Staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Sherburne and Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuges invite the public to attend a dedication ceremony to celebrate the efforts and vision of Alfred H. Grewe Jr., on Saturday, October 14, at 1 p.m. Alfred H. Grewe Jr., a Professor at St. Cloud University from 1965 until his death in 2001, was instrumental in the establishment of Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. His efforts and life will be celebrated at the ceremony by naming a new section of the refuge in his honor.
During the past several decades of his life, Al Grewe worked closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Nature Conservancy to help preserve land in the Little Falls area as a 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 . Upon his death, Mr. Grewe made a donation to the Friends of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge for the purchase of land to be included as part of the Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. The 40-acre parcel that will be dedicated on October 14 was purchased, in part, through this donation and will be named the Grewe Unit of the Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
Mr. Grewe served as a mentor to students at St. Cloud State University for more than 30 years, even teaching the children of former students. His former students considered him a friend as well as a mentor. Former Sherburne Refuge Manager Jay Johnson was a student of Grewe. “Professor Grewe had a profound influence on my life,” said Johnson. “His guidance and advice ultimately resulted in a wonderful career for me in the natural resources field that I wouldn’t trade for anyone or anything.” Grewe was known for being a field-oriented biologist who was extremely dedicated to his students and the resource.
Refuge Manager Anne Sittauer invites anyone interested to join Al Grewe’s friends and family in celebrating his efforts and vision on Saturday, October 14 at 1 pm. The dedication will be held at the new Grewe Unit of the refuge. For directions to the dedication site contact the refuge at 1-877-721-4295 or 763-389-3323. “Al ‘s legacy lives on with the purchase of this land and additional land for Crane Meadows Refuge,” said Sittauer.
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, 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.
