Noreen Walsh, a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the new Assistant Regional Director of Ecological Services in the agency's Southeast Region. In this position, Walsh oversees a staff of professional biologists in the regional office, located in Atlanta, Georgia, and 16 field offices.
"Noreen has proven her leadership and management skills during her two-year tenure as Deputy Assistant Regional Director for Ecological Services and as Acting Assistant Regional Director for Ecological Services on many occasions," said Sam D. Hamilton, the Service's Southeast Regional Director.
Natural resource programs administered under Ecological Services include endangered and threatened species listing and recovery; wildlife habitat conservation; Partners for Fish and Wildlife; wetlands conservation and mapping; and habitat conservation planning and permitting.
Prior to serving as the Deputy ARD for Ecological Services, Walsh was the Chief of the Endangered Species Program in the Southeast, the second largest program in the nation. She also has served on several task forces of national importance including Endangered Species Strategic Planning and the Missouri River Section 7 Section 7
Section 7 Consultation
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) directs all Federal agencies to work to conserve endangered and threatened species and to use their authorities to further the purposes of the Act. Section 7 of the Act, called "Interagency Cooperation," is the mechanism by which Federal agencies ensure the actions they take, including those they fund or authorize, do not jeopardize the existence of any listed species.
Learn more about Section 7 Consultation Team that discussed the effects of water operations on threatened and endangered species.
Before coming to the Southeast, Walsh served in the Endangered Species Program in the Service's Washington D.C. headquarters. She also worked in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ecological Services Field Office and spent the first five years of her Service career as a research biologist in Alaska.
"My goals for the Ecological Services program in the Southeast involve continuing our tradition of bringing sound science to bear in natural resource decisions," said Walsh. "I want us to make a measurable difference for fish, wildlife, and their habitats by providing technical expertise, creative ideas, and a cooperative spirit in our interactions with private landowners, states, and others.?
Walsh holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology from Michigan State University and a Master of Science degree in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University. She and her husband, Mark, have two daughters, Claire and Leah. They enjoy traveling, hiking, camping, and reading.
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 545 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 the migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. The Federal Assistance program grants hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to its partnering State fish and wildlife agencies to conserve fish and wildlife resources.
