Established in 1993, the council is a Federally chartered advisory committee that advises the Secretary of the Interior, through the Fish and Wildlife Service director, on recreational fishing and boating issues. The council, made up of boating and fishing industry leaders, state wildlife professionals, and conservation group representatives, has played a major role in shaping President Clintons Executive Order (12962) on Recreational Fisheries and, more recently, in developing a national communications and outreach strategy to increase boating and angling participation. This strategy, approved by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, will be implemented by the newly established Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.
Prior to assuming her responsibilities with the council, Parramore worked as a Service public affairs specialist, serving as a liaison to the Federal Aid Division, which administers the Nations sport fish and wildlife restoration programs. She came to the Service in 1997 after an 8-year tenure with the Izaak Walton League of America, where she served as Outdoor Ethics Program director and senior director of publications and public outreach. While at the league, Parramore worked extensively on issues related to conservation and responsible angling, boating, and other forms of outdoor recreation. In addition to writing a number of articles on these topics, she coordinated the leagues 1996 National Outdoor Ethics Conference and has served on a number of national conservation and outdoor recreation-related panels and task forces.
A native of western Pennsylvania, Parramore lives with her husband and daughter near Marylands Chesapeake Bay, where she enjoys sailboat racing and fishing.
Parramore replaces Douglas Alcorn, who is now assistant regional director for the Federal Aid Division in the Services Anchorage, Alaska, office.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries 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.
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