U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director H. Dale Hall has been recognized by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) for his career-long history of working with states and other conservation partners on issues ranging from 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 to endangered species protection.
Hall received the special recognition award for his support of AFWA and the states at the organizations annual meeting this week in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
"Dale Hall has championed state-federal collaboration since he began his conservation career more than 30 years ago, and it has defined his tenure as the Services top executive," said AFWA Executive Director Matt Hogan. "In the face of challenges such as global climate change, urban sprawl, water management, and generations of children who are becoming disconnected from nature, he regularly has sought to leverage the efforts of the Fish and Wildlife Service by building bridges to AFWA and his state agency counterparts."
Hall said, "Any success Ive had in my career is not my own doing--its the people Ive had around me. When we work together, we achieve much more than we could by ourselves."
A native of Kentucky, Hall joined the Service as a wetlands biologist in the Lower Mississippi Valley, where he worked with state partners to develop the multiparameter approach to wetlands used today by the Army Corps of Engineers. The approach provides a logical, easily defensible, and technical basis for wetland determinations. After transferring to Texas, where he eventually became Field Supervisor for the Services Houston field office, he sought the assistance and input of the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife and Commission on issues ranging from endangered species protection to water rights. During his Houston assignment, Hall was honored as one of the Services 10 most outstanding merit pay employees for 1986.
In 1987, Hall became the Deputy Assistant Director for Fisheries in the Services Washington, D.C., office, where he worked closely with state wildlife agencies to develop the Services policy for management of the nations fisheries facilities, which included the Services 75 fish hatcheries, 48 fish and wildlife management assistance offices, four technology development centers, and 11 fish health centers. Later, as Assistant Regional Director for Ecological Services for the Pacific Region, he collaborated with the States of Oregon, Washington, California and Nevada in developing conservation policy and activities relating to the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet, desert tortoise, endangered Hawaiian birds, and other listed species. His successful relationships with the States also resulted in the implementation of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act and water resource settlements under what is now known as the CALFED/Bay-Delta program.
In February 1996, Department of the Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt presented Hall with the Departments Meritorious Service Award for the role he played in the Presidents Northwest Forest Plan, an overall vision for the Pacific Northwest that addresses the needs of industry and the environment.
In 1997, Hall was appointed Deputy Regional Director of the Services Southeast Region. He worked with state directors in every state and territory in the region to manage 15 ecosystems ranging in diversity from the bottomland hardwoods of the lower Mississippi to the tropics of the Caribbean. His emphasis on collaboration continued in his work as Southwest Regional Director, where he played a key role in crafting the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, a 50-year plan to protect threatened and endangered species along 400 miles of river from Lake Mead to the U.S.-Mexico border, while ensuring an uninterrupted supply of water and power.
That philosophy has continued in the three years Hall has served as Director of the Service.
