U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Welcomes Four New Employees

Alaska >s National Wildlife Refuges have recently welcomed four new employees to offices in Anchorage, Kodiak and Homer. Photos are available to interested media upon request.

Tracey McDonnell has been selected as the Refuge Supervisor for seven 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 offices in Alaska, and will be based at the Anchorage Regional Office. Before moving to Alaska, Tracey managed the Texas Mid-Coast Refuge Complex, composed of Brazoria, San Bernard, and Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuges. Tracey has more than 25 years of government service with the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service, including nearly a decade with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. She has worked at Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in south Florida, has held staff positions in both refuge law enforcement and planning/policy at the Services Washington Office, and has been a Regional Refuge Law Enforcement Coordinator and an Assistant Refuge Supervisor in the Services Albuquerque Regional Office. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Wildlife Studies and an Associate of Arts degree in Heritage Arts, both from Salem College, West Virginia.

Gary Wheeler has been selected as Refuge Manager of Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, effective November 26, 2006. No newcomer to Alaska, Gary arrived here in 1984. He began his work in Alaska as a Wildlife Biologist helping to write environmental impact statements on offshore oil and gas leasing for the Minerals Management Service in Anchorage. In 1989, Gary took a position working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Anchorage Field Office as a Wildlife and Fisheries Biologist and later as Assistant Field Supervisor. In 2001, he was hired as Assistant Refuge Manager at Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, headquartered in Fairbanks, and since 2003, Gary has served with distinction as the Arctic Refuges Deputy Manager. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and Fisheries Science from South Dakota State University, and has over 31 years of federal service.

Will Meeks has been selected as Deputy Refuge Manager for Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, headquartered in Homer, effective this December. Will has most recently worked as Refuge Manager for Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge in northwest North Dakota. He has held Wildlife Biologist positions at the Sandhills Habitat Office in Nebraska and Devils Lake Wetland Management District in North Dakota. Will was recognized in 2003 as "Communicator of the Year" by the North Dakota Chapter of the Wildlife Society, and most recently served as The Wildlife Society Chapter President. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from University of North Dakota and a Master of Science degree from South Dakota State University.

Kevin Fox arrives in Alaska this month to become the new Regional Aviation Manager, and will be based at the Anchorage Regional Office. He most recently worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the Regional Aviation Manager in Bismarck, North Dakota. Prior to that, Kevin spent 12 years in Alaska working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. During that time, he served as the Assistant Refuge Manager/Pilot at Selawik National Wildlife Refuge in Kotzebue as well as Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Cold Bay. Prior to working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, he served as the on-site manager for the National Park Service at Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve, and as a Wildlife Biologist /Pilot at Denali National Park. Kevin holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Forestry from Michigan Technological University. In addition, he holds a Master of Science degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Arizona.

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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 resource 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 Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.