated changes in to consider several factors; interactive treetop adventure conservation fund support the permafrost, vegetation, freshwa- including the immediacy of the encouraging participants to “find conservation of gorillas, chim- ter and coastal ecosystem threats faced, the potential for a their inner ape!” the partnership panzees, bonobos, orangutans productivity and more. species to serve as a sentinel kicked off with the unveiling of and gibbons in the wild. the (providing early information educational boards designed by service’s Wildlife Without armed with that information, concerning changes that could the service at go ape’s rockville, Borders program awards grants participants were then split into have a broader impact over time), maryland, location. the boards from the fund for projects in break-out groups to begin the and the numbers of lcc partners provide information on ape biol- africa and asia related to infec- process of developing and sharing a management interest in ogy and populations, and tips on tious diseases, strengthening refining lists of scientific priorities the species. finally, the group how people can help save these law enforcement, conservation for the lcc. the first of these was charged with identifying the species. education, safeguarding habitat sessions divided attendees into largest uncertainties regarding and much more. With the help of three sub-regional groups, focus- the reactions of these species or this fall, go ape held a partner- this fund and many committed ing on the southern, central and assemblages to projected climate ship event to raise awareness conservationists, there is hope northern portions of the lcc. changes. and support for the Wildlife that these animals will beat the each was charged with identify- Without Borders-great ape odds of extinction. ing the most important projected the structured organization made conservation fund. for the week- changes in landscape processes for a challenging and successful end of october 7–9, go ape rachel Penrod, division of its particular sub-region was workshop. in the months to come, offered a 10-percent discount to international conservation, likely to face, and the main a participant-reviewed report will supporters of great ape conser- Washington office sources of uncertainty behind the be prepared to summarize the relevant data. results of the meeting’s discus- Photo courtesy of goaPe sions and lay out priority science on the final day of the workshop, information needs. that docu- participants were again broken ment will provide information to into subgroups, but this time people who weren’t able to organized by species and assem- attend the workshop and inform blages, with one gathering each the next step in the process, focusing on birds, fish, mammals; the development of a science a coastal species group (marine strategy for the Western alaska mammals and shore and lcc. in fact, the workshop seabirds) and a landscape ecol- discussions influenced the lcc’s ogy group. following the pattern fy2011 project funding decisions set by the earlier session, the the very next week. subgroups attempted to identify and, to the extent possible, priori- Bruce Woods, office of Public tize the most important scientific affairs, alaska region questions and information needs
fall 2011 Fish & Wildlife News / 25 fish tales
[ the FiSh AND WilDliFe Service YoU Don’t KNoW ] rchives From capitol hill a atchery atchery h Fin Monger to ish Keeper of j. edgar ourtesy dc Booth f hoover’s goldfish c Watergate-era Informant Blew Whistle on Fishy Perks by david klinger
ish in an aquarium have long been considered a fsoothing, even blood pressure-reducing, part of the u.s. fish commission office décor in stressful environments, from corporate employees net carp from boardrooms to dentists’ waiting rooms. ponds on the grounds The back story begins exactly 100 years earlier, when of the Washington So perhaps the notion of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife the U.S. Fish Commission established its National monument circa 1880. Service placing tanks of guppies, angel fish, tetras Aquarium in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1873, and cichlids on Capitol Hill was appropriate, from at what would become America’s premier center a psychological standpoint, as well as from an of fishery and oceanographic research. Moved to enlightened agency public relations perspective. Washington in 1878, old sepia-tinted photographs depict a complex of aquaria, holding tanks and small What better way of emphasizing the importance of ponds known as “Babcock Lakes” below the fish at budget time than with an aquarium full of Washington Monument. sprightly stripers or colorful koi in the office of the right subcommittee chairman, you know? With various bureaucratic changes that shuffled the Fish Commission to the Department of Commerce But the story of how the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1903 and later renamed it the Bureau of Fisheries, lost its quaint job of tending the tanks of the Beltway’s the National Aquarium took up residence in the power brokers is a tale of aquatic intrigue torn basement of the Commerce building when it was straight from the Watergate era, involving such completed in 