News Release

Contact: Nicholas Throckmorton, 202/208-5636

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently named 27-year Service veteran Dr. Robert Blohm as the new chief of the Division of Migratory Bird Management, according to Assistant Director for Migratory Birds, Paul Schmidt.

"The Service is pleased to have Dr. Blohm assume this critical position in Service management," Schmidt said. "His extensive background in migratory bird research, monitoring and management, as well as his considerable experience working with the Flyway Councils, will be a great asset to the Service."

The Fish and Wildlife Service is the lead Federal agency for managing and conserving the more than 800 species of migratory birds that spend all or part of their lives in the United States. As chief of the Migratory Bird Management Division, Dr. Blohm will work with the various Flyway Councils to establish annual federal migratory bird hunting regulations and will be responsible for other significant migratory bird management issues, such as managing snow geese and resident Canada geese, cormorant impacts on fisheries, and the effects of powerlines and wind turbines on birds.

Blohm will also oversee the Service's leadership role in Partners In Flight, the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, and the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan; and will lead the Service's role in the implementation of agreements with more than 20 federal agencies to protect migratory birds. He also will guide the Service's many cooperative activities with state wildlife agencies in the management of migratory birds.

"As we continue and further develop the Service's mission to protect migratory birds, I look forward to working with biologists in the Service, States and our conservation partners to fulfill this mission," said Dr. Blohm.

A native of Michigan, Dr. Blohm received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Michigan State University in 1968. Following service in the U.S. Army, he completed Master of Science and Ph.D. Degrees in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin. Since 1979, he has worked for the Service in the Division of Migratory Bird Management. During his career, he has been honored with a number of significant national awards including the Conservation Achievement Award from Ducks Unlimited, and has authored numerous professional papers on different topics related to migratory bird research and management.

Dr. Blohm is an avid outdoorsman and waterfowl hunter. His personal interests, aside from hunting, include fishing, camping, and enjoying the outdoors with his wife and two sons.

For more information on the Service's role in migratory bird management, please see: http://migratorybirds.fws.gov.

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 545 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