James W. Kurth

Jim Kurth took the helm of the National Wildlife Refuge System-the world's largest network of lands dedicated to wildlife conservation--in June. 1999, during a pivotal time with several major efforts underway to improve its management and public use programs.

Since 1994, Kurth had managed the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska--the largest refuge in the United States, spanning 20 million acres. Arctic also contains an 8-million-acre Wilderness Area-the largest within the refuge system.

Kurth began his refuge system career in 1979 with posts at Mississippi SandhiIl Crane National Wildlife Refuge in Mississippi, Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, Bogue Chino National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, Seney National Wildlife Refuge in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge in Rhode Island. He graduated in 1978 from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a degree in Wildlife Management.