1932. diverse players as muckraking columnist Jack Anderson to legendary G-man J. Edgar Hoover. Since those dark days of the Great Depression, the National Aquarium — little more than a And the shadowy insider who blew the whistle on this constrained warren of tanks and exhibits in a non- little-known perk of the powerful — call him “Deep descript Federal office building — became a “must Gullet” — recently emerged after nearly four decades see” on the Washington summer tourist itinerary. Ask of silence to spin his fish tale from that bygone any 7-year-old what they remembered of their family Washington era of lost prerogatives and privileges. vacation to the Nation’s Capital in the 1950s and they’d have told you: Ike, the Tomb of the Unknown “The aquarium was under budget pressure, on the Soldier, Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the Capitol chopping block,” said Deep Gullet in a recent rotunda…and those bug-eyed, oversized goldfish clandestine interview. “A lovely little facility, outside the Commerce Department cafeteria. a respite for Commerce employees, tourists, area children, who learned about ecosystems and habitats. At some point in the National Aquarium’s Washington It just didn’t seem right that a tenth of our budget tenure — no one knows exactly when — the practice of was spent on office decorations — a real waste of stocking the offices of Representatives, Senators and taxpayers’ money.” Federal bureaucrats with fish got started. In much
26 / Fish & Wildlife News fall 2011 fish tales
the same way that the Mall’s U.S. Botanic Garden the congressional office that called six times in a hauled parlor palms and philodendrons, when asked, single day about its ill Siamese fighting fish, the to the nearby offices of Capitol Hill lawmakers, the squeamish secretary who summoned help dipping Bureau of Fisheries (by 1940, the Fish and Wildlife out a dead angel fish, the bureaucrat who bred a tank Service, when an agency consolidation shifted it to the of the aquarium’s African Rift Lake cichlids…then Interior Department) stocked and cleaned fish tanks offered to sell them back to the government. in the halls of Congress. “There were nearly two full- By 1973, the quaint practice became fodder for time positions and a huge investigative reporter Jack Anderson, fresh off truck allocated to tending the the ITT corruption scandal and the burgeoning fish tanks on the Hill,” says Watergate revelations, who set his sights on the Gullet. “This was at a time loan-out of Federal fish, deriding the program as when the National “some 40 fish tanks that the National Aquarium has Aquarium was squeezed loaned to senators, representatives and other financially. It was an pampered poobahs (sic) of government.” insult, especially when a secretary whined about What’s unknown — until revealed today — is that a dead guppy in her Anderson was tipped off to the practice by the Fish tank. Talk about your and Wildlife Service employee concerned that the unnecessary age-old perk was stripping the National Aquarium of government valuable staff and budget that could better be directed expense.” toward keeping the aging facility in business — by then 40 years old, and being eclipsed by other larger, The upshot of more modern aquaria around the country. the Anderson revelations was that the
It was, in a profession where the word “leak” fish tank program was quietly WS generally spells catastrophe, a leak of an entirely phased out, and Fish and Wildlife different sort…the variety that’s practiced inside Service employees gave up their daily rounds hley / uSf the Washington Beltway every day. of fish feedings, water changes and aquaria shuffling Ben S C in posh offices throughout downtown Washington. In “For guppy lovers at the highest reaches of 1981, the National Aquarium tussled with a nearby Washington’s national government, the taxpayers provide pet fish and an new aquarium on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor over the Aquarium in the basement of aquarist to attend them,” Anderson wrote, going on title “National Aquarium”; both now share the same the Commerce Department to profile the daily routine of an aquarium employee name, though neither is managed by the Federal building was a regular stop who serviced the offices Vice President Spiro Agnew, Government. for school kids and tourists White House press secretary Ron Ziegler and at least as far back as assorted senators and congressmen. An attic full of dusty and damaged office-sized fish the 1950s. tanks were last spotted in the gloomy garret of the “But of all Washington’s famous fish fanciers, none government’s Auditor’s Building — a landmark lump was more devoted than the late FBI chief J. Edgar of red bricks left over from the Victorian era that Hoover, whose bulldog visage and staccato speech now houses the U.S. Forest Service, and where, were the terror of crooks and Communists. But presumably, they were once counted and carefully he was a softie when it came to his pet goldfish,” stored away, vestige of a long-ago era when the Fish Anderson reported in his June 20, 1973, expose. and Wildlife Service’s most visible presence in the “At the first chill of winter, he would deliver his tense halls of Congress were tanks full of bleeding special goldfish to the National Aquarium to be looked heart tetras and kissing gouramis. after during the cold. But as soon as the weather warmed, Hoover’s personal bodyguard would appear to pick up the golden dandies. If one of his goldfish this is the ninth in a series of short features about appeared ill, Hoover would order an aide to call the little-known aspects of the u.s. fish and Wildlife service aquarium for a diagnosis.” by david klinger of the national conservation training center in shepherdstown, West virginia. Anderson went on to catalogue a litany of real or supposed sins in this fishy fish business —
