"When we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Interior Department, we arent just celebrating a department or agency, we are celebrating the hard work of thousands of dedicated employees and volunteers who have made conserving our wildlife heritage their lifes work," said Service Director Jamie Rappaport Clark. "The individuals honored today stand as representatives of this proud legacy of service to our country.
Three Service employees received the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor bestowed upon Interior Department employees for sustained dedication to their duty and significant contributions in their careers. The three award winners are:
Gail Conrad Kobetich: During his 30-year career with the Service, Kobetich has helped implement innovative approaches to conserving species, including working with states, local governments, private landowners, and others outside the Service to find approaches that balance the need to conserve species with economic development. Early in his career, Kobetich worked closely with Native American groups to prevent the extinction of Colorado River fish. He assisted in the creation of the first habitat conservation plan in 1982 and has participated in the development of 100 others. His creative leadership led to the precedent-setting work to conserve California gnatcatchers and the completion of the San Diego Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan that established new standards of cooperation among environmental and development interests.
James Ambler Young: During his 34-year career, Young has developed plans and strategies on numerous water development projects to conserve fish and wildlife resources. His career reflects close coordination with water development agencies, water conservancy districts, state and Federal agencies, and others with an interest in the management of waterways and water projects. As the Services Steering Committee representative for the Lower Colorado River Multi- Species Conservation Program, for example, he developed policies governing management and preservation of that river ecosystem. He also was the lead author of guidance that protected wildlife in mining areas. In the last years of his career, Young successfully undertook the challenge of the dual roles of Assistant Regional Director of Refuges and Realty and the first ecosystem Geographic Manager for Arizona.
Burkett S. Neely, Jr.: During his 33-year career, Neely was widely recognized as one of the Services outstanding refuge managers. He served on a number of national wildlife refuges, most recently at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. As project leader at Loxahatchee for the past 17 years, he served as a Departmental and Service spokesperson on many issues, including conservation efforts to restore the integrity of the Everglades ecosystem. During a 5-year period stationed at the headquarters in Washington, Neely made significant contributions toward the successful implementation of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and the development and passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
Three Service employees received the Valor Award, the highest honor bestowed upon employees of the Department who have demonstrated unusual courage involving a high degree of personal risk in the face of danger. The employees are:
Dean F. Knauer and Tom Pabian: On May 7, 1997, Knauer and Pabian risked their lives to leap into frigid waters of a lake at Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota, where they serve as refuge officers, to rescue a distraught woman who was attempting suicide. The woman, who otherwise would have drowned, was rescued and recovered fully.
John Marshall Rayfield: On September 29, 1996, Rayfield, a special agent with the Service, risked his life trying to save the life of a pilot of a small airplane that had crashed in frigid waters at Minto Flats State Waterfowl Area in Alaska. Unfortunately, the trapped pilot could not be saved, but Rayfield repeatedly submerged himself in the 35- degree water, until hypothermia began to affect his ability to function.
Three individuals and two conservation teams received the Conservation Service Award, the highest honor bestowed upon private citizens and groups for contributions toward the cause of conservation and the mission of the Department. They are:
Terry and Mary Kohler: The Kohlers used their private aircraft extensively to support efforts to recover endangered whooping cranes and trumpeter swans, transporting eggs and birds across the continent numerous times. As part of their commitment, they developed a portable incubator suitable for operation off the aircrafts power system. They also made a large monetary donation through the International Crane Foundation for use on research of ultralight aircraft as a technique for reintroducing captive-reared whooping cranes where migration is required. Benedict Cerven (posthumous): Since serving as a judge during the 1995 Federal Duck Stamp art competition, Cerven was a tireless supporter of the Duck Stamp program and conservation of migratory waterfowl and its habitat. His many contributions include sponsoring the annual Duck Stamp Congressional reception from 1995 to 1997, serving as president of the National Duck Stamp Collectors Society from 1997 to 1998, and supporting the goals of the Federal Junior Duck Stamp program by promoting and sponsoring scholarships to children entering the Pennsylvania junior duck competition. He also was a frequent donor of art prints to non-government organizations to help fund their conservation efforts.
Mexican Spotted Owl Recovery Team: When the Service listed the Mexican spotted owl as threatened in 1993, it was apparent that a scientifically credible plan was needed to balance the recovery of the species with economic development while allowing the Service to meet diverse ecosystem objectives. The Service appointed 10 scientists plus state and Tribal consultants to undertake the task. Team members, who were not relieved of their normal responsibilities, put in a tremendous amount of personal time and sacrifice without additional competition and completed the plan in less than 3 years, a remarkable accomplishment considering the complexity of the issues. The plan protects the owl while providing the flexibility needed by professional land managers to meet conflicting needs and demands.
The Avian Power Line Interaction Committee: The committee was created in 1988 to address the problem of bird collisions with power lines, especially whooping cranes, sandhill cranes, waterfowl, and other birds in San Luis Valley of Colorado. The committee designed and funded a 3- year study of the problem and tested markers designed to make lines more visible to birds. The markers reduced the collision rates by 40 to 60 percent. Since then, the committee has developed a training video and a 2-day course to help power companies and others understand the issue and take action to reduce collisions.
One Service employee, Harry Sears, received the Unsung Hero award for his extraordinary commitment to Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Massachusetts. Sears, who is now 81 years old, has been a jack-of-all-trades for 40 years at the refuge, undertaking heavy equipment operation, automobile repair, plumbing, construction, woodworking, and other diverse duties. For most of this time, he was the sole maintenance worker at the nine-unit refuge.
Another Service employee, Richard Voss, received the Secretary of the Interiors annual Diversity Award for Managment Achievement. Voss, manager of Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, was recognized for his exemplary cooperative working relationship with nearby Athabascan Indian villages of Northway, Tetlin, Dot Lake, and Tanacross. His efforts include hiring members of the villages as permanent and seasonal staff, providing environmental education to village children, and sponsoring wildlife-related community cultural events.
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.
