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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Key Career Leadership Selections

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam D. Hamilton announced today the selection of Dan Ashe and Rowan Gould to serve as deputy directors for the agency.

Gould, who has served as acting director since January 2009, will be deputy director for operations. Gould will oversee regional directors, ensuring agency performance and accountability, consistent application of all Service resource management policies, and will be responsible for the day-to-day Service operations.

Ashe, who has served as science advisor to the director since 2003, will be deputy director for policy. He will oversee assistant directors in the Washington, D.C. office, providing strategic program direction, and will be responsible for developing policy and guidance to support and promote program development and fulfill the Service mission.

“It is difficult for me to overstate how lucky the Service is to have these two accomplished leaders, in these key positions, at this critical juncture,” said Hamilton. “I would be remiss in not mentioning how fortunate I personally feel to have both Rowan and Dan helping me to navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities ahead of the Service. The combination of their extensive experiences and range of expertise is a rare, and much needed, resource.”

Gould is a native of Oregon and received his B.A., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in fish health and fish biology from Oregon State University. He started his Service career as a research microbiologist at the Seattle National Research Center in 1976. During Gould’s career with the Service, he has served in numerous research positions including as section chief at the National Fisheries Research Center in Seattle, Washington and the director of the National Fisheries Research and Development Laboratory, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.

Before stepping in as acting director, Gould was selected in September 2008 as the agency’s deputy director. Prior to that, he served as assistant director for Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration. Other leadership positions he has held include terms as regional director of the Alaska Region, deputy assistant director for fisheries in Washington, D.C. and deputy regional director for the Service’s Pacific Region.

Ashe was born, and spent his childhood in Atlanta, Georgia, where his father – William “Bill” Ashe – began his 37-year career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mr. Ashe earned a M.S. degree in marine affairs from the University of Washington, and a B.S. in biological sciences from Florida State University, in Tallahassee, Florida. He worked for 13 years on the professional staff of the former Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Since coming to the Service, in 1995, Ashe has served in a variety of leadership capacities: assistant director, external affairs; assistant director, refuges and wildlife; chief, National Wildlife Refuge System; and science advisor to the director. As science advisor, Ashe provided leadership on science policy and scientific applications to resource management. He has led the organization in recognizing and responding to changes in the global climate system. Ashe also helped define an agency Code of Scientific and Professional Conduct; author new guidelines for scientific peer review and information quality; build electronic literature access for employees; and reinstitute internal scientific publication outlets.

“As I assume the position of director, I have set many objectives. Achieving them will require commitment, professionalism, integrity, trust and a spirit of public service. These are characteristics of Service employees, and particularly of these two individuals, and I am pleased they will be at my side leading this agency,” Hamilton said.

About:
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. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

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2009-2010 Maryland Late Waterfowl Hunting Seasons Set

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Annapolis, Md. –-(AmmoLand.com)- The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has reviewed all public input and finalized the 2009-2010 late waterfowl hunting seasons.

“As always, public input helped guide our decisions,” said Paul Peditto, Director of DNR’s Wildlife and Heritage Service. “The individuals who took the time to attend our public meeting and provide comments through our online forum should be commended.”

Good breeding habitat conditions should result in a large fall flight of ducks this year. The 60-day duck season includes three segments, running from October 17 to October 24, November 14 to November 27, and December 15 to January 30. The daily bag limit will be six ducks per day.

One change this year is an increase in the daily bag limits for certain diving ducks. “The breeding population of canvasbacks increased 38 percent to 660,000 birds this year and scaup numbers were above four million for the first time in nearly a decade,” said Larry Hindman, DNR’s Waterfowl Project Leader. “As a result, diving duck hunters may take two scaup and one canvasback per day as part of their six duck limit.”

The 2009 spring breeding pair survey of Atlantic Population (migratory) Canada geese was 176,600 compared to 169,700 in 2008. Unfortunately, spring snowmelt was delayed over most of the Atlantic Population (AP) breeding range in northern Quebec resulting in reduced nesting effort and poor gosling production. Thus, the 2009 AP Canada goose season remains unchanged from last year at 45 days with a daily bag limit of two geese. The season will be split into two segments, from November 21 to November 27 and from December 17 to January 30.

The greater snow goose breeding population reached an all time high this spring with 1.4 million birds. “Unlike the poor nesting conditions for Canada geese, conditions were favorable for greater snow geese,” said Hindman. “Thus, the fall flight should be one of the largest ever, approaching 2 million birds.”

Greater and lesser snow geese and Ross’s geese are collectively referred to as ‘light geese’. A Light Goose Conservation Order season will immediately follow the conclusion of the regular light goose hunting season this year. During the Conservation Order season hunters may use unplugged shotguns, electronic calls and hunt from one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset with no daily bag or possession limits.

“The intent of the liberal Conservation Order season is to significantly reduce light goose populations,” said Hindman. “The Atlantic Flyway greater snow goose population is more than twice the desired population size. A reduced population will help minimize the ecological and agricultural damage caused by the current over-abundance of light geese.”

Waterfowl hunters participating in the Light Goose Conservation Order season must possess a Snow Goose Conservation Order Hunting Season permit which may be obtained for $5 from any DNR sport license agent, online at http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/, or by phone (1-800-918-2870). Participants must possess a valid Maryland hunting license (or resident Delaware license) and a 2009-2010 Maryland Migratory Game Bird Hunting Stamp.

All migratory game bird hunters, including landowners who are license-exempt, are required to obtain the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp. Hunters must possess the printed receipt showing proof of purchase of the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp while hunting migratory game birds.

All waterfowl hunters age 16 and over must also purchase the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Federal Duck Stamp) which must be signed and in possession while hunting waterfowl and coots. Hunters may obtain federal duck stamps at U.S. Post Offices, National Wildlife Refuges, certain DNR sport license agents and online at www.duckstamp.com. The Federal stamp is not required for the Light Goose Conservation season.

Non-toxic shot is required for hunting waterfowl and coots. Hunters may not possess or use non-toxic shot shells larger than size No. T or any lead shot shells while waterfowl hunting. Approved types of nontoxic shot and other information on migratory game bird hunting are listed in the 2009-2010 Guide to Hunting and Trapping in Maryland or on DNR’s website at http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide/index.asp.

The 2009-2010 late waterfowl season dates and bag limits will be published in the annual migratory game bird season synopsis and distributed to DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service offices and sport license agents in mid-September. For more information about the 2009-2010 Maryland Late Waterfowl Seasons and Bag Limits submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/huntersguide/lwfchart.asp.

About:
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 461,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland’s forests, fisheries, and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic, and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland’s effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state’s number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov

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