fall 2011 Fish & Wildlife News / 27 our people
and wildlife offices, three california. the support functions Mountain-prairie fisheries resources offices, the include human resources, transitions service’s largest fish technology Budget and finance, information center and a lower snake river technology, safety, engineering Editor’s note: The following story pacific compensation Program office. and Water resources, diversity first appeared in the Helena (MT) and civil rights, contracting and Independent Record and the Before serving as lcc general services. these offices publisher graciously granted the longtime natural resources coordinator, carrier was oregon employ about 150 employees. Service permission to reprint it in manager Michael carrier has gov. ted kulongoski’s principal he started his new job June 13. Fish & Wildlife News. been appointed assistant advisor on natural resource regional director for fishery and environmental issues from in making the announcement montana’s “Wolf man” resources in the Pacific region 2004 to 2010. Before that he was regional director robyn thorson by eve Byron of the service. director of the oregon Parks said, “hugh brings outstanding and recreation department for business acumen to our work ed Bangs, who for 23 years “this is a four years. he also held a variety in wildlife conservation and the led the effort to reintroduce and critical time for of management positions for region is fortunate to have the recover healthy wolf populations fisheries natural resource agencies in benefit of his skills along with his in the northern rocky conservation,” iowa and indiana. dedication to natural resource mountains, is retiring from the regional management.” u.s. fish and Wildlife service in director robyn carrier has a master’s degree June. thorson said, in natural resources from for the past two years, morrison “and the Ball state university and a was the assistant regional as the federal service and all our partners Bachelor’s degree in liberal director for Budget and agency’s wolf will benefit from mike’s proven arts from Western michigan administration in the service’s recovery leadership skills and cooperative university. mountain-Prairie region, coordinator, approaches.” headquartered in denver. Before Bangs was the Joan JeWett, office of Public affairs, that he worked in the Pacific face of the as former coordinator of Pacific region region as chief of the Budget polarizing wolf the north Pacific landscape and finance division for eight reintroduction, conservation cooperative Pacific region selects years. he began working in conducting thousands of (lcc), a partnership of state new Budget and the Pacific region in 1998 as international, national, state and and federal agencies, tribes, administration leader a Budget formulation analyst local interviews and holding universities and others supporting the fisheries hundreds of highly charged stretching from southeast hugh Morrison, a sixth- Program and the columbia Basin meetings, all to explain the effort alaska to northern california, generation oregonian, has been ecoregion. as part of a massive public carrier focused on forging a selected to be the assistant outreach effort. at various times, major new regional natural regional director for Budget and growing up in oregon, morrison depending on the stage of the resource partnership to address administration in the u.s. fish developed his passion for reintroduction, he was heralded the impacts of climate change and Wildlife service’s Pacific wildlife and wild places poking as a hero while simultaneously across a large landscape. region. around in the tide pools of the being denounced as a wolf lover oregon coast and tromping or hater, depending on people’s carrier now leads the daily in his new through the forests of the perspective. operation of the fisheries position, coast range and the cascades. program and the implementation morrison will he obtained undergraduate yet somehow he managed to of its strategic plan. the fishery lead the daily degrees in environmental charm many on both sides of program is a network of 25 operation of a studies and Political science at the wolf wars, with a mix of field stations with about 260 program that the university of Washington humor tinged with a reputation employees in the states of encompasses and a masters of Public for fairness. Washington, oregon, idaho support administration with a focus and hawaii. it has 15 national functions for the service’s on environmental and natural “he would get in front of a group fish hatcheries producing Pacific region, headquartered in resource management, also at trying to ridicule and criticize approximately 60 million salmon Portland, oregon, and the the u of W. him, and ed would beat them and steelhead each year, three Pacific southwest region, to the punch,” recalled carter fish health centers, two fish headquartered in sacramento, Joan JeWett, office of Public affairs, niemeyer, a former Wildlife Pacific region services supervisor who
