New Manager Reports for Duty at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge

Ben Mense, an 11-year veteran of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reported for duty as the new manager of Mingo National Wildlife Refuge near Puxico, Mo. Mense reported for duty on Nov. 26.

Mense, his wife Regina and their two children are looking forward to becoming part of the community and working with refuge partners. “Mingo National Wildlife Refuge is a unique and beautiful place,” said Mense. “I look forward to settling into the community and working with the staff and partners to manage the refuge.” Mense is moving to Mingo from Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas, where he was also the refuge manager. During his career with the Service, Mense has worked at refuges in Montana, North Dakota and Louisiana. Originally from southeast Kansas, Mense has a both a Bachelors and a Masters of Science Degree in Wildlife Management from Pittsburg State University. Established in 1944, Mingo National Wildlife Refuge includes nearly 22,000 acres in the upper end of the lower Mississippi River valley. The refuge is the largest remnant of bottomland hardwoods remaining out of an original 2.5 million acres in the Missouri bootheel. A major migration and wintering area for migratory waterfowl, populations of 125,000 mallards and 75,000 Canada geese have been recorded. Bald eagles have been successively nesting on the refuge since 1985. The refuge contains approximately 15,000 acres of bottomland hardwoods, and 1,000 acres of upland hardwoods. There are seven natural areas on the refuge and more than 140 identified archaeological sites. In 1976, 7,730 acres of the refuge were designated as a wilderness area wilderness area
Wilderness areas are places untamed by humans. The Wilderness Act of 1964 allows Congress to designate wilderness areas for protection to ensure that America's pristine wild lands will not disappear. Wilderness areas can be part of national wildlife refuges, national parks, national forests or public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Learn more about wilderness area . 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.

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