As project leader, Frisk will supervise a staff of 26 and work cooperatively with local governments, area landowners, businesses, and private groups to develop and manage the 43,500-acre wildlife refuge. Crab Orchard is a multi-faceted refuge with day-to-day operations that involve diverse elements of the local community,” Frisk said. “I’m looking forward to joining a great staff of refuge professionals and building on the good work that’s been accomplished there.”
Frisk, 46, has worked in wildlife related positions for the past 15 years. Before his assignment to Ottawa NWR in 2001, he served for two years as project leader at Pee Dee NWR in North Carolina. Prior to joining the Service, he served six years as an endangered species biologist for the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg, NC. A former Army officer, Frisk also taught ROTC courses at Murray State University, Murray, Ky. A married father of two, Frisk earned a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from Northern Michigan University in 1981, and a master’s degree in Biology from Murray State University, Murray, Ky in 1992.
Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is home to 245 species of birds. 34 species of mammals, 45 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 52 species of fish. It is also a major wintering area for Canada geese. The refuge was established by Congress in 1947 on land formerly operated by the U.S. War Department to produce ammunition during World War Two. Unlike most refuges which are created primarily for wildlife conservation, Congress designated Crab Orchard as a “mixed use” refuge, managed for four broad objectives: wildlife management, agricultural development, recreation and light industry. The refuge’s wide spectrum of public use opportunities attracts more than one million visitors annually. Twenty-two thousand acres are designated a wildlife sanctuary and are closed to the public.
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 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 Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