28 / Fish & Wildlife News fall 2011 our people
worked closely with Bangs for “he was able to reach a “i was going to be a welder, but known to live in the glacier decades. “one time, we were standpoint where people my dad said that by god, i was national Park area in the in grangeville, idaho, in front respected him. he would make going to be a college-educated northern rockies. then wolves of a hostile crowd, with one the call and make it fairly quickly welder,” Bangs said. “so i went started killing livestock in 1987, guy leading the charge. he said to either remove problem packs to a junior college to be a welder, and no one knew how to handle ‘tell me what the hell good the or to do nothing.” took some biology classes it. the u.s. fish and Wildlife blankedly-blank wolves ever and said, ‘you mean you’ll pay service was looking for someone did.’ ed chimed up and said ‘they me to walk in the woods and to figure out how to deal with gave me this cushy job’ and the hunt and fish?’” depredations and to do research, whole audience cracked up. the “He always pushed outreach and education, which man got up and left because he after earning a degree in was right up Bangs’ alley. was so angry. us to really make game management from utah he applied, two days before state university, he got a job the application deadline, and “he would win the crowd over, data and science at the kenai national Wildlife changed the course of his life. because they thought he was refuge as a seasonal biological kind of funny, and that would get the basis of the technician in 1975. around that time, carolyn sime things going.” was in kalispell, doing a study on state plan, and “the reason they hired me was radio-collared deer for montana suzanne stone with the they had a new garbage truck fish, Wildlife and Parks. Bangs, environmental group defenders that set us up to with hydraulics, and i was the the usfWs service project of Wildlife also worked only guy who applied for the job leader for wolf recovery, with Bangs on the wolf succeed.” who knew how to work those,” approached the department and reintroduction, and said he had Bangs said. “so they said i was proposed a swap: he would help a huge impact on the effort, — carolyn sime, montana fish, going to do biological studies, find federal funding if they would writing the environmental impact Wildlife and Parks but my first job was picking up help monitor radio-collared statement — which drew more garbage in the campground. the wolves. than 180,000 comments from refuge was a Quonset hut where throughout the world — and Bangs laughs at people’s we’d get snowed in some days “so i started flying to check out fighting for federal funding. impression of him, noting that and have to take a snowmobile the murphy Pack and any other “wilderness groups loved me” to work. it was a great life.” collared wolves in the mid- to “he set the course,” stone said. when he was reintroducing late-1990s,” sime said. “What “he was willing to work with us, the wolves, and the ranchers he helped reintroduce caribou struck me then, and it’s been but not much would deter him hated him. that flipped once he in alaska, studied the effects that way throughout ed’s tenure, from the course he had in mind.” decided the science showed that of oil and gas development on is his amazing ability to engage wolf populations had recovered wintering moose and worked other people, both professionally Jay Bodner with the montana enough to take them off the list on lynx conservation and and personally.” stockgrowers association of animals protected under the management, and recalls noted that Bangs always brought federal endangered species act. jumping from helicopters in the she eventually became a lot of professionalism to the morning to tag brown bears, montana’s wolf management wolf reintroduction debate “now (environmentalists) say and return to town in time for coordinator until the position and never shied away from i’m in the ranchers’ pocket and breakfast. it was a dream job, recently was discontinued. controversial issues. the ranchers say i’m not such but when he heard about a new a bad guy,” he joked. position being created to help “he always pushed us to really “he didn’t take things personally, states, the federal government, make data and science the basis and when he provided his he came to head the gray wolf tribes, ranchers and others of the state plan, and that set us point of view he was all right reintroduction in a roundabout figure out how to deal with up to succeed,” sime said. “it when folks disagreed with way. Bangs grew up in ventura, what seemed to be a growing was a real privilege and honor him,” Bodner said. “you might calif., and worked through high population of gray wolves in to work with him. i’ve learned so not agree with everything he school and college as a chemical northwestern montana, he was much and it’s been a priceless said, but he knew how to move plant laborer, a cattle ranch/ intrigued. experience.” discussions forward. feedlot hand and an oil field roughneck. he also loved to at that time, gray wolves were mike Jimenez, who is now hunt and fish. listed as an endangered species, in charge of Wyoming’s wolf and only about 10 wolves were recovery program, also >>
