Ms. Beattie, a veteran state natural resources official from Vermont, becomes the first woman to direct the 9,000-person agency.
"Mollie Beattie brings experience, commitment, and energy to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," said Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. "She is certain to provide the strong leadership we need to conserve our fish and wildlife resources for present and future generations."
Before President Clinton nominated her for the Fish and Wildlife Service post, Ms. Beattie served as executive director of the Richard A. Snelling Center for Government in Vermont. She served as deputy secretary for Vermonts Agency of Natural Resources, 1989-90; Commissioner for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, 1985-89; and Program Director and Lands Manager for the non-profit Windham Foundation, 1983-85.
She has earned a BA from Marymount College, Tarrytown, N.Y., an MS from the University of Vermont, and an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government.
The Fish and Wildlife Services major responsibilities are for migratory birds, endangered species, freshwater and anadromous fish and certain marine mammals. The agency manages 491 National Wildlife Refuges, covering more than 91 million acres, and 84 National Fish Hatcheries. The Services mission includes enforcement of federal wildlife laws, administration of the Endangered Species Act, wetland protection and management, and distribution of Federal Aid to states for fish and wildlife restoration.
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 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 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 governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
