The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has appointed Sandy Tucker as the Field Supervisor of Georgia's Ecological Services Division. Tucker, a 18-year veteran of the Service, is located at the new Georgia Ecological Services office in Athens, Georgia.
"Because of Georgia's unprecedented growth, there is a great demand on the State's natural resources," said Sam D. Hamilton, Director of the Service's Regional Office in Atlanta. "Under Ms. Tucker's leadership, the Service will continue to be an integral partner in the protection of Georgia's wildlife habitats."
As the Field Supervisor for Ecological Services, Tucker is responsible for coordinating the Service's responsibilities under several Federal fish and wildlife laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Ecological Services staff works closely with other Federal agencies to ensure that Federal actions have minimal impacts on fish and wildlife resources. For example, Service biologists recommend measures to restore degraded habitats, protect wildlife and their habitat from the harmful effects of pollution, and facilitate recovery of endangered and threatened species. The Service also aids in the development of habitat conservation plans, which are agreements between with landowners that permit continued use and development on private lands while conserving threatened and endangered species.
"I am excited about the idea of working with the myriad of stakeholders throughout Georgia to develop lasting partnerships that will protect the natural systems of this State," said Tucker. "Our challenge is to protect those resources yet provide for the needs of one of the fastest-growing urban populations in the Nation."
While located in Athens, Tucker will also oversee operations at the Coastal Georgia and West Georgia Ecological Service offices in Brunswick and Columbus, respectively.
"Our goal is to be more accessible to our partners and to landowners throughout the State," said Tucker. "By locating offices in three regions of Georgia, we can provide better assistance and more focused attention toward the protection of Georgia's remarkable wildlife habitat."
A native of Alabama, Tucker has held several positions with the Service. She began her career in the Service's Daphne, Alabama Ecological Services office. She held positions in Alaska and at the Service's National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Immediately prior to her appointment as Georgia Field Supervisor, Tucker served as a staff biologist in the Division of Endangered Species in the Service's Washington Office.
Tucker holds a Master of Science degree in wildlife biology from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology from Auburn University. She and her husband, Garry, are the parents of two daughters, Natalie and Kelly. Very much a family-oriented person, Ms. Tucker's free-time activities include family outings to State and Federal parks, forests, and other natural area.
The Ecological Services office supervised by Tucker is one of many programs managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Georgia. The Service also manages Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge and Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, and seven wildlife refuges in the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Additionally, the Service operates two fish hatcheries, the Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery and the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery, a Regional Fish Technology Center and a Regional Fisheries Center at Warm Springs, and Law Enforcement Offices in Savannah and Atlanta. The Service administers the Federal Aid in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program, which distributed over $8 million in funds to Georgia in 1998.
