Contacts
Bruce Woods (907) 786-3695
Two National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska, and a staff member at another, recently received national Environmental Leadership Awards from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These awards recognize exceptional steps taken by refuges and individuals to improve their stewardship of the land.
Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge received a 2005 Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Leadership Award in the Environmental Management System category, and was named "Refuge of the Year" for environmental excellence. The refuge's staff was commended for its efforts in pollution prevention, environmental outreach and partnering, energy initiatives, and sustainable building designs.
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge received a 2005 Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Leadership Award in the Environmental Management System category as well, honoring the refuge's continued environmental leadership. Yukon Delta staffers were also specifically recognized for their work in pollution prevention, environmental outreach and partnering, energy initiatives, and sustainable building designs.
Nicole Johnson, an Environmental Education Specialist with Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, received a Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Leadership Award for her recycling efforts, which have included reaching out to refuge employees and the public alike to encourage improved environmental stewardship. Nicole coordinates the refuge's recycling program which, in 2004, recycled 3,413 pounds of office products alone! Nicole's award was one of only three such individual Environmental Leadership Awards given in 2005.
Todd Logan, the Service's Alaska Region Chief of Refuges, said "All 16 of Alaska's National Wildlife Refuges can take pride in the awards recently won by Kanuti, Yukon Delta, and Nicole. These honors recognize what members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service across Alaska already know: Our refuges lead the nation when it comes to 'walking the walk and talking the talk' in matters concerning land management and resource conservation."
You can subscribe to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Region listserver, to have our press releases sent to your e-mail address automatically, by sending an e-mail message to: listserv@www.fws.gov. Please indicate that you would like to subscribe to FWS-Alaska news and give your name in the body of the message.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
- FWS-
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov
|
