130 Years of Service

The Service's origins date back to 1871, when Congress established the U.S. Fish Commission to study the decrease of the nation's food fishes and recommend ways to reverse the decline.

In 1885, Congress created an Office of Economic Ornithology in the Department of Agriculture which studied the food habits and migratory patterns of birds. This office gradually grew in responsibilities and was finally renamed the Bureau of Biological Survey in 1905. The Survey's responsibilities included managing the nation's first wildlife refuges, controlling predators, enforcing wildlife laws, and conserving dwindling populations of migratory birds. The Bureaus of Fisheries and Biological Survey were transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1939. In 1940, they were combined and named the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Notable former employees include Jay N. "Ding" Darling, designer of the first Federal Duck Stamp, and Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring. Today, the Service employs approximately 7,500 people at facilities across the country including a headquarters office in Washington, D.C., seven regional offices, and nearly 700 field units. Among these are national wildlife refuges, national fish hatcheries and management assistance offices, law enforcement and ecological services field stations.

The Southwest Region

This region includes a Regional Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico; more than 40 National Wildlife Refuges; 8 National Fish Hatcheries, a Fish Health Center, and four Fishery Resources Offices; seven Ecological Services Field Offices; 19 Law Enforcement Offices; and five Border Inspection Stations. The Region employs nearly 900 individuals, and will provide monies from the Sports Fish and Wildlife Restoration Acts through grants-in-aid to the four states.

Programs/activities in the Region include:

• conserving migratory birds, endangered species, fishery resources, and their habitats;
• providing biological advice to other agencies and industry concerning the conservation of fish and wildlife habitats;
• enforcing Federal laws that protect endangered species and other wildlife, including interstate/international trade;
• working with landowners and agriculture agencies to conserve wetlands and other wildlife habitat on private lands;
• operating more than 2.5 million acres in the region as part of the only network of federal lands managed primarily for wildlife by the National Wildlife Refuge System.
  

Taken together, these efforts help to conserve America's living natural resources for the benefit of current and future generations of Americans. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a Bureau of the Department of Interior. The Southwest Region is one of seven USFWS Regions in the United States. We have many programs and activities in the Fish and Wildlife Service all centering around protecting our Nation's fish and wildlife resources and their habitat.

To learn more about who we are and what we do, please explore the:

• Budget and Strategic Plan
• Careers brochure, vacancy announcements, and online employment applications
• Conserving the Nature of America exhibit
• Director
• Employee Pocket Guide
• Functions (national programs) of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• History of the Service "at the forefront of conservation..."
• New Employee Presentation
• Office Directory (to find specific offices)

The Service helps protect a healthy environment for people, fish and wildlife, and helps Americans conserve and enjoy the outdoors and our living treasures. The Service's major responsibilities are for migratory birds, endangered species, certain marine mammals, and freshwater and anadromous fish and it is the only U.S. Government agency with this primary mission.