Jeffery Neal was presented with a Partners Award on May 16, 2007 in Tulsa in honor of his hard work in getting the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act to pass through congress and signed by the President in October 2006. Southwest Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle presented Neal with the award. Neal is being recognized by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for his determination, efforts and leadership in getting the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act through to congress, said Tuggle. This is an important accomplishment, and a major step in the right direction for the service as a whole.
The purpose of the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide technical and financial assistance to private land owners in order to restore, enhance, and manage private land. This helps to improve Fish and Wildlife habitat, as well as the to keep much needed private land available and usable to the species that call it home all over the country. Being connected to private land owners and developing good working relationships with them is essential to accomplishing the Services outreach/environmental long term goals.
Neal testified at a field hearing convened by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in April 2005, in Tulsa regarding the successes of the Partners Program. He also was invited and testified at the House Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans in Washington DC on the same topic.
Neal is a strong promoter of the Service, especially the Partners for the Fish and Wildlife Service Program, with which he has been such an important factor in implementing. Neal is a great friend and champion for our natural resources and excels in the leadership role of encouraging others to take similar steps.
Neal is very passionate about protecting wildlife, and he is determined to promote the sound management and preservation of our Nation's natural resources. He practices an environmentally friendly life himself on his 1,200 acre property along the South Canadian River in eastern Oklahoma. Neal proudly maintains that his whole ranch is dedicated towards wildlife.
For Neal, a commitment to quality habitat starts at home. Two federally-listed bird species, the bald eagle and interior least tern, nest on Neal's ranch. This is a strong testament to the quality of habitat he has worked hard to help develop. Neal encourages the use of his ranch as a ?model? demonstration area for others to emulate. His facilities are always available for conservation education, field trips and outings.
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 547 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.
