Were very proud that Mike Tansy was selected for this very important recognition, and I know Mike will agree it reflects on the entire staff of Seney National Wildlife Refuge, said Rick Coleman, chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Mike and his staff have our gratitude and appreciation for their development of high-quality visitor programs.
We take immense pride in the dedication and outstanding work shown by Mike Tansy and the staff at Seney. They are an example of the high caliber of people throughout Region 3 and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said Great Lakes-Big Rivers Regional Director Bill Hartwig.
Seney is one of more than 500 national wildlife refuges located throughout the United States and administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It has been in existence since 1935 and attracts more than 120,000 visitors each year to hunt, fish, and to view waterfowl, more than 200 species of songbirds, sandhill cranes, bald eagles, osprey and loons. The refuges marshes, bogs and hardwood, spruce and pine forests are also home to otter, black bear, porcupine and numerous small mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
In the early 1990s, Seney adopted the slogan, A Great Place to Watch Wildlife, which guided an intensive customer-based improvement effort that has included construction of three new wildlife observation platforms, a fishing platform and two exhibits, wildlife observation bicycling routes, installation of a visitor information radio broadcast, development of a hiking trail, new information kiosks and cross-country ski trails, among other projects.
Taking advantage of a corps of trained volunteers, Seney has increased environmental education efforts in area schools, an effort that has grown by 3,500 hours. In addition, a Childrens Fishing Program last year was attended by 633 people, while the first Winter Snowfest drew 250 people -- in the middle of the winters worst blizzard. The refuge has also instituted a roving interpreter program, staffed by volunteers, and a vigorous effort to record visitor opinion -- which has been running 95 percent positive.
The presentation of the Legends Awards is part of the American Recreation Coalitions five-day Great Outdoors Award Celebration, designed to increase awareness and understanding of recreation issues. Since 1991, the ARC has used their yearly Washington meeting to recognize individuals from the Service, the Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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. 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
