Celebrate over 100 years of Conservation with the National Wildlife Refuge System
October 6, 2009 by USFWS
Dust off your hiking boots, grab the fishing pole or dig out those binoculars…National Wildlife Refuge Week is heading your way, October 11-17. "It is my hope that citizens across the country will take advantage of this weeklong celebration to experience wildlife in their natural habitats and play a firsthand role in conservation by participating in special events and programs, or simply observing and enjoying the great outdoors at a local refuge," said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. Find a refuge near you.
Efforts Made to Reduce Oil, Bird Encounters
October 1, 2009 by USFWS
A broad-based cooperative effort among state and federal agencies and corporate entities is helping to reduce the number of deaths of migratory birds and other wildlife attracted to oil field waste pits. Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, many operators have taken preventive measures to reduce these losses, currently estimated at least a half-million birds annually.
Environmental Contaminants Program
Efforts Made to Reduce Oil, Bird Encounters
October 1, 2009 by USFWS
A broad-based cooperative effort among state and federal agencies and corporate entities is helping to reduce the number of deaths of migratory birds and other wildlife attracted to oil field waste pits. Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, many operators have taken preventive measures to reduce these losses, currently estimated at least a half-million birds annually.
Environmental Contaminants Program
Service Releases Climate Change Strategy for Public Review and Comment Builds on Secretary Salazar’s DOI Climate Change Order
September 23, 2009 by USFWS
As part of the Department of the Interior’s commitment to building a coordinated strategy to respond to the impacts of climate change on the nation’s natural resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today releases a proposed strategic plan that will guide the agency’s efforts to respond to the unprecedented threat posed by global warming.
National Wildlife Refuges to be Featured on New Quarters
September 9, 2009 by USFWS
Block Island National Wildlife Refuge in Rhode Island and Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware will be featured on quarters with reverse (tails side) designs as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program, which showcases national wildlife refuges, parks or other federally preserved area from each state, U.S. territory, and the District of Columbia.
“The new quarter program recognizes that public places of inspiration and recreation have always been important to Americans,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “The quarters highlight the diversity and magnificence of 48 National Park Service sites and two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges cared for by the Department of the Interior as well as six national forests administered by the Department of Agriculture. Hopefully the coins will encourage people to learn more about each area and its significance to our heritage.”
Block Island NWR News Release (Dept. of Treasury)
Bombay Hook NWR News Release (Dept. of Treasury)
Mussel Traffickers to Serve Prison Terms, Pay Restitution
September 3, 2009 by USFWS
Three individuals who were involved in a conspiracy to illegally harvest and export undersized freshwater mussels taken from U.S. rivers have been sentenced to pay $65,000 in restitution and serve Federal prison terms of 12, 20 and 24 months. The three were successfully prosecuted on Lacey Act charges as the result of a multi-year undercover investigation of large-scale mussel trafficking conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. During the case, investigators linked at least 17 individuals to the conspiracy and discovered that as many as 240,000 individual mussels were unlawfully taken, sold and exported to Japan and other countries over a two-year period.
