Doug Staller trys his new desk out for size at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge where he reported as the new deputy refuge manager June 5

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is pleased to announce the arrival of a new Deputy Refuge Manager, Doug Staller.  Doug reported to Kenai in early June, transferring from the Deputy position at Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Bethel where he served nearly five years.  Previous to moving to Alaska, Doug served as Refuge Manager at Tewaukon Refuge Complex in North Dakota, and prior to that, as the Division Chief of Visitor Services and Communications for Refuge's national office in Washington, D.C.  His move from Yukon Delta to Kenai exemplifies the wide diversity of the National Wildlife Refuge System in Alaska.  The Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge consists of over 19 million acres and has vast expanses of river delta and wetlands that create one of the world's most important nesting areas for migratory birds.  Because of its remoteness, Yukon Delta doesn't receive too many visitors, but has 43 villages located within the boundaries of the Refuge.  Kenai Refuge, with its nearly 2 million acres of mountains, glaciers, forests, lakes and rivers, is a composite of most ecosystem types found in Alaska, and is visited by over a million people each year.  In April of this year Doug was honored as a member of a team that received a cooperative conservation award from Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne for work with Sea Lion Native Corporation and the Village of Hooper Bay on reducing impacts of all-terrain vehicles on migratory birds.  The award was one of 20 given nationwide and was presented on Earth Day at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.  Doug is excited about his recent move and stated, "It's an honor to be selected for this position.  This is one of the places in the Refuge System you always hear about, but never imagine I'd be fortunate enough to work at."  "We're glad he feels that way," said Refuge Manager Robin West, "but we feel equally fortunate to have him here."