University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Fish & Wildlife News US Fish & Wildlife Service January 2006 Fish & Wildlife News: Winter/Spring 2006 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/fwnews Part of the Animal Sciences Commons "Fish & Wildlife News: Winter/Spring 2006" (2006). Fish & Wildlife News. 33. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/fwnews/33 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the US Fish & Wildlife Service at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Fish & Wildlife News by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Fish & Wildlife News Winter/Spring 2006 Looking for Wheelin’ Living with a Legend Sportsmen Grizzlies The Galapagos of the North Alaska’s Pribilof Islands are home to a teeming world of wildlife. 2 Inside this Issue... Departments News Briefs / 4 Fish Tales / 23 Faces in the Field / 11 Transitions / 24 Science & Technology / 22 Honors / 26 From the Hill / 23 In Memoriam / 27 Features The Galapagos of the North / 12 Alaska’s Pribilof Islands are home to a teeming world of wildlife. By Karen Sullivan Looking for a Legend / 15 The search is on for the ivory-billed woodpecker. By Tom MacKenzie Wheelin’ Sportsmen / 18 At Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, disabled hunters get their time in the blinds. By Terry Villanueva and Terri Edwards Living with Grizzlies / 20 Proposed delisting marks a new era for these misunderstood bears. By Valerie Fellows On the cover: A pair of tufted puffins from the Pribilof Islands. (USFWS) 3 From the Director Returning to our Roots In early March, To protect our scientific credibility, we also to assess the roles of professional societies Service leaders have an obligation to maintain a culture in the Service and the USGS Biological met at the National of thorough, in-Service scientific debate. Resources Discipline. Involvement in Conservation Premature release of draft documents, professional societies keeps us informed Training Center scientific analysis or briefings can about new scientific directions and ideas, to participate in a significantly undermine public confidence provides a way for Service scientists to workforce planning in our methods and findings, as well as share their ideas and knowledge with workshop titled, our ability to have free and open internal the larger scientific community, keeps us “Shaping Our debate on data interpretation and engaged with professional colleagues and Future.” They took some important first analysis. To ensure the integrity of this raises the stature of our employees and steps in setting a course for the Service for process, it’s imperative that all draft our organization. the next three to five years and expressing documents, and assessments remain our core values—the things that mean inside the Service, except as is required We all know the stereotype of scientists the most to us. to support collaboration with federal as unsociable folks who just want to be and state peers. This does not mean left alone to do science. But that’s not the This workshop was part of a process of that we can’t have discussions with stereotypical Service scientist. We value our change that will be ongoing as we rise to outside experts, such as universities and professional relationships and collaboration the conservation challenges of the 21st conservation partner organizations. Those with partners. We know it’s essential to century. But as we prepare to embrace discussions are essential in building what our credibility and accomplishment of change, I believe there will be one constant: Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett our mission. I plan to continue former science will remain the heart and soul of calls “shared knowledge.” But we don’t director Steve Williams’ practice of holding this agency. share decision-related documents until bimonthly meetings with the USGS director the Service has completed its internal and periodic meetings of our Directorate I started out with the Service as a discussion and consideration. and the USGS leadership team to make wetlands biologist. Twenty-seven years sure our scientific priorities are aligned. later, I still view the world through a I realize that we work in a very difficult scientific lens. Science doesn’t make environment. We’re all faced with the As we envision what we want to be in decisions for us, but it lays the foundation challenge of trying to do the right thing the future, we must not lose sight of for making good decisions. The under increased scrutiny, and at the same the fundamental scientific principles cornerstones in that foundation are the time, we have to adjust to new priorities and practices that have sustained us strength of the science (considering factors and expectations. That’s reality. While for decades. I appreciate everything such as certainty, completeness, and the we need to address those challenges, you do to provide the best available rigor of review) and the objectivity of our the thing that is most directly under information to support decision-making. analysis. Both are essential in supporting our control is how we conduct ourselves, I know you are working under very sound policy discussions. as individual professionals and as a challenging circumstances, and I look professional organization. forward to joining with you in continuing I think it’s important to remember that our tradition of scientific excellence. the world doesn’t expect us to know all the I have directed the Service Science answers. In science, sometimes the best Committee to recommend guidelines answer is “I don’t know,” or “I’m not sure.” with which we can evaluate the strength If we are to strengthen our reputation of scientific information. There are other as a professional science organization, measures we can take to make sure we’re we need to be constantly vigilant that we setting and maintaining high scientific are building the foundation to support standards. One of those is to strengthen solutions—not necessarily, or always, partnerships with science organizations building the solutions themselves. And and scientific professional societies. In we need to compile and view scientific this issue of Fish & Wildlife News, you’ll information objectively. As scientists, read about a survey conducted by the we search for truth, even when the truth Service, The Wildlife Society, the American doesn’t necessarily support our opinion Fisheries Society, the U.S. Geological or preferences; in fact, especially then. Survey (USGS), and Cornell University 4 News Briefs President John Baughman, National Building for the Future Wildlife Federation President and Chief More than 75 Service leaders met in early Executive Officer Larry J. Schweiger, March in a workforce planning workshop author Richard Louv and others informed designed to determine what the agency workshop participants on a range of should look like in the next three to five conservation issues ranging from global years and beyond. warming to Louv’s contention that children in the digital age are increasingly becoming During the three-day session held at the estranged from nature. National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, the Quoting Yankee baseball legend Yogi Berra, group of Assistant Regional Directors, who once remarked that “the future ain’t Washington Office Division Chiefs and staff what it used to be,” Scarlett urged Service involved in current workforce planning leadership to change with the times. efforts generated an extensive list of recommendations aimed at making the “We need to have the right people in the Service more efficient and effective. right places with the right tools and clear goals,” she said. “The public demands The discussions were framed by a host of a government that is more efficient, challenges facing the agency, including transparent and accountable....The Fish budget constraints, urbanization, changing and Wildlife Service is poised to meet demographics, loss of experience and those challenges.” leadership due to workforce turnover and natural forces such as last summer’s Bud Oliveira, Assistant Regional Director Freed to explore ideas without having to Gulf Coast hurricanes. for Refuges in the Southeast Region, consider the implications of cost and other participates in a group discussion during realities, participants brainstormed ideas Shedding program loyalties, participants the workforce planning workshop at NCTC. in several cross-programmatic groups. identified core values and challenged the (USFWS/Ryan Hagerty) Suggestions included consolidating and status quo by supporting the concept combining programs; creating “service of “one Service” that combines and centers” that combine administrative integrates resources and ideas rather than The first day of the workshop resembled functions; co-locating offices on government a fragmented network of programs. Most a college reunion, with Service leaders land; eliminating rent costs by locating also agreed that available resources should greeting old friends and catching up on offices on Service lands (one group be directed to on-the-ground conservation news from other offices and the field. But aspired to have the Service paying no and resource management rather than the importance of the session quickly rent in 15 years); improving leadership administrative growth. became apparent when the Director in his development programs; creating a more opening remarks challenged