Blair has been manager at the recently established Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge near Little Falls and has previous refuge management experience from refuge assignments in Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, Alaska and Rhode Island.
Barb Pardo, manager of Sherburne Refuge for the past year, has accepted a position at the Services Regional Office at Fort Snelling where she will assist coordination of joint venture projects under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
The new assignments have provided an opportunity to begin to "reinvent Government by complexing refuges," according to Refuge Supervisor Ed Crozier, who oversees refuges in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. "We are making efforts to cut costs by looking at a variety of ways to do more with less. Combining our refuges is just one way to increase efficiency."
Refuge Manager Blair looks forward to his added responsibility. "Combining the staff at the two refuges will increase our efficiency by reducing duplication of administrative effort and eliminating the need to have administrative, maintenance and biological staff located at both refuges," Blair said.
Prior to moving to Minnesota a year ago, Blair served as manager at Ottawa Refuge in Ohio for four years. Blair has held refuge positions as assistant manager at Eastern Neck Refuge in Maryland, assistant manager at Bombay Hook/Prime Hook Refuges in Delaware, acting manager at Nowitna Refuge in Alaska, and manager at Ninigret Refuge Complex in Rhode Island. He has been heavily involved in the Services "Partners for Wildlife" program which provides assistance to landowners in making their lands more productive for wildlife. Efforts during his first year at Crane Meadows have been focused on coordinating land acquisition, detailed planning and public involvement.
Blair holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Massachusetts and a Master of Science degree in Wildlife Management from Virginia Tech. Blair and his wife, Cheryl, will continue to reside in Little Falls with their three children.
Both offices will remain open with one biological technician working out of Crane Meadows and a staff of seven working out of Sherburne. The two refuges are about 50 miles apart.
Complex Manager Blair can be reached at (612) 389-3323 or (612) 632 1575. Mailings pertaining to both refuges can be addressed to Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 17076 293rd Avenue, Zimmerman, Minnesota 55398.
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 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 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 governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