fall 2011 Fish & Wildlife News / 29 our people
Bangs, continued from page 29 “i’m a big believer in interaction “the bottom line is science is with the public, so i made a being followed,” Bangs said headquarters worked with Bangs in the early special effort to reach out to recently, sitting behind his desk years, and said he created the hunting groups, livestock groups, still covered with scientific sieckaniec appointed blueprint for bringing together environmental groups; i’ve journals, studies and reports, new deputy director people with a wide range of probably given 500 presentations many of which he’s authored, interests to work out the issues. myself,” Bangs said. “i’ve met and walls dotted with awards service some really interesting people. and art. “the heavy lifting director dan “he set the template for what you have to face people and hear is over, and that’s cool. my ashe recently came later on, creating a their concerns firsthand to help upbringing was to complete your announced the tightly knit organization, with resolve the conflicts.” job; when we started there were appointment of a general policy for interaction 10 wolves near glacier. now gregory on the ground with everybody,” he notes that one of the biggest there’s 1,700 in six states and Siekaniec as Jimenez said. issues he initially faced was they’re being delisted. that’s the agency’s the sense from the public that pretty rewarding.” new deputy Bangs led the team that the wolf reintroduction in the director for Policy. siekaniec, a captured wolves in canada rockies was forced on people as he prepares to walk away career service employee, has and released them, in the mid- here by bureaucrats back east. from his life’s work, Bangs served as the assistant director 1990s, in yellowstone national so he empowered his people knows that he’ll always carry for the national Wildlife refuge Park. niemeyer recalls how to make decisions on the it with him, in a sense. in an system since 2009. Bangs would fend off the spot regarding how to handle e-mail, he explained a statement bureaucrats and deal with all problem wolves, and had few posted on his office wall from he began his career with the the “unpleasantries” in the pre- reservations about shooting someone saying how wolf scars service at the J. clark salyer introduction arena. those that preyed on livestock are sexy — which, in his classic national Wildlife refuge in repeatedly. those same self-deprecating manner, the north dakota as a refuge clerk “i consider him to be the guy practices continue today. bachelor noted that apparently and moved up into management who made it happen,” said they aren’t. positions in montana, north niemeyer, who recently released “the first thing we did was try to dakota, Wyoming and alaska. a book called “Wolfer” about make it a local person with faces Bangs said the statement was he served as deputy chief of his experiences. “i admired ed that they could call, and the field given to him as a joke after he the refuge system before for his tenacity in dealing with person had full authority to deal was bitten on the wrist by a taking over leadership at alaska bureaucrats and politics. i don’t with the problem right here and wolf in Wyoming. one canine maritime refuge in 2001. think anybody wanted that part right now,” Bangs said. “i think tooth went through his wrist and of the job.” that helped recover wolves while he had a few crush marks, but in his capacity as deputy it minimized the damage.” luckily it didn’t break his arm. he director for Policy, siekaniec Bangs said he felt a personal finished the day’s work before will provide strategic program responsibility to reduce Bangs said another important getting it checked out in the direction and develop policy and conflict and damage caused by part of his job was to keep emergency room. guidance to support and promote wolves, but believes that their science at the forefront of program development and fulfill reintroduction to the landscape the emotionally charged “i did learn a valuable lesson the service mission. was the correct route to take. he political debate and keep the (that) next time someone asks jokes that wolves are actually reintroduction and recovery you to hold a wolf down for them siekaniec spent eight years kind of boring — calling them effort moving forward. With the ask if it is immobilized,” Bangs as the refuge manager of “just big dogs” that have been removal of wolves from the list of wrote. “But i am an especially alaska maritime national studied to death — but that endangered species in montana fun date during full moons!” Wildlife refuge, one of the people are fascinating, which and Wyoming this week by an refuge system’s most remote is one reason he didn’t hesitate act of congress, Bangs said eve Byron, reporter with the and far flung units. the unit when walking into rooms filled he feels he’s successfully independent record in helena, encompasses more than with angry people. completed his job. montana 2,500 islands encompassing nearly 5 million acres and provides nesting habitat for approximately 40 million
