New Deputy Manager at Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Richard Voss, Refuge Manager of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge based in Fairbanks, Alaska, has selected Jimmy Fox as deputy manager of this, the largest unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. At 20 million acres, which is roughly the size of South Carolina, Arctic Refuge was established to preserve unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values. The refuge is home to caribou herds; polar, brown, and black bears; muskoxen, Dall sheep, wolves, wolverines, and numerous species of birds and fish.

Fox graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1996 with a Bachelor's degree in biology and wildlife management. In more than 15 years of federal service, he has served on wildlife refuges in the Southwest, Midwest, and Pacific regions, as well as Alaska. Fox is a former deputy manager of Selawik Refuge in Kotzebue, and most recently served as assistant manager of Yukon Flats Refuge in Fairbanks. His professional development includes leadership roles in the Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society.

"We?re excited to have Jimmy Fox join the Arctic Refuge staff," said Voss. "His ability to work with others, solid refuge management background, and grasp of Alaska issues will help us work with our partners to address the challenges facing the Refuge, including declining federal budgets and climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change .?

Jimmy's wife, Joanna Fox, is deputy manager of Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge. The couple lives in Fairbanks with their two children.

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 542 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.