ATLANTA, Ga. – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Cindy Dohner announced today the selection of Mark J. Musaus as Deputy Regional Director for the Southeast Region.
“Mark is an excellent choice having spent his entire career working for the Fish and Wildlife Service,” Dohner said. “He brings a wealth of experience particularly with his work on seven national wildlife refuges and I have great confidence in his ability to lead this region through the complex challenges and extraordinary opportunities we face today.”
Musaus, who has been with the Service for 35 years, has served as the Division Chief of Visitor Services and Communications for the National Wildlife Refuge System in the Washington office since 2007. He administers recreation and visitor use including hunting and fishing programs, environmental education, wildlife observation and photography on 550 national wildlife refuges across the country. Musaus also serves as the Service’s co-chair of the Youth Initiative Coordination Team which is one of Interior Secretary Salazar’s top priorities.
“I look forward to returning to the Southeast Region where I have spent the majority of my career,” Musaus said. “We face unprecedented challenges in this Region and I am excited for the opportunity to reconnect with former colleagues and partners to conserve and protect fish and wildlife populations across the Southeast.”
Prior to his current position, Musaus was the Project Leader of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee and Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuges on the east coast of Florida for nearly 10 years. As the northernmost remnant of the Everglades, Loxahatchee NWR is 141,000 acres and the only refuge that is primarily state owned lands managed under a license agreement. During his tenure, he successfully negotiated the renewal of this license agreement for an additional 50 years in 2002 and administered an annual budget averaging more than $10 million, including funding for invasive plant control and water quality monitoring which are major issues on the refuge.
In 2000, Musaus was named Refuge Manager of the Year and previously he held management positions on refuges in Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Alabama. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Grove City College in Pennsylvania in 1975.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Visit the Service online at http://www.fws.gov or http://www.fws.gov/southeast/.