30 / Fish & Wildlife News fall 2011 our people
seabirds, approximately 80 Winners of the refuge officer of Among the honorees’ officer goeb, percent of alaska’s nesting the year awards are: accomplishments: based at seabird population. charles m. isaac Bedingfield, alaska officer Bedingfield, based russell during his tenure there he is at kodiak national Wildlife national credited with developing a host Shelby Finney, southwest refuge in alaska, patrols the Wildlife of restoration partnerships region refuge and nearby islands and refuge in with national conservation marine waters by boat and air. montana, is organizations to restore Deb goeb, mountain-Prairie his piloting skills give him all- the lead island biodiversity and ridding region season access to remote areas firearm instructor in an eight- islands of destructive invasive where people don’t expect a law state area and evaluates species — foxes and rats — carl lantz, midwest region enforcement presence. there, officers’ performance in the that had nearly eradicated he monitors commercial fishing service’s field training program. native seabirds and other Bryant Marcial, southeast operations, hunting and fishing she established night patrols to wildlife. siekaniec earned a region, and guides, recreational users and curb illegal drug and alcohol use bachelor’s degree in wildlife special use permit holders. on the refuge. her resolve in biology from the university gareth Williams, northeast he welcomes opportunities to tracing an elk poaching case in a of montana. he completed region. broaden his skills and frequently closed portion of the refuge led the senior executive service helps other alaska refuges. to a federal court conviction. candidate development Program the six are among the 270 officer Bedingfield is also in she collected kill-site evidence, in 2008, the same year that he full-time and 130 dual-function demand as a service firearms showing the elk was a cow. completed the senior executive uniformed officers sworn instructor, performing related then she had the local game fellows Program at harvard to protect public safety and tasks with the confidence of a warden check with local meat university’s John f. kennedy enforce federal law on the more seasoned instructor. processors for cow elk that had school of government. 553 national wildlife refuges, been received in the last 48 managed by the u.s. fish and officer hours. he obtained samples from Wildlife service. the job is a Finney, based three specimens. goeb sent the big one, and, on some large at salt Plains samples to the national Wildlife honors and remote lands, officers can national forensics lab in ashland, be spread thin. that’s why the Wildlife oregon, along with samples six refuge system law service recognizes the sharp refuge in from the kill site. five months enforcement officers Win instincts and professionalism oklahoma, later, the lab determined a top honors demonstrated by the refuge helped the match. after two interview system corps, this year Bureau of sessions, one involving the Between them, they’ve exemplified by these six officers. indian affairs fight crime on the assistance of a state wildlife saved human lives, enforced mescalero apache reservation investigator, the suspect everything from local hunting “We’re proud of the job our in new mexico. as a member confessed. regulations to international officers do under often- of the service honor guard, he wildlife treaties, and staked out demanding conditions,” says helped dedicate a Pennsylvania officer lantz, based at crab scofflaws, drug dealers and Jim hall, chief of the service’s memorial to passengers of orchard national Wildlife refuge criminal traders in endangered division of refuge law flight 93, killed by terrorists in illinois, completed several species. they’ve defused tense enforcement. “these officers on september 11: one of the details with southern indiana situations, turned crime leads deserve praise for the skill, passengers was richard refuges to help them enforce into convictions, and trained training and commitment they J. guadagno, manager their hunting laws. at Patoka officers under them. bring to their work, and for being of the humboldt Bay nWr in river national Wildlife refuge role models to others.” in making california. a field training officer, and Wildlife management area, now, six law enforcement the awards, he adds, “the officer finney also instructs all- he used his interviewing officers in the national Wildlife service commends all of those terrain vehicle safety trainings and investigative skills to refuge system have won honors who wear the refuge officer for service employees and determine that a group of for outstanding police work in badge and serve tirelessly with volunteers and other federal hunters had exceeded the their respective geographic great dedication.” and state law officers. While duck-hunting limit. two hunters regions. piloting an airboat for the confessed and paid fines alfalfa and grant county sheriff totaling $1,800. departments, he rescued four women and an infant from flash floods.
