Mitch Ellis is the Project Leader for the newly-formed Southwest Arizona National Wildlife Refuge Complex that includes Kofa, Cibola, and Imperial National Wildlife Refuges, situated near the lower Colorado River. Creating a new administrative complex for these three refuges will enable the Service to streamline operations and deliver wildlife conservation more effectively in the Yuma area. Management of the complex also will be facilitated by a new administrative site for Kofa and Imperial NWRs, now under construction in Yuma.
Ellis has worked for the National Wildlife Refuge System for 21 years. During that time, he has worked at Havasu NWR, Eufaula NWR, Ohio River Islands NWR, Imperial NWR and most recently as Manager at the Buenos Aires NWR. Ellis also served in the Washington Office from 2001 through 2004 where he served initially as Branch Chief of Wildlife Resources for the NWR system and subsequently as Chief of Refuge Law Enforcement.
Ellis is a native of Arizona and received his degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Arizona in 1988. He will be accompanied by his wife Bobbi Jo and sons Weston, 14, and Wade, 12. The family loves the outdoors and sports and is looking forward to the new adventure.
The Kofa NWR was established in 1939. The refuge encompasses 665,400 acres of pristine desert that is home to the desert bighorn sheep and the California fan palm, the only native palm in Arizona. Notable wildlife species found in the area include the white-winged dove, desert tortoise, desert kit fox, and desert bighorn sheep.
The Cibola NWR was established in 1964. The refuge is part of a greenbelt along the lower Colorado River and is an important corridor for migrating birds. The refuge is removing exotic salt cedar trees, planting native vegetation such as cottonwoods, willows, and mesquites, restoring historic river meanders, constructing moist soil units, and growing alfalfa and cereal grains for the wintering waterfowl.
The Imperial NWR was established in 1941. The refuge protects wildlife habitat along 30 miles of the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California, including the last unchannelized section before the river enters Mexico.
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 97-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.
