Service Requests Proposals for Endangered Species Conservation
June 19, 2009 by USFWS
The Service is now seeking proposals from states and U.S. territories to acquire land or plan for endangered species conservation efforts. Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act provides grants to states and territories to support participation in a wide array of conservation projects for threatened and and endangered species, as well as for species that are either candidates or have been proposed for listing. Proposals are due by August 19, 2009.
Export Permits to be Denied for Wild Paddlefish Products from Tennessee’s Kentucky Lake
June 18, 2009 by USFWS
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will deny the issuance of CITES export permits for paddlefish and products (caviar) harvested from Kentucky Lake in Tennessee during the recently completed 2008-2009 fishing season. Kentucky Lake is an impoundment of the Tennessee River in western Tennessee and western Kentucky and provides at least 63 percent of all caviar harvested in Tennessee.
Eddies Magazine Focuses on Fisheries Conservation Work with Native Americans
June 17, 2009 by USFWS
The current edition of Eddies portrays the joint efforts of the Service’s Division of Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Conservation and Native Americans. For generations, Native Americans have developed lifestyles, cultures and customs centered on their relationships with fisheries and wildlife. With assistance from the Service, tribes have developed and expanded their fish and wildlife management programs.
Secretary Salazar Lauds President’s Intent to Nominate Sam Hamilton as Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
June 10, 2009 by USFWS
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar praised President Obama’s announcement that he intends to nominate Sam D. Hamilton to be the next Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hamilton, a career senior biologist and manager with the Service, currently is director of the agency’s Southeast Region. The nomination requires Senate confirmation.
Secretary Salazar, Joined by White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Lays Groundwork for 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps
June 8, 2009 by USFWS
Joined by Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett and several hundred schoolchildren on the National Mall, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today signed a Secretarial Order establishing an Office of Youth in Natural Resources at the Department of the Interior. The event, sponsored by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, also served to kick-off National Fishing and Boating Week.
Secretary Salazar Announces Boating Grants to 28 States to Help Keep Waterways Clean
June 8, 2009 by USFWS
Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today announced that $14.6 million will be awarded to 28 states under the Clean Vessel Act grant program in 2009. The grants will be used to fund the construction and installation of sewage pumpout facilities and floating restrooms, to purchase pumpout boats and provide educational programs for recreational boaters.
Massachusetts Antique Dealer Arrested for Whale Teeth Trafficking
June 2, 2009 by USFWS
The owner of a Nantucket antique business investigated by the Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been charged and arrested on multiple felony counts for illegally importing and selling sperm whale teeth. Sperm whales are protected under the Endangered Species Act and international treaty; their teeth, which are commonly used for scrimshaw, are of commercial interest to antique dealers, collectors and others.
Sentencings Continue in Striped Bass Case
June 2, 2009 by USFWS
A Maryland commercial fisherman will spend 13 months in prison and pay a $4,500 fine and $70,569 in restitution for illegally overfishing striped bass. A multiyear undercover Service/State investigation documented large-scale unlawful harvest and trafficking in this State-regulated food fish; 15 individuals and two wholesale fish dealers have been charged to date.
Interior Secretary Salazar Approves Upper Mississippi River as Wetland of International Importance
June 1, 2009 by USFWS
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced approval of portions of the Upper Mississippi River, including the Midwest’s largest national wildlife refuge, as a Wetland of International Importance. The designation includes more than 300,000 acres of federal and state lands and waters of the Upper Mississippi River floodplain from near Wabasha, Minnesota, to Rock Island, Illinois.
Fish and Wildlife Service Releases New Refuge System DVD
May 29, 2009 by USFWS
“America’s Wildest Places – Volume 4” is a new DVD tour of seven of some of the most interesting and unique locales in the refuge system and is now on sale. This popular wildlife travelogue video series by America’s premier wildlife agency takes you from coast-to-coast, from the Appalachian highlands of West Virginia … to the teeming shores of San Francisco Bay … to the wild backcountry of Alaska … and includes a special appearance by President Theodore Roosevelt as a bonus feature.
Service Celebrates Endangered Species Day
May 14, 2009 by USFWS
On May 15, 2009, the Service will honor Endangered Species Day and the numerous nationwide conservation programs underway aimed at protecting America’s threatened and endangered species.
More Than $23 Million in Federal Grants and Matching Funds to Conserve Neotropical Migratory Birds
May 13, 2009 by USFWS
Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today announced more than $4.8 million in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grants for 36 projects supporting neotropical migratory bird conservation throughout the Western Hemisphere.