fall 2011 Fish & Wildlife News / 31 our people
officer Marcial, based at the she had swallowed a mix of Northeast Mountain-prairie caribbean islands national alcohol and prescription Wildlife refuge complex, helped drugs. she was rushed to the convict animal traffickers for hospital and recovered. had it cherry hill township is proud Jewett receives selling endangered sea turtle not been for officer Williams’ to nominate lew gorman iii for legend award eggs and meat, a violation of persistence, the woman would the trail Worker category of the the endangered species act. he likely have died. 2010 national trail awards. jennifer jewett, education conducted stakeouts to confirm and outreach coordinator at violations of the migratory susan morse, division of refuges, his leadership des lacs national Wildlife Bird treaty act. he led multi- Washington office is the reason refuge, north dakota, has been agency search-and-recovery that cherry hill, named the 2011 u.s. fish and missions off the island of new Jersey, Wildlife service legends award culebra and managed a multi- Southeast now has a trail recipient. officer security detail on remote system. his desecheo national Wildlife pamela Steinhaus, visitor contributions in Jewett was recognized for her refuge to protect biologists from services manager at upper the planning, innovative programs to inspire traffickers in illegal immigrants mississippi river national development and maintenance and educate youth about wildlife and narcotics. Wildlife and fish refuge, helped create more than 10 miles and habitat, and her work in savanna, illinois, district; of trails that capitalize on open the development of community officer Williams, based at the and lori iverson, supervisory space lands. partners. of note, she oversaw Potomac river national Wildlife recreation planner at national two americorps national civilian refuge complex in virginia, elk refuge, Wyoming, have While serving as the chair of community corps crews that saved a life by investigating been chosen as Beacon award the cherry hill environmental completed major improvement a matter that other agencies winners by the american advisory committee (cheac), projects, including renovating an initially had set aside because recreation coalition. gorman got the idea to put accessible nature trail, removing no missing persons report had in a system of trails utilizing hazardous trees at a dangerous been filed. When Williams saw the Beacon award is given the town’s open space lands. intersection, prepping and a car parked oddly in a trailhead annually to federal land creating marked and maintained assisting with prescribed parking lot, he checked its tag to management agency employees trails would help lew complete fires on native prairie units, see if an alert had been issued who stand out in the field of his desire to connect cherry hill and organizing events such for the driver. none had. But information and technology. residents to nature. as christmas bird counts, that didn’t stop Williams, who the north dakota Junior contacted the driver’s landlord steinhaus was recognized for lew developed the cherry hill duck stamp display and an and employer. neither had seen her work integrating technology trails Plan and, after it was endangered species day at a the person in days. for more than into her environmental strategy, finalized by cheac, submitted north dakota zoo. two days, Williams continued the which includes the use of wi-fi it to the mayor and council; investigation until the driver’s service free to refuge visitors who decided on phased the legend award is presented daughter filed a missing persons and the installation of wildlife development. lew initiated to employees of federal land report, noting that her mother viewing cams throughout the development on the trails and management agencies who suffered from depression. Based southern portion of upper worked closely with the mayor’s excel in the field of recreation. on the information gathered by mississippi river refuge. office and the departments of it is presented annually by the Williams and contained in the recreation and Public Works american recreation coalition, missing persons report, county iverson was recognized for her while writing a grant application, in partnership with the officers launched a search. integration of technology into which was successful to the service, the national Park fairfax county, virginia, Police a program titled “Journals and tune of $25,000. service, the Bureau of land officer Peter masood and search JPgs — seasons on the refuge” management, the Bureau of dog shnoz, working with fairfax and using digital photography after the first successful reclamation, the u.s. forest county Police officer scott cole, to stimulate interest natural grant, lew drafted another service, the u.s. army corps found the woman lying shoeless resources of the greater grant application to the n.J. of engineers and the federal and disoriented a half mile away yellowstone ecosystem department of transportation, highway administration. in sub-freezing temperatures. by using the refuge as a living which was submitted in field lab. december 2009.
