EA 01-20
John Mabery has been selected as the new Refuge Manager of the Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) located near Brussels, Ill., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced recently. Mabery will report for duty on May 7, 2001. The Two Rivers NWR was formerly known as the Brussels District of Mark Twain Refuge, but last year the overall Mark Twain project was administratively split into five separate refuges, including the Two Rivers NWR.
As project leader of the 8,500-acre Two Rivers NWR, Mabery will oversee the operations and biological programs of the refuge complex, which includes Apple Creek, Batchtown, Calhoun, Gilbert Lake, and Portage divisions. The refuge provides critical habitats for migratory birds, particularly waterfowl, shorebirds, and wading birds, as well as fish and other wildlife.
"The confluence of the Illinois River with the Mississippi River is a unique area, and Im excited about the opportunity to help manage and conserve the special natural resources found there," Mabery said. "The staff at the refuge have initiated some very positive programs and projects. I know Im stepping into a good situation. I look forward to working with area citizens and civic groups, and interacting with Refuge visitors. My desire is to manage the refuge in a way that all people can enjoy the fish and wildlife resources found there."
Mabery grew up near Farmington, Mo., approximately 60 miles south of St. Louis. He earned a bachelors degree in General Biology from Southeast Missouri State University in 1981, and completed additional course work at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale while working at Crab Orchard Refuge.
Mabery will be moving to the Calhoun and Jersey County area with his wife Nancy and their three children. Maberys hobbies include hunting, fishing, camping, and gardening. He has spent the last several years working as a Wildlife Biologist and Assistant Refuge Manager at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge near Marion, Ill. Prior to that Mabery worked for eleven years in natural resource management and outdoor recreation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend, Carlyle and Wappapello Lakes.
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 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 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.
For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our Home Page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
