Hills comes to Cypress Creek from the Services Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Ventura, California. There she served for three years as deputy project leader for the refuge complex, which functions as the field headquarters for the California Condor Recovery Program. Her career with the Service has also included stints at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Washington state and Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge in California.
As refuge manager, Hills will oversee operation of one of the countrys most important wetland refuges. Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1990, encompasses portions of the Cache River basin, an area renowned for its wetlands and associated wildlife. Cypress Creeks 13,000 acres contain some of the oldest living plants east of the Mississippi River, including ancient cypress and tupelo trees. The refuges lands and waters harbor some 50 state-listed threatened and endangered plants and animals. The Cache River basin, including Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge, has been designated a "Wetland of International Importance," one of only 15 in the United States.
"The opportunity is tremendous in southern Illinois to work together with the community and other partners to conserve the Cache River watershed, an important piece of our natural heritage," Hills said.
Hills is a native of Maryland and attended Allegheny College and Michigan State University. She received a degree in wildlife management and botany from Humboldt State University. She and her husband and two children enjoy camping and scouting and look forward to exploring the natural areas along the Cache River.
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
