Tom Melius has officially assumed his duties as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's new Alaska Regional Director, replacing Rowan Gould who has taken a position with the Service's Washington, D.C. office. Tom brings with him a wide range of experience, within the Service and from outside, that makes him well qualified to deal with the unique challenges and opportunities the Service faces here in Alaska.
This will not be Tom's first time in Alaska, nor will it be his introduction to Alaska's issues. He has visited the state many times in the past. In fact, while working for the National Rifle Association more than two decades ago, he conducted a series of hunter education workshops across the state. He has also dealt with many issues important to Alaska in his previous positions in the Service, notably in the office of Migratory Birds and State Programs; as well as during a decade serving on the United States House and Senate staff, time that saw him working with members of the Alaska delegation on various issues.
Tom served as Assistant Director for External Affairs of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington D.C. from March 2003 until his appointment to the Alaska Regional Director post. While doing so, he oversaw the national programs for Public Affairs, Congressional and Legislative Affairs, and Native American Liaison. Prior to that, Tom served as Assistant Director for Migratory Birds and State Programs. In that position he developed policy, advised the Directorate, and served as its representative on issues relating to the conservation and management of migratory birds.
From July 1997 to October 1998, Tom was the Director of Conservation Policy and Senior Advisor at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. During the period from January 1995 through June 1997, he served as a Senior Professional Staff member on the U.S. Senates Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. In this position he was able to build upon the experience gained between 1985 and 1995, when he was a Professional Staff member on the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Tom earned his B.S. degree in Wildlife Biology and a M.S. degree in Fish and Wildlife Science from South Dakota State University. A photograph is available by calling Bruce Woods at the number above.
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.
- FWS-
center 3.65in
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
center 3.65in
visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov
