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1Inside Region 3 November 2007

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Inside Region 3November 2007

About the Cover:Shiawassee Refuge Manager Steve Kahl takes a moment to lookthrough a spotting scope during the Big Sit! (see page 7 for details)

- Photo courtesy Steve Griffin


Fish, Wildlife and People

Midwest Brings the Duck Stamp Home in a Big Way

This painting by Joe Hautman of northern pintails nesting won the 2007 Federal Duck StampArt Contest. It was also announced that the 2008 contest will be held in Minnesota.

Wildlife artist Joe Hautman ofPlymouth, Minn., won the

2007 Federal Duck Stamp Art Con-test - the oldest and most presti-gious wildlife art competition inAmerica - with his depiction of apair of pintail ducks. Departmentof the Interior Secretary DirkKempthorne announced the winneron Oct. 13 in Sanibel, Fla.

“It was a privilege for me to con-gratulate Joe Hautman when thejudges chose his art to grace the75th Duck Stamp,” said SecretaryKempthorne. “The Duck Stampprogram is unique in the realm be-tween art and conservation. Thisart will be transformed into anequally beautiful stamp and helpprotect wetlands by generatingfunding through the sale of thatstamp to hunters, stamp-collectorsand conservationists. People talkabout how art can change theworld, and the Duck Stamp is anexcellent example. You just needto look at the more than five millionacres of waterfowl habitat pro-tected by their purchase usingfunds from the stamp for proof ofthe power of this art.”

This year’s contest crowns thewinner of the 75th duck stamp sincethe program’s inception in 1934.

The competition was surroundedby a week of public events at J.N.“Ding” Darling National WildlifeRefuge and BIG Arts celebratingthe life of artist, conservationistand creator of the Duck Stamp,J.N. “Ding” Darling.

Hautman attended the FederalDuck Stamp contest this year withhis family. The audience gave hima standing ovation when his art waschosen as the winning piece. “I’vebeen to a lot of Duck Stamp con-tests, and this is the most excitingone I’ve been to,” Hautman said.

“I’d like to thank my family, and theFish and Wildlife Service, whoturns this artwork into wetlandsand ducks.”

The Midwest Region was hon-ored with the top three winningpositions in the competition.

Second place went to Harold Roe,of Sylvania, Ohio, who painted anacrylic of a lone green-winged teal.Third place went to Scot Storm ofFreeport, Minn., who painted a pairof mallards in acrylic.

Eligible species for this year’scontest were the mallard, northernpintail, canvasback, green-wingedteal and harlequin duck.

“This was the most excitingDuck Stamp contest in history,’said H. Dale Hall, Director of theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Tohave a three-way tie for first place,then to have the artist and his fam-ily right here in the audience, wasfantastic.”

“We’re going to continue to movethis contest around the country togive the public a chance to ownthis,” continued Hall. On Oct. 24,Hall announced the location for the2008 Duck Stamp Contest. “I ampleased to announce that the 2008Federal Duck Stamp Contest willbe hosted in the nation’s heartland,with its strong heritage of hunting,fishing and bird watching. Mid-westerners feel passionately aboutstewardship of land and waters forwild creatures and for future gen-erations, and this is a great placefor choosing the artwork to gracethe Federal Duck Stamp.”

The 2008 Federal Duck StampContest will take place during Oc-tober in the Twin Cities metropoli-tan area. Rachel F. Levin, Exter-nal Affairs

2008 Contest in Minnesota



A Wild and Batty Experience

Boy scouts fan out to attack invasive woody vegetation on Weber Waterfowl Production Area - USFWS photo

When I began preparation for aBoundary Waters Canoe trip

in northern Minnesota with 36 BoyScouts and adult leaders, I had noidea that it would result in an op-portunity for myself, my daughterand several Boy Scouts to observea little brown bat hanging contentlyfrom a sumac plant on a waterfowlproduction area only a few milesfrom my home.

On the trip, I learned that Scoutswho traveled 50 miles or more afootor afloat during the trip wouldqualify to earn the 50 miler award.An additional requirement for theaward is that they work a minimumof 10 volunteer conservation ser-vice hours. To help the Scoutscomplete their service hours, ScoutMaster Joel Halbritter and I sub-mitted a grant proposal to controlinvasive woody species on nativeprairie and oak savanna on the We-ber WPA using labor provided bythe Boy Scouts. Not only wouldthis help the Scouts meet their re-quirements, it also helped to com-plete an invasive species project onthe WPA that had stalled due tolack of funding.

A rainy August day didn’tdampen the spirits of the enthusi-astic Scouts on the first day ofwork. They attacked the invasivewoody plants that were taking overthe prairie. Armed with loppersand saws the Scouts slashed woodyplants such as red cedar, box elder,honey suckle and buckthorn whilesparing the natives such as leadplant, wild indigo, and prairie rose.

Throughout the day we saw mon-arch larvae feeding on commonmilk weed and discussed thebutterfly’s wondrous migration.We spied and discussed a paintedturtle nest that had been destroyedby a predator. After leveling a

large patch of sumac we discoveredwild onion, tall blazing star,Maximilian sunflower, bigbluestem, and prairie dropseedamong the many native plants thatwe were helping. By day end, wewere all soaked to the bone, butnow there was open grasslandwhere only hours before had beenshrouded by unwanted trees andbrush.

Our project days were chokedwith fun-filled surprises. We triedto capture elusive leopard frogsthat magically disappeared into thegrass, peered into birds’ nests tosee if anyone was home, and scur-ried around a sleepy, grouchyskunk.

One of the most memorableevents for me was when Morgan,my 10-year-old daughter, came tome and asked if I would like to seea bat. She’d looked up into a four-foot-tall sumac and noticed a bat

hidden within the leaves andbranches. We all gathered andwatched in awe. At sunset westood on a hill overlooking our workand remarked on the lone sumacstanding with its sleepy occupant.

We leveled several thousand un-wanted trees and brush in sixweeks, covering more than 70 acresof prairie, restored grassland andfive acres of oak savanna. ManyScouts met their requirements forawards.

We accomplished a lot in terms ofhabitat restoration. But for me, themost important outcome was givingthese young people an opportunityto connect with nature, experienceplants and wildlife that they maynot otherwise experience, andopening their minds to the impor-tance and pleasure of our naturalwonders. Scott Glup, LitchfieldWMD



Awards and RecognitionThe Midwest Region is committed to recognizing its talented

workforce and dedicated to providing a positive work environmentthat demonstrates gratitude and appreciation for exceptional contri-butions to the mission. Employees and their many endeavors towardthe larger organization are championed at the award level becausethe Midwest Region makes recognition and acknowledgment a prior-ity. Supporting the mission of the Service with tangible results de-serves recognition and reaps immeasurable harvest.

As such, the Midwest Region congratulates the following on a jobwell done.

Bill McCoy was awarded theLand Legacy Award for outstand-ing skill or ability in the perfor-mance of duty by promoting thebenefits of Patoka River NWR andits fish and wildlife to the localcommunity. Bill used innovationand partnerships in a mosaic ofland acquisition strategies andcrafted working relationships withnumerous conservation organiza-tions to acquire lands for thePatoka River NWR.

Terry Pennaz, Jim Leach, andJon Kauffeld received certificatesfor 30 years of service.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice presented its annual NationalWetlands Conservation Award toJason Hill of Ducks Unlimitedfor his work to restore wetlandsthroughout Indiana. Hill, a biologistfor DU’s Great Lakes/Atlantic Re-gional Office in Ann Arbor, Michi-gan, received the award at theService’s Partners for Fish andWildlife 20th Anniversary Confer-ence in Oklahoma City. Pheas-ants Forever, another winner at theevent, was presented with the 20thAnniversary Partners for Fish andWildlife Award. Pheasants For-ever is a habitat organization dedi-cated to the conservation of pheas-ants, quail and other wildlifethrough habitat improvements,public awareness, education andland management policies and pro-grams.

Hail & Farewell

Nebraska’s Papio-MissouriRiver Natural Resource Districtreceived the National Land Pro-tection Award for the donation of2,000 acres to the Service to estab-lish Boyer Chute National WildlifeRefuge near Omaha, Nebraska.“This acreage, along with develop-ment of roads, trails, kiosks, fenc-ing, fishing piers, and interpretivefacilities has a value of $6 million.In 2005, the District donated anadditional 700 acres valued at morethan $1 million,” said Eric Alvarez,Realty Division Chief, U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service.

Quality employees make theMidwest Region an out-

standing place to work. We wel-come the following new perma-nent employees:

Patrick Yasenak, Green BayES FO; Shirley Weber andMelanie Desotelle, Green BayFRO; Terri Campbell,Marquette Biological Station;Dennis Davis, Green Bay FRO;John McGrail, Green Bay FRO;Nathan Skop and AngelaLappin, Jordan River NFH;Samantha Chisholm, Crab Or-chard NWR; Liisa Niva, Mis-souri PLO; Raymond Parrish,Crab Orchard NWR; ThomasMyers, Jordan River NFH; Ri-

chard Geboy, Bloomington ES FO;Alana Kiple, Marquette BiologicalStation; Richard Colburn, DetroitAirport Inspection Office; WilliamMcleod, Green Bay FRO; JohnSimpson, RO ABA-Engineering;Richard Hillard, RO ABA-Con-tracting & Facilities Management;Lynda Knutsen, Refuges, VisitorServices & Outreach; JamesKrizman, Neal Smith NWR; An-drew Prouty, RO ABA; LisaOlson, RO ABA-Human Re-sources; Travis Culp, DeSotoNWR.

We also bid farewell and saidthank you to the following retirees:Michael Murphy, Hamden SloughNWR; Stephen Wilds, RO-Migra-tory Birds; Reba Bicott, Twin Cit-

ies FO; Marvin McCarty, St.Croix WMD; John Guthrie,Swan Lake NWR; TimothyJulison, Port Louisa NWR;Stanley Smith, RO- EcologicalService; Leslie Peterson, DetroitLakes WMD; Ronald Refsnider,RO-Ecological Services; JeanPieper, Horicon NWR; MarshallOwens, Desoto NWR; MaryJaneLavin, RO-Law Enforcement;Kenneth Stromborg, Green BayES FO; Nancy Warner, NeoshoNFH ; Terry Schreiner , Minne-sota Valley NWR; DavidLindberg, Litchfield WAO; AllanRife, Sherburne NWR; RichardSorensen, RO-Refuges.

Names provided by the Re-gional Human Resources Office.



Seventeen young whoopingcranes began their ultralight-

led migration from centralWisconsin’s Necedah NationalWildlife Refuge on Oct. 13.

This is the seventh group ofbirds to take part in a landmarkproject led by the Whooping CraneEastern Partnership (WCEP),which is reintroducing this highlyimperiled species in eastern NorthAmerica. There are now 59whooping cranes in the wild ineastern North America thanks toWCEP’s efforts. The Fish andWildlife Service is a founding part-ner in WCEP.

Four ultralight aircraft and thejuvenile cranes took to the air forthe 1,250-mile journey to the birds’wintering habitat atChassahowitzka National WildlifeRefuge along Florida’s Gulf Coast.As of press time, the birds were inMorgan County, Indiana.

Biologists from the International

Four ultralight aircraft are leading 17 youngwhooping cranes on their first southwardmigration.

- WCEP photo

Whooping Cranes Take to the Sky toward FloridaCrane Foundation and the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service reared 27whooping cranes at Necedah NWRthis summer. In addition to the 17birds being led south byultralights, 10 other birds havebeen released in the company ofolder cranes in hopes that theyoung whooping cranes learn themigration route.

Graduated classes of whoopingcranes spend the summer in cen-tral Wisconsin, where they use ar-eas on or near Necedah NWR, aswell as various state and privatelands. One whooping crane, num-ber 7-01, returns to Horicon NWReach summer.

In the spring and fall, projectstaff from the International CraneFoundation and the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service track and monitorthe released cranes in an effort tolearn as much as possible abouttheir unassisted journeys and thehabitat choices they make both

More than 1,200 five-inch large-mouth bass from up north in

Wisconsin found a new home downsouth when they were stocked at theBig Muddy National Fish and Wild-life Refuge’s Overton Bottoms Unitin cooperation with Genoa NationalFish Hatchery and Columbia Na-tional Fish and Wildlife Conserva-tion Office.

Genoa NFH generously donatedthe bass, left over from a musselpropagation project, to the refuge.

Genoa project leader Doug Aloisihauled the fish hundreds of milessouth from Wisconsin. Wyatt Doyleof Columbia NFWCO and RandyStenberg of Big Muddy Refugetransported the fish back to twoscour holes to replace bass lost in anannual flood event on the floodplain

Wisconsin Bass Find a Home in the Big Muddyof the Missouri River.

Largemouth bass grow very wellin these two scour holes on theOverton Unit because of an influx ofbackwater nutrients and young-of -year fish brought in from the rivereach year. The abundance of food inthese scours—including largeschools of small shad—allow theseareas to be over-stocked with theexpectation of an over-abundance offood being replenished each year.

Each year the scours connect tothe river through a small backwaterslough allowing new food to enter thescours. However, about every fiveyears the scours become inundatedand bass move out into the river, re-sulting in a loss of the stock and aneed for new fish. In light of the re-

cent invasion of Asian carp, biologistshope that as bass grow larger, theywill aid in controlling the young-of-year carp that proliferate in thesetypes of backwater areas when theyconnect.

Columbia NFWCO conducts an-nual surveys on these scours and willexamine bass stomachs in the futureto determine whether in fact they canbe used as a biological control forAsian carp.

This collaborative effort is an ex-ample of creative use of the availableresources within the Service to pro-vide for endangered species, controlinvasive species and provide recre-ation to the public with minimal costand effort. Wyatt Doyle, ColumbiaNFWCO, Columbia, Mo.

along the way and on their sum-mering ground.

For more information on WCEPand a link to daily migration re-ports, go to http://www.bringbackthecranes.org.

Rachel F. Levin, External Af-fairs



Mapping theRefuge SystemYou’ve got ducks to count and

a unit left to burn when thephone rings. Washington needsto know how many miles oftrails there are on the refuge,and they need your answer intwo hours. Even though theymay not tell you why they needthe information, additional fund-ing may depend on a timely andaccurate answer. If you’ve en-tered trails in your station’sRefuge Lands GIS database,you have the answer in a fewminutes. If not, put the burn onhold, head to the field and getwalking with your measuringwheel.

A customized module forArcGIS, Refuge Lands GIS(RLGIS) is a ready-to-use GISpackage with unique desktoptools for creating and editinginformation. RLGIS eliminatesthe need for field stations to cre-ate their own GIS organization,and gives the Service a start atgenerating consistent data forall National Wildlife Refuge Sys-tem lands. Intrigued?

Staff from the Division of Con-servation Planning have led thetraining effort in the MidwestRegion. Four training sessionswere held in 2007. Additionaltraining is being planned for thespring.

For more information visit:https://intranet.fws.gov/re-gion9/refuges/rlgis/index.html

Jane Hodgins and GabrielDeAlessio, Division of Conser-vation Planning

On the blustery, undu-lating prairie of west-

ern Saskatchewan, a fear-less Kim Mitchell of Eco-logical Services in the Re-gional Office made hermark on the duck popula-tion.

It was the second coldestAugust on record, and be-cause it was uncommonlybrisk, there were no mos-quitoes. (Hallelujah!) Afterbeing soaked to the bonefor two weeks straight,Kim started donning herrain gear first thing in themorning.

The four-person crewthat Kim joined banded4,500 ducks in 30 days. Forthree of the team mem-bers, it was like routineclockwork, but Kim admitsshe had a learning curve.

“You have to get theedges of the band completely flat onthe leg, but you’re also afraidyou’re going to break its leg,” sheexplained. Kim estimates that shebanded about 700 out of those 4,500birds.

Kim didn’t expect to battle beefcows for solid footing on marshyground, or push them out of theway to get to the ducks. She alsodidn’t expect to avoid the steaminglandmines the cows left strewnacross the landscape. And shedidn’t expect to enjoy the easy ca-maraderie that developed betweenteam members, or to enjoy TexasItalian cooking.

Other unexpected delights Kimdiscovered: getting involved in adebate on the merits of hand sani-tizer and rhapsodizing about theglories of Little Debbie Zebra

Kim Mitchell with a newly banded blue winged teal.

- USFWS photo by Joe Ham

Northern Exposure: One Survivor’sAccount of a Duck-Banding Adventure

Cakes.I asked Kim if she would go

again. She admitted that after beingfilthy and muddy and soaked, shestill had fun. The only drawbackwas the fact that she missed Au-gust in Minnesota, one of the onlymonths in this state when it isn’teither sweltering hot (normally) ora toasty below zero. Kim said thatnow she knows what to expect andhow to band the ducks, the nexttime would be much easier.

If you don’t have experiencebanding ducks but like frolicking inthe mud, keep your eyes open forthe next spectacular opportunity tohelp the Migratory Birds Programmonitor the success of the NorthAmerican waterfowl population.Andrea Kirk, Migratory Bird Per-mits


- Photo courtesy Steve Griffin

Shiawassee Refuge participatedin its first year of The Big Sit!

on Oct. 14, 2007. Bird Watcher’sDigest organizes this global birdcount described as “birding’s mostsedentary event.” The object is tofind as many bird species as possibleduring a 24-hour period within astatic 17-foot diameter circle.

I decided to spend the entire 24-hour period in the epicenter of circle,which was the top of the refuge’sGrefe Tower. During the course ofthe 24 hours, I was helped by eightrefuge volunteers. Our goal was toidentify 72 species, because the pre-vious highest Big Sit total in Michi-gan was 71. Breaking the recordwould further reinforce the refuge’sstature as one of the best places forbirds in the state. We hoped to givethe Metro Munchers, WashtenawWingnuts, Erie Rockers, ChippewaChirpers, and all the other MichiganBig Sit teams some competition forstate bragging rights.

My diary of the day is below.

Midnight – The sky was full ofstars as the day began. The tem-perature was a crisp 45° and therewas no wind. I sat in the darknessat the top of the tower overlookingthousands of acres of marsh, openwater, grassland, forest and crop-land. Thousands of Canada geesewere honking on our impoundmentsfor the first bird of the day.

1 a.m. – Six species thus far. Icould make out the shapes of severalgreat blue herons as I scannedacross our pools. I interpreted thecackling of two ring-necked pheas-ants as an indication of some sort ofroost site squabble. The din of thegeese made it difficult to pick out thecalls of other waterfowl, but I man-aged to hear mallards and gadwall.


Shiawassee Refuge Participates in The Big Sit!4 a.m. – Only two

species added to thelist in the last threehours! I could heara small flock ofnorthern shovelersclose by discussingthings. Fortunately,a cooperative pair ofeastern screech-owls quickly re-sponded to mywhistles.

Unfortunately, theweather was poorfor songbird migra-tion. I hoped that I would hear thenocturnal flight calls of species likeSwainson’s and gray-cheekedthrush. However, the lack of cloudcover and light southwest windsyielded no migration overhead.

Still, I soaked in the experience. Asingle coyote called nearby, whichelicited a wild chorus from a pack inthe distance. Throughout the night,I could hear three different pairs ofgreat horned owls calling.

7 a.m. – No new species and thetemperature had dropped to 34°.Frost began to appear on the tower,but as light started to appear in thesky, bird activity starting picking up.Sandhill cranes started calling – oneof my favorite sounds. I heard a vo-cal group of American wigeon zippast but never saw them.

9 a.m. – Forty-seven species on thelist! I never tire of dawn near themarsh. Flock after flock of Canadasstreamed past to feed in nearbyfields. Five to 10 bald eagles were insight all day. Ruby-crowned kingletsand yellow-rumped warblers foragedalong the nearby forest edge. A verylate sedge wren gave a ragged ver-sion of its song from out in thegrassland.

1 p.m. – Sixty-five species on thelist and 72 looks attainable. The sky

is clear and the temperature reached64°. A cooperative indigo buntingflew in and landed next to the tower;another species found beyond itstypical departure date. Raptors be-gan rising on thermals along the ho-rizon.

5 p.m. – Only three species added,including a distant Wilson’s snipethat zipped into my field of view as Iscanned the marsh. A northernrough-winged swallow revealed itselfamong a large flock of tree swallows.The sky became overcast and a slowsteady drizzle has started.

8 p.m. – No new species added.The rain has not yet stopped. Stilldusk was beautiful. Six northernharriers came in to roost in thegrasslands nearby. I was amazed atseeing thousands upon thousands ofducks leaving the refuge after sun-set. It was barely light enough tosee them at all.

Midnight – The first ShiawasseeRefuge Big Sit! is in the books! Nonew species added since 5 p.m. andthe grand total stands at 68. Notenough for a new record, but it is thethird highest total found on a Michi-gan Big Sit! ever. Pretty respectablefor the first year and I’m alreadyplanning for next year! Steve Kahl,Shiawassee NWR

Shiawassee Refuge Manager Steve Kahl during his 24 hours ofsitting still and listening to the birds.


Members of the Midwest Regional Directorate crown Dr. Parker with a tiara and scepter. - USFWS photo by Karla Bartelt


While my time with the Servicehas been relatively short, the

name of Dr. Mamie Parker hascome up many, many times. Peoplealways speak well of her, particu-larly African-Americans, whosepride-filled voices sing her praise,even outside of the Service.

Recently, I was at an unrelatedbusiness meeting with Tené Wells,President of Women Venture, anon-for-profit women’s organiza-tion, when I mentioned that I’djoined the Service. She immedi-ately recalled a chance encounter atthe airport with a phenomenalwoman who was a top executive inthe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.With her engaging charisma, sharpleadership skills and impressiveroad to success, Dr. Parker hadclearly left a lasting and impressiveimprint in her wake — an imprintnot unlike the one she left when shedeparted the Midwest Region after15 years of service. To this day,when they recall Dr. Parker’s ten-ure here in the Midwest Region,executives and support staff alikestill remember her buoyant person-ality with fondness.

I thought to myself, who is thiswoman that resonates such an im-pact from a single encounter, whoseaura is still ever so present in theregion after so many years? WhenI joined the Service, Dr. Parkerhad already bid the Midwest fare-well to return to her native South-ern roots. I looked forward to theopportunity to meet her, even per-haps in a different venue, but thenwas saddened to learn of herplanned retirement in late Novem-ber.

Recently, I was struck by a pic-ture of Rachel Carson seated at atable with 17 men that appeared inthe spring issue of Fish & WildlifeNews. I couldn’t help but see theparallel lines between the legend-ary conservationist Carson and Dr.Mamie Parker, who as the Assis-tant Director for Fisheries andHabitat Conservation is the firstAfrican-American woman to reachthat level in the organization.

Throughout Dr. Parker’s career,launched in 1978 at the Genoa Na-tional Fish Hatchery in Wisconsin,there must have been many timeswhen she, like Rachel, was the onlyone at the table, but even perhapsin Parker’s case, the only one formore than 60 miles. We can all takea lesson from both trailblazing

women, each of whom strapped ontheir boots, restocked their re-serves and waded through any im-pediments that would attempt todim their personal passions or theconservation mission of the Ser-vice.

On Friday, Oct. 19, Midwest Re-gional Office and field office staffgathered to bid farewell to Dr.Mamie Parker. Members of theRegional Directorate presentedParker with gifts and tributes fromthe various program areas, includ-ing a tiara and ‘scepter’ (a sea lam-prey mount) befitting of royalty—which Parker, after her long careerwith the Fish and Wildlife Service,certainly is. Valerie RoseRedmond, External Affairs

Dr. Mamie Parker: A Midwest Angle


Paul’s German shepherd, Cutter.

Twin Cities Field Office Biologist Paul Burke passed away on Oct.17, 2007

- Photos courtesy TCFO staff


Filtered rays of sun streameddown through Minnesota Val-

ley National Wildlife Refuge, whilethe empty trees and fallen leavesechoed the loss of a friend, col-league and valiant servant of theMidwest Region U.S. Fish andWildlife Service on Monday, Octo-ber 22. It was apropos as a largecrowd of friends and family gath-ered at the site on that day to paytribute in a memorial to PaulBurke, “habitat conservation” bi-ologist at the Twin Cities Field Of-fice. Music, photos, and personalmemories spirited the upbeatevent, more of a celebration of a lifethan a dark memorial.

Harley riders club bikers, tribalrepresentatives, mining companystaff and other friends groupsjoined Paul’s family and the manyService personnel that came to saygood-bye to the conservation enthu-siast.

“Paul Burke was passionate inhis love of the Minnesota NorthCountry. He was proud to be abiologist for the Fish and WildlifeService, and never forgot that

Walking Onwhen a FWS bi-ologist comes towork each day,the task ahead isnothing less thanthe protection ofthe naturalworld,” saysTony Sullins,who Paul re-ported to. “Pauljoined the Ser-vice in 1979. Hewas in Washing-ton D.C. for ashort time, andthen in ColumbiaMissouri for afew years.” Hejoined the TCFO(formerly the St.Paul Field Office) in 1988.

“Paul was an expert in transpor-tation issues, and had forged verygood relationships with FederalHighways and MNDOT personnel.He had used these relationships toeffectively advocate for mitigationof wildlife and habitat impacts asso-ciated with highways,” saysSullins.

Born in 1951 and raised on theEast coast, Paul identified heavilywith urban youth because he’dspent a large portion of his child-hood in an apartment in the Wash-ington D.C. area, according to hissister. Clearly, it was a pull thatfueled his passion and devotion toconnecting urban children to na-ture and to the Blue Goose Fund, atrust created to help defray thecost of transporting Twin Citiesyouth to the refuge, as he was afrequent visitor to the refuge whenchildren’s events were taking place.

Paul loved motorcycles and dogs.Sadly, Paul’s German shepherd,Cutter, died earlier this year,prompting him to write, the follow-ing ode to his dear friend.

Friend,

The Ojibwa people describe thepassing of a soul into the next

world as having ‘walked on’. Myfriend Cutter has walked on. He

shared his 11 years of life with me,and brought me more health and

happiness than I can describehere. I celebrate the experience.

He was and always will be the bestfriend. He can be followed, but he

can never be replaced.

Paul

Paul Joseph Burke “walked on”on Oct. 17, 2007, after suffering ahead injury that he never recoveredfrom. Valerie Rose Redmond, Ex-ternal Affairs


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Ron Beam, maintenance worker from Crane Meadows NWR, assists ayoung visitor with her air rifle at the Sherburne NWR Wildlife Festival.

