"Harvey Nelsons long dedication, personal interest, people skills, and waterfowl expertise brought the North American Plan from infancy to a continental force for conserving wetland ecosystems," Beattie said in presenting the award. "No individual is more deserving of this honor."
The award is conferred annually by the International Plan Committee, made up of members from Canada, Mexico, and the United States, for substantial long-term contributions on a continent-wide basis. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan is an agreement among the three countries to reverse the continents loss of wetlands and stem the decline in populations of waterfowl and other migratory birds. It is carried out through joint ventures with public- and private-sector partners.
Nelson stepped down as director of the Services Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region in the Twin Cities in 1987 to become the first executive director of the Services U.S. office of the North American Plan. Under his leadership, the Plan moved forward through the growing pains of implementation; organization of joint ventures and their conservation strategies; procedures for adding new joint ventures; development of the international protocol for funding projects in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico; and finally, passage of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.
"It took a person of Harvey Nelsons stature, dedication, and talent to bring this Plan from concept to fruition in a few short years," Beattie said. "Even in retirement, his contributions to waterfowl conservation continue through those he inspired by example and leadership during more than 40 years of service to this continents wildlife resources."
Nelsons lifetime dedication to waterfowl conservation began during his youth on the shores of Lake Christina, a premier canvasback stopover in Minnesota near his hometown of Evansville. It continued throughout his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Since his retirement in 1992, he has remained active in conservation, serving as a consultant and on various boards and commissions.
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