32 / Fish & Wildlife News fall 2011 our people
they ranged from the phase-out communicated to millions of connor earned a B.s. in of lethal predator control, an citizens. she had to get it journalism from the university in memoriam agency mainstay for nearly 100 right…for our agency and for of maryland in 1974. years, to the phase-in of cutting- her own integrity.” inez elizabeth edge scientific programs like connor retired to redington connor, 78, captive breeding of endangered connor’s prior job experience shores, florida, in 1996; whose career species and restoration of long- on capitol hill, where she her husband of 54 years, as national depleted salmon runs. worked for several members of Joseph, died in 2004. her spokeswoman congress and the democratic communications work for the fish Whooping cranes, bald eagles national committee during the continued in that tampa-area and Wildlife and california condors crowded height of the Watergate scandal, suburb, where she served service her media agenda through the gave her innate political savvy her condominium association bridged an era in which the early 1980s…so much so that and an intuitive feel for the as an officer, produced its agency’s public face blossomed the occasional news story shrewd roll-out of major agency newsletter and video history, in the 1970s and 1980s—when would misquote “inez condor” initiatives. those skills came in and wrote promotional materials conservation concepts like in its latest account of the handy during especially trying for town government. she “endangered species” evolved controversy-plagued recovery national issues like the phase- is survived by two sons and from vague ideas into household program. out of lead shot, elimination several grandchildren and words — died may 30 in florida of conflicting public activities great-grandchildren. Burial was of heart disease. “her work advanced the on wildlife refuges and the in Belle center, ohio, her late recovery of the california always newsworthy endangered husband’s hometown. one of the first female condor,” remembers megan species program. representatives for the interior durham, connor’s fellow press david klinger, national department agency in front of officer. “many people have connor was named as one of conservation training center the Washington news media, forgotten how controversial the fish and Wildlife service connor had a 20-year tenure it was when the service 10 most outstanding employees terry Bell, who retired with the fish and Wildlife decided to take all remaining in 1986. approximately six years ago service and became a role model wild condors into captivity from the duck stamp office, for a subsequent generation of for breeding. Prominent a native of columbia, missouri, passed away on may 23, professional women. Where conservation groups strongly connor retained much of the 2011. she had recently been once a female face before opposed that. inez was the “show me” demeanor of that diagnosed with als or lou television cameras or in the person who communicated midwestern state, cutting to the gerhig’s disease. terry had a boardrooms of agency managers the service’s reasons for that chase in her representation of long and distinguished career was a rarity, today women decision.” her agency with reporters and with the federal government. predominate in the service’s posing the tough questions to among other agencies, she external affairs presence. “that was a time of great occasionally evasive agency worked at the White house’s creativity and talent in the managers that she knew they national security council and “inez connor was the real-deal, fish and Wildlife service’s would face with the press. ever office of management and personally and professionally,” communications program,” says the stickler for accuracy and the Budget before coming to the says vicki mccoy, the service’s alan levitt, former chief of the right word, connor wrote her interior department in 1984. former external affairs director agency’s current information own obituary for her hometown she worked for the assistant in atlanta. “no fanfare, no office, where connor wrote florida newspaper. secretary (Policy, Budget and hoopla, she just got the job done. feature stories, planned news administration) prior to joining she would tell you exactly what conferences and answered a after Washington, connor the duck stamp office in 1987. she thought, but there was never constantly ringing telephone in served nine years beginning she thrived under these new any negative judgment attached that pre-e-mail era. “inez was in 1983 as assistant regional responsibilities and played a to it. it was up to you what you sharp enough not to accept director for public affairs in large role in promoting both the did with what she told you.” jargon or simplistic answers region 5. she briefly returned federal and Junior duck stamp to her questions when she to the Washington office in program until her retirement. Joining the service in 1976, wrote about issues. she was 1992, where she conducted terry enjoyed her retirement first in Washington, d.c., in the a spokesperson for a federal communications and outreach since then spending time with agency’s old wildlife permit agency. her comments— activities for the refuge system her grandchildren and great office and moving to public whether about a wild condor and the north american grandson. affairs, connor handled a series or a wetland issue—could be Waterfowl management Plan. of progressively more complex and politically charged issues.
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Make a global conservation The five funds presently impact: Save vanishing Species enacted by Congress are: Semipostal Stamp Was issued African Elephant Conservation On September 20, 2011, a Act, the Rhinoceros and Tiger special stamp will give every Conservation Act, the Asian American the chance to Elephant Conservation Act, support international wildlife the Great Apes Conservation conservation just by mailing a Act and the Marine Turtle letter. The stamp will directly Conservation Act. support the conservation of tigers, rhinos, African and A semipostal is a stamp issued Asian elephants, great apes at a cost of 55 cents, which is and marine turtles. above the present first-class postage rate. The additional The stamp features an 11 cents on each stamp learn more and stay in touch illustration of a tiger cub by sold will directly benefit • Wildlife Without Borders Multinational Species Conservation artist Nancy Stahl. Stamp the multinational species Funds and the Save Vanishing Species stamp purchases will directly benefit conservation funds. The stamp
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