- USFWS photo by Michael Stemper

Around the Region

(left to right) Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty joinsState Senator Ellen Anderson and Regional DirectorRobyn Thorson, along with an eagle and its handlerfrom the University of Minnesota Raptor Center, atthe Minnesota State Fair to celebrate the delisting ofthe bald eagle.

- USFWS photo by Chuck Traxler

Local students participate in a new JuniorNaturalist Program at Squaw Creek NWR.

- USFWS photo

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- USFWS photo

Biological Science Technician Katrina Glascock from theLudington Biological Station watches a chemicalintroduction station during a sea lamprey treatment onJordan River NFH.

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Columbia ES Field Office Biologist Paul McKenzieconducts a plant survey on Mingo NWR to help therefuge develop a comprehensive plant list.

- USFWS photo by Pat Harris

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Researchers measure a Lake Erie watersnake duringthe 2007 census on Ohio’s North Bass Island.

- USFWS photo by Megan Seymour


Rick, back home with his wife and daughter in August 2007.- Photo courtesy Rick Rottman

Rick preparing the leave for Iraq in March 2006.- Photo courtesy Rick Rottman


A Service Call to DutyRick Rottman didn’t know what

to think when he got the callnotifying him that the Army Na-tional Guard had involuntarily ex-tended him and that he was nowactivated for a tour of duty in Iraq.The call came six weeks after land-ing a job with the Service as an HRAssistant and a few months beforea scheduled discharged in Octoberof 2005. “The first thing I did waslet Fish know that I’d been acti-vated. Then I had to get things inorder at home, like my will, life in-surance and bank accounts. Iwasn’t here long and then I wasgone,” Rick recalls.

Stationed 15-20 miles outside ofAn Nasiriayah, at Camp Adder orTallil Air Base, Rottman says thathe joined the armed forces becausehe wanted to “protect the countrylike our forefathers.” It’s no rev-elation that war wreaks havoc on

the environment and thehealth of the people in themidst of it. Iraq is no dif-ferent.

“They [the Iraqi people]are struggling over there,even with all the coalitionforces helping them,” saysRottman. “We built water,sewer and power plants. Wewere running them. Nowthey are running them. Wesee them trying to dosomething…They want toput their best foot forward,[but] sometimes that’s notenough.” When asked ifthere was safe drinking wa-ter, Rottman said he didn’tknow because he didn’t gointo the community, but thesoldiers drank bottled waterfrom the Iraqi plants. Whilethere, Rottman says he read

a lot of books.He liked to readJohn Grisham andStephen King.

The 18-year veteranof the armed forceswas born and raised inCaledonia, a smallfarming community insouthern Minnesota.He met his wife ofeight years in LaCrosse, Wis., whereshe was attendingschool. He was at-tending Western Wis-consin Technical Col-lege at the time. Deband his five-year-olddaughter, Olivia, bothwere happy and re-lieved to see Rick’ssmiling face when hefinished his tour ofduty and returned

home in July 2007.Rick says the greatest challenge

that he faced when he returned tothe States was trying to get used tothe way his family had done it[life’s routine] for two years. “Ihad to step back and realize thatthis is how they did things,” hesays. He also struggled with thegetting used to a normal 8-hourwork schedule, as when he was inIraq a 10-12 hour work day was thenorm. “I’m glad to be back on U.S.soil.” Rottman says. “I knowpeople say it over and overbut…running water, all the ameni-ties… we take it for granted.”

Rottman rejoined the Fish andWildlife Service on Oct. 1, 2007.

We are glad to have you backRick, and we thank you for yourservice. Valerie Rose Redmond,External Affairs


Inside Region 3Inside Region 3Inside Region 3Inside Region 3Inside Region 3 is produced by the Office of External Affairs, Region 3, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,Ft. Snelling, Minn. Items included are selected from reports submitted by Region 3 offices via theAccomplishment Reporting System.

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November 2007

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