Greg Siekaniec, a former manager of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge near Cold Bay, has been selected as manager of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Siekaniec currently works in the Service=s Washington, D.C., Office. He will replace John Martin who retired in June after 20 years as the refuge=s first and only manager.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service=s Alaska Regional Director, David B. Allen, Awe are lucky to have Greg back in Alaska. He did a great job for us at Izembek. He knows Alaska issues, brings a national perspective, and is a great communicator. He is the best possible person to take over this large and complex refuge."
Siekaniec graduated in wildlife biology from the University of Montana in Missoula. He began his Fish and Wildlife career 16 years ago on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in Montana and then worked at several other refuges in the Lower 48 before coming to Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in 1995. In 1998, Siekaniec became Chief of Wildlife Resources in the Refuges Division in Washington, D.C., where he worked on refuge policy issues, establishment of new refuges, and national legislation and budgeting.
When he returns to Alaska, Siekaniec will take over a unique refuge with an array of challenging issues. Development of the Homer visitor center and joint headquarters with the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve will be one of the first items on his plate. Other pressing refuge issues include the Navy=s withdrawal from Adak Island, clean-up of Amchitka nuclear and defense sites, proposed contaminant cleanups of other World War II sites, new Air Force facilities on Shemya Island, declining and endangered species such as the Steller sea lion and Aleutian sea otter, and concerns about the health of the Bering Sea.
Siekaniec looks forward to the challenges. He and his wife and two children, 11 and 13, are thrilled to be returning to Alaska. Siekaniec said, "D.C. was fascinating and a great experience job-wise but I can=t wait to be back in the Greatland!" He will begin work before the end of the year.
The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 4.4 million acres of remote offshore islands and rocks around most of Alaska=s coastline. Refuge headquarters are in Homer with subunit offices on St. George in the Pribilofs and on Adak in the Aleutians.
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.
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