Former NAWMP executive director will be honored during cooperative public habitat ceremony September 14

A waterfowl biologist, whose unique professional career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) spanned more than four decades, will be honored for his many notable achievements during a special habitat ceremony Saturday, September 14, near Evansville, Minnesota.

Harvey K. Nelson of Bloomington, Minnesota, who served in a variety of leadership positions while employed by the Service from 1950-92, will be honored by the Federal conservation agency, friends and conservation partners during a ceremony dedicating the Harvey K. Nelson Habitat Restoration Project.

The September 14 ceremony is open to the public and sponsored cooperatively by the Service, Ducks Unlimited (DU), Evansville Sportsmen’s Club, Pioneer Heritage Conservation Trust (Trust) and Viking Sportsmen’s Club in cooperation with the Delta Waterfowl Foundation, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Waterfowl Association, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Pheasants Forever and Wildlife Forever.

The ceremony, part of a public day-long observance celebrating the conservation of migratory birds and associated prairie wetland habitats in North America’s Prairie Pothole Region, will be held on the J. I. Case Waterfowl Production Area (WPA). The 480-acre Case WPA is located about 12 miles southeast of Evansville in Douglas County.

During the restoration of this important wetland complex by the Service and DU, 19 wetlands amounting to 195 acres will be restored by constructing 17 ditch plugs and installing two water control structures. An additional 174 acres of native grassland and oak savanna will also be restored.

The Case WPA is located on the glaciated drift prairie, a transition zone in Minnesota’s Prairie Pothole Region. The property, purchased by the Service in 1990, lies in the northernmost portion of the Chippewa River Watershed. The area is historically significant for waterfowl production. Nearby Lake Christina is renowned as a staging and migration lake for canvasback ducks.

A native of Evansville and a Navy veteran, Mr. Nelson earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology and fish and wildlife management, from the University of Minnesota. He received his master’s degree in wildlife conservation and resources development from Michigan State University. Mr. Nelson and his wife, Gene, have four children.

Prior to his retirement, Mr. Nelson served as the Regional Director of the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region headquartered in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Eaarlier, he was the first Director of the Northern Prairie Science Center at Jamestown, ND, and in 1987 he was named the first U.S. Executive Director of the North American Waterfowl and Wetlands Office, a position he held during the first five years of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.

The day-long celebration begins at 6 a.m. with a breakfast at the Million Dollar Point on the northwest side of Lake Christina. Host for the event is Mr. Brad Gruss of Shakopee. The Evansville Sportsmen’s Club will serve the breakfast.

Following the breakfast, a tour of natural and restored wetland complexes, sponsored by the Service and Trust, will proceed by chartered buses from Lake Christina to the Case WPA. The dedication ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. Refreshments there will be provided by the Viking Sportsmen’s Club.

A habitat fundraising dinner rounds out the day, sponsored by the Trust, at Ostrom’s Sports West near Dalton, Minnesota. Tickets for the chicken and ribs dinner are $10 each and can by reserved by contacting Tim Springer at 218/685-4322.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to cost-share cooperative habitat projects in the four county area surrounding Case WPA and will also be contributed by the Trust to the Harvey K. Nelson Scholarship Fund at North Dakota State University.

For more information, contact Steve Kufrin, the Service’s Regional Private Funds Coordinator, at 612/725-3570.

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