0 mso-tab-count: 13 Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Steve Williams today announced that Mitch King, currently Deputy Regional Director for the Services Southeast Region, has been selected as the Services first Assistant Director for Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration.
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0 As Assistant Director, King will be responsible for managing the Service's Federal Assistance programs that provide millions of dollars in excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, fishing tackle and related products to state fish and wildlife agencies for wildlife conservation.
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0 Im pleased that Mitch has accepted this call to be the first Assistant Director for Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration. He is widely respected by both the hunting and fishing community in the southeast and by his peers in the Fish and Wildlife Service. He will be a tremendous addition to my office in Washington," Williams said.
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0 A native of Kentucky with more than 27-years of federal service with the wildlife agency, Kings present position involves leadership of Fish and Wildlife Service activities across the southeast.
0 After graduating from the University of Tennessee, King began his career with the Service in 1977 as a biologist stationed at Vicksburg, Mississippi. There, he worked on wetland issues in the Mississippi River Valley. Since that time, he has worked for the Service in Cookeville, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; Denver, Colorado; Bozeman, Montana; and Brunswick, Georgia. His responsibilities have included the preservation and restoration of wetlands, working with Congress on Farm Bill legislation, providing wildlife management assistance on Indian Reservation in Montana, resource planning and budget management on National Wildlife Refuges and carrying out the responsibilities of the Endangered Species Act. While in DC, King served in a liaison position with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies where he worked directly with State and Provincial Fish and Wildlife Agencies on the implementation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
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0 "I am extremely pleased to have been selected for this position," said King. "I hope to build upon my relationship with the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and return to D.C. with new insights. I look forward to working with state fish and wildlife agencies to ensure continued positive relationships with our state partners.?
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0 King has also served as the Southeast Regions Assistant Regional Director for Migratory Birds and State Programs. In that capacity, he supervised the management of the Southeast Regions Federal Assistance Program and all activities associated with Migratory Birds, including the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, Partners In Flight, and the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. He also served as the Acting Chief of the Southeast Regions National Wildlife Refuge System.
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0 King and his wife Carla have two daughters, one granddaughter, and one grandson. He is an avid hunter and angler and enjoys visiting his property in Montana whenever he has time.
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0 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, 64 fishery resources 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 and Native American tribal 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.
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