Nelson, 66, directs the Services participation in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, a 15-year program to conserve the continents remaining wetlands and revive migratory bird populations. The governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, 50 states and 12 provinces and
territories, and more than 200 conservation groups are partners in the effort which began in 1986.
"Harvey Nelson has been a major player from the start in making this ambitious Plan work," said Service Director John Turner. "Without his vast knowledge and diplomatic skills, it would have been much harder to get things moving as fast as they did."
Laurence R. Jahn, past Board Chairman of the Wildlife Management Institute, said Nelson "has provided outstanding, dedicated, professional services in administration and research and management programs for migratory birds and their essential habitats for more than four decades. His numerous contributions culminated in exemplary leadership in preparing and implementing the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, with benefits flowing to wildlife and people throughout the continent."
Nelson, a native Minnesotan, joined the Service in 1950 and worked with the national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge system before becoming Director of the Northern Prairie Wildlife Refuge Center when it was established in 1963 in Jamestown, North Dakota. Other jobs he has held include Associate Director for Fish and Wildlife Resources -- supervising the operation of the Services programs such as national wildlife refuges, fish hatcheries, migratory bird programs, and law enforcement -- and Regional Director of the North Central Region with headquarters in Twin Cities, Minnesota. In December, 1987, he was appointed to his present position
His duties include that of U.S. Co-Chairman of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan Committee and coordinating implementation of the Plan with Canada and Mexico. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to natural resources management, including the Department of the Interiors Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor given by the Secretary of the Interior to agency employees. He also received the Presidents Award as Meritorious Senior Executive, the Professional Award of Merit by the North Central Section of the Wildlife Society, and the William T. Hornaday Gold Medal from the Boy Scouts of America for his contributions to natural resources.
Nelson plans to return to his home in Bloomington, Minnesota, to spend more leisure time with his family and at their lake cabin to "catch up on some fishing." He expects to continue to be involved in other natural resource challenges on a limited basis.
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
