President Obama has appointed Geoffrey L. Haskett, Regional Director for the Alaska Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as the United States Commissioner for the U.S.–Russia Polar Bear Commission.
“I am honored to be appointed by President Obama to the U.S.-Russia Polar Bear Commission. I look forward to working with the other commissioners on conservation of this shared, iconic species.”
Commissioner Haskett has represented the United States since the Commission’s inaugural meeting in 2009. Mr. Haskett’s leadership and commitment to science-based management and consensus building has been integral to the Commission’s progress on Alaska-Chukotka polar bear population conservation efforts on many fronts. Since 2009, the Commission has taken numerous precedent-setting steps including establishing sustainable harvest levels for subsistence use of the population and developing a cooperative U.S.-Russia research and monitoring plan for a 440,825 mi2 area. These accomplishments are milestones for the conservation of our shared polar bear population, and a bright spot in U.S.-Russia relations.
The U.S.-Russia Polar Bear Commission was established in 2000 under the Agreement on the Conservation and Management of the Alaska-Chukotka Polar Bear Population. This bilateral Agreement between the United States and Russia committed both nations to improving polar bear conservation and safeguarding the cultural and traditional use of polar bears by Native peoples in both countries. The Commission, comprised of government and Native representatives, two each from Russia and the United States, is responsible for implementing the conservation goals of the Agreement.
For more information about the treaty and Commission, please visit: http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/bilateral.htm
