Stefanski was most recently an Assistant Manager at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge in La Crosse, Wisc., a position she held from 1995-2000. From 1993-95, Stefanski served as a Biological Science Technician at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington, Minn.
"Im really looking forward to working with our refuge neighbors and the communities around the Rice Lake refuge," said Stefanski. "Much of my work at the Upper Mississippi River refuge involved outreach and cooperative programs with refuge volunteers and partners, and I hope to establish some of those same types of cooperative efforts here in northern Minnesota."
Stefanski was raised on a family farm near East Chain, Minn., south of Fairmont. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Mankato State University in 1988 and a Masters degree in Wildlife Management from St. Cloud State in 1990. Stefanski and her husband Ray plan on purchasing a home in the McGregor area.
As manager of the18,281 acre Rice Lake NWR, Stefanski will supervise six employees and oversee the operations and biological programs at Rice Lake as well as those at the one-half acre Mille Lacs NWR and the 2,045 acre Sandstone NWR. Rice Lake NWR is an important staging area for ring-necked ducks and other waterfowl each fall.
"Weve really got some fantastic wildlife viewing opportunities right now," said Stefanski, who encourages visitors to come out to take advantage of the refuges scenic auto tour route and hiking trails.
For more information on the Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge, call (218)768-2402 or visit their website via http://midwest.fws.gov
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.
