Well, one of my most cherished memories
about the centennial is the dawn of the
day of the centennial meeting out at the centennial trail
to watch the sunrise, on a new century
of the National Wildlife Refuge System
And I was very honored to share that with
Our late director, Sam Hamilton who was our
regional director at that time
That was a very special occasion to stand
there on the boardwalk at the observation tower
looking out at Pelican Island as the sun rose
Thinking about what the next century is, is gonna
hold for the Refuge System and wildlife conservation in general.
The refuge system as a general concept
was based on the idea of acquiring land,
representing habitat for creatures and where necessary
making adjustments in it to improve it, and make it
suitable for, more suitable for species in question
Magnificent changes have taken place that involve
the very intricate interrelation of the Fish and Wildlife Service
and the state agencies, and other Federal agencies
the private sector, land owners to create entities
blocks of habitat that are remarkable both in their size
and in their value and particularly because without that approach
it could never happen.
I've seen a complete change in public use policy
and authorization. At one time the public was
you cannot enter this under any reasons except
by special authorization. So, the boundary signs used to state that very
clearly, and now its compatible uses are permitted
Now in fact, the public is encouraged to use National Wildlife Refuges
Come see non-consumptive uses, please do so
consumptive uses when in accordance with the hunting programs and so forth
Absolutely, so we've had a complete change in attitudes to that
Public use, rafting on the rivers, there was
no rafting at all, when I became manager.
Almost no canoeing on South River, so that
guided recreational parties was the biggest change
We're getting a lot of good public use an awful lot of our
refuges. And the public is coming and are much more appreciative
of the opportunities to see things and it
especially when you tell them a little story about it
make it understandable for them.
and I'm glad to see good facilities being built
for the public. They are our future.
It's a Refuge Manager or any position in a refuge,
is, in my view, a noble occupation and doing the work
It's a larger ward.
The centennial was really a look back and looking at
How we came to be, from very humble beginnings
but at that moment it was also an opportunity to look ahead
and that's what this vision conference is all about. Thinking ahead.
about, you know, the next century and what we can achieve
in wildlife conservation for the Fish and Wildlife Service