Noted for its clear plexiglass nose and unusual instrument panel, this unique plane is used to survey populations of Canada and snow geese, herons, mallards and moose, track paddlefish and coaster brook trout through radio-telemetry, and monitor wildlife habitat conditions. A 300-pound gyrostabilized 9.5 inch format aerial camera is mounted on the cabin floor to take vertical photographs of wetlands, national wildlife refuges, forestry and vegetative analysis and the Upper Mississippi River ecosystem. Stop by the Federal Pavilion to talk with Regional Pilot, Bob Foster or Service Chief of Aviation Management, Bill Butler.
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 comprising 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 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://www.fws.gov/r3pao/
