Heritage Committee
The work of the Heritage Committee is to ensure that the history, memories, and former personnel of the Service are not discarded or forgotten.
Left to Right: Jonathan Schafler (R-5), Jim Kurth (Chair D.C.), Paul Tritaik (R-4), Debbie Corbett (R-7), Kevin Kilculllen (D.C.), Jo Quinter (Retiree), Jerry Grover (Retiree), Judy Grover (Retiree), Steve Chase (NCTC), Greg Dehmer (R-3), Denny Holland (Retiree), Kathy Holland (Retiree).
Missing: Mark Madison (NCTC), Jerry French (Retiree), John Cornely (Retiree), Randi Smith (R-6), Richard Coon (Retiree).
Heritage Committee Projects
Heritage Award Winners
- D.C. Booth Society (2004)
- Dale Hall (2003)
- Kip Koss (2002)
USFWS Heritage Committee Charter
USFWS Heritage Committee Charter January 22 , 2003
Purpose: The Fish and Wildlife Service’s Heritage Committee is established to foster:
- Understanding and appreciation of the Service’s unique history and values in natural resource conservation; as a source of pride and motivation for our employees; and as a context for future FWS policy and action.
- Involvement and engagement of present and past employees in the heritage of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Preservation and use of important historical treasures, documents, objects and information to educate Service employees and the public.
- Preserve the "people connections" of present and past employees.
Background: The Service is one of the world’s oldest conservation agencies with its history being traced to approximately 1871. Despite that prominence and long history, until recently there has been no systematic and sustained effort to document, collect, and preserve important aspects of the Service’s rich history. Many objects related to the Service’s diverse history have been lost or continue to deteriorate and there has been no active program underway to document retirees’ institutional knowledge. While a number of offices throughout the country have sought to preserve portions of the Service’s heritage, these efforts have focused primarily on local geographic or limited subject areas rather than the broad reach of Service programs and activities. The establishment of the DC Booth National Historic Fish Hatchery, and the National Conservation Training Center provided the Service with the means to begin the process of developing national collections of materials important to the heritage of the Service. Preserving our heritage helps to enhance the Service’s identity and offers opportunities to learn from our past. With the support of the Service's Directorate, the Heritage Committee was formally established in 1998 to address these issues and support ongoing Service programs.
Objectives: The committee will work to develop and implement programs to document and preserve important historical materials and information associated with past, present, and future wildlife and organizational programs; to encourage the study and use of heritage resources to enhance understanding and appreciation of the Service's leading role in American fish and wildlife conservation; to understand historical socio-economic impacts on conservation policy as a context for future policy development; and, to educate its employees and the public about its heritage of conserving natural resources.
Goals: The goals of the Heritage Committee are to:
- Actively promote and provide advice and guidance to the Directorate concerning the significance of Service historical events, objects, documents, and its people related to the Service’s heritage and natural resource conservation values.
- Work with Service offices, friends groups, other relevant organizations, and active or retired personnel to promote interest in the preservation and use of the Service’s heritage.
- Support the Service's retiree network, including the various organizations of Service retirees.
- Assist the NCTC in developing heritage training curricula and materials for use in Service courses.
- Assist Service offices in interpreting and developing outreach products that incorporate themes involving the agency’s rich history in managing and conserving America's natural resources.
- Work to ensure adequate storage and display space and provide technical expertise to preserve materials and information on the Service’s rich past.
- Respond to written requests and provide information covering the Service's history and artifacts.
- Promote the care of the many Service museum collections, and assist in their display.
- Coordinate the identification, collection, and preservation of significant materials and information on the Service’s past, including an active oral history program and a strategy to identify issues and events that should be documented and preserved for the future.
Membership: Participation in Heritage activities is characterized by three levels-- Core, Extended, and Administrative. The Core Committee is composed of ten members appointed by the Director, including a chairperson who is either a Deputy Regional Director or Deputy Assistant Director. The chairperson and members are appointed for three-year terms unless a vacancy occurs as a result of resignation, career transfer, or retirement. These terms may be extended with approval from the Director for the Chairperson and approval by appropriate regional director or assistant director for committee members.
The ten members will include eight representatives from each of the Service 's regions, appointed by the appropriate regional director. The Service Historian will serve as the Region 9 representative. There will be a separate, at-large position for a representative from the National Retiree Association plus the chairperson. Only the Core Committee members may vote.
The extended ex-officio members will be the FWS Historic Preservation Officer, the director of the DC Booth National Historic Fish Hatchery, and the Director of the National Conservation Training Center.
Administrative, support, and advisory members include others as designated by the chair. Former Chairpersons will be considered "Chairperson Emeritus", and will serve the current chairperson as appropriate.
The Committee chairperson may request the assistance of other personnel as necessary to address technical issues dealing with preserving documents and objects, developing audio-visual products, etc.
Meetings: The Heritage Committee will meet at least once a year, provided specific issues have been identified to justify convening a meeting. The Committee will work closely with the National Retiree Association and assist in the activities of the annual retiree reunion. The Heritage Committee will also assist in keeping the "people connections" between retirees and current employees.
Administrative and Program Support: Administrative and program support for the Committee is provided by the NCTC, as approved by the NCTC Director. Such support includes funding the Core Committee’s travel expenses; reimbursement of volunteers’ expenses associated with Committee activities based on prior approval; making arrangements for meetings, developing agendas, recording and distributing minutes of meetings; providing technical preservation assistance; preparing position papers and recommendations for consideration by the Director; and other routine administrative support.
Heritage Committee Members
Chairman John Blankenship, Denver, COR-1: Jerry Grover
R-2: Jerry French
R-3: Molly Mehl
R-4: Judy Pulliam
R-5: Jonathan Schafler
R-6: John Cornely
R-7: Debbie Corbett
R-9: Mark Madison
Retiree Rep: Denny Holland
Ex-Officio: Rick Lemon, Steve Brimm, Kevin Kilcullen
Support/Retirees: Steve Chase, Jeanne Harold, Joe Piehuta, Arden Trandahl, Randi Smith, Jo Quinter
Emeritus: Dale Hall
Regional Retiree Representatives:
R-1: Jerry Grover
R-2: Jerry French
R-3: Dorothe Norton
R-4: Judy Pulliam
R-5: Tom McAndrews
R-6: John Green
R-7: Jim King
