Larson has been the manager of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge for the past five years. During this time, the refuge has become recognized as a national and international leader in urban wildlife management, and in providing community service through innovative environmental education programs and activities for both young and old.
Assistant Regional Director for Refuges and Wildlife, Susan Haseltine, described Larsons achievements as extraordinarily significant. "Tom Larson showed us all how an urban wildlife refuge can work. He was able to negotiate with highway and city engineers to ensure that the impacts of major construction projects, like the new Highway 18 Minnesota River Bridge and the city of Chaskas flood control projects, would not unduly harm the Minnesota Valley Refuge or its wildlife".
At the same time, Haseltine points out, "Larson pioneered cooperative partnerships with urban schools, bringing inner-city students to the wildlife refuge to get first-hand experiences exploring the refuges marsh and prairies."
Larson will be transferring to the Services Regional Office, at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, where he will lead the Services efforts to identify and establish new national wildlife refuges throughout the eight-state Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region. According to Assistant Regional Director Haseltine, "This is a job that demands a person with Larsons field experience and ability to resolve problems in a charged environment."
Replacing Larson at the Minnesota Valley Refuge will be Richard Schultz, who is currently Chief of the Private Lands Branch in the Fort Snelling Regional Office. Schultz is a native of west-central Minnesota and has worked on national wildlife refuges in three states. For the past six years, Schultz has directed the Services private lands program throughout the Region. Haseltine describes Schultz as a person who will "continue to build partnerships between Minnesota Valley Refuge and the community".
The Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge extends along the Minnesota River floodplain from Bloomington to Jordan, and is one of only a few national wildlife refuges in an urban area. The public is invited to enjoy the refuges hiking and biking trails, and to visit the Minnesota Valley Visitor Center, which is open Tuesday through Sunday.
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
