FWS Betton VO: Ashe's confirmation as the sixteenth director of the u_s_ fish and wildlife
service is a milestone for the agency, and the culmination of a lifelong dream
FWS Dan Ashe: It feels humbling...
number one... because i've known the Fish and Wildlife Service my whole
life. It's a wonderful organization-- one that has
a very important mission for the people of the United
States.
So it's humbling,
but it's also very exciting to be
a part of the leadership of the Fish and Wildlife Service at this point in time
when where we're facing
so many input important challenges.
But also so much opportunity ahead of us up to do
great things for fish and wildlife in the United States and internationally
FWS Betton VO: The career Fish and Wildlife Service employee
has spent his life immersed in the Service family and its culture.
FWS Betton VO: Dan brings of wealth of experience in his new job, having served as Deputy
Director since 2009.
FWS Betton VO: During his career with the Service, he also served as Chief of the National
Wildlife Refuge System and Science Advisor to the Director.
FWS Betton VO: He presided over the centennial of the refuge system, and implementation of
the Refuge Improvement Act of 1997-- a period in which the system
saw both sustained growth and fundamental change and its relationship with the
American people.
FWS Betton VO: As Science Adviser, Dan led an organizational renaissance
for the development of the Service's science in the agency.
FWS Betton VO: Anticipating the need to address future challenges, Dan led the development of
the Service's climate change strategy.
His experience on Capitol Hill
as the Service's Assistant Director for External Affairs provided him with a
keen appreciation
for the crucial role of partnerships in addressing landscape-level
conservation challenges.
FWS Betton VO: We caught up with the new Director in our Washington, D.C. studios and on
recent trips in the field.
Dan told us how honored he is to follow the footsteps of distinguished Service
leaders such as
Paul Kroegal,
Olaus and Mardy Murie,
"Ding" Darling,
Rachel Carson, Ira Gabrielson, Mollie Beattie,
Sam Hamilton,
and many others.
FWS Betton VO: Dan reflects on his childhood visiting wildlife refuges across the country with
his father, Bill Ashe,
who spent 37 years with the Service.
Dan cherishes his love of nature and the outdoors
and, of course, the lessons
his father taught him.
FWS Ashe: I've been a hunter my entire life. I learned to hunt from my father and my grandfather.
I think it's passing that tradition of
enjoying the outdoors, experiencing nature-- all those things
that build character
in young people.
Learning firearm safety,
learning boating safety,
because they're all just a
very important part of understanding the outdoors and
understanding the importance of conservation.
FWS BettonVO: Dan has made it a priority to continue the Service's
tradition of excellence in wildlife conservation
and habitat restoration--
tackling the tough landscape-level challenges by building bridges with
other agencies and organizations.
FWS Betton VO: Renewable energy development remains a high priority of
the Obama Administration.
FWS Betton VO: Dan says the Service is committed to ensuring that
this development occurs in a way that
safeguards wildlife
and wildlife habitat.
FWS Ashe: Renewable energy is going to be
a national priority..
certainly for the sake of energy security.
But it's also a conservation priority as
well. Our nation needs to move away from its reliance on fossil fuels as the
foundation for our economy.
The Fish and Wildlife Service plays a very important role to
find a way to facilitate
renewable energy development
in a way that is compatible with
the conservation of migratory birds, of bats, of threatened and endangered
species.
So that we we can help our nation move away from its dependence on fossil fuels.
It is the consumption of fossil fuels that is really driving
things like climate change.
And so we have to have the a part of the solution
moving the country toward for greater use of renewable energy. That brings with
it challenges. But the Fish and Wildlife Service has a history of
dealing with challenges like that and brining innovative solutions
to those problems. So I look forward to that.
FWS Betton VO: Meeting resource demands
in a time when federal spending is under the microscope is also at the
forefront for the Service. Dan says he is optimistic that the Service can
weather the storm.
FWS Ashe: We have a fiscal crisis in America.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is going to be
a part of that. And we we are going to be challenged in the next few years
to get the most out of every
taxpayer dollar that is provided to us. But I think the Fish and Wildlife Service
has a history of of doing that
of accomplishing great things
with the very minimal amount of resources. And part of that is the
depth of our partnerships with great
organizations like The Audubon Society, and Ducks Unlimited, and Wild Turkey
Federation, and the National Wildlife Federation and others.
FWS Betton VO: Dan adds that strong partnerships with State wildlife agencies
are key to the Service's success.
FWS Ashe: Whenever I think about partners, I really think of
my father.
And I think of Sam Hmilton.
And the importance of our relationship with the State fish and
wildlife agencies. When I think of my father, I think of some of his
greatest allies and friends in conservation
were State directors like Dick Cronin in Massachusetts. And then I
think of Sam. i think of how he would always say that that one of the most important
principles is that that there's no daylight between us in our State partners. And
that doesn't mean that we always agree on everything. But it means that there's
always a relationship of openness and communication and trust
between us in our State partners. And I would really like to make
sure that we
continue that record
of outstanding partnership with the States. Because I believe that when our
partnership with the States is strong, we're strong.
FWS Betton VO: Climate change looms
over wildlife conservation, another factor in the challenges facing many
species and ecosystems.
The Service is putting its climate change strategic plan into action,
focusing on increasing scientific knowledge about climate
impacts on wildlife and natural systems...putting measures in place to
address climate impacts on wildlife,
reduce the agency's carbon footprint, and engage partners in the public
in common solutions.
FWS Betton VO: We talked with Dan about climate change implications for wildlife, and the role
of our agency in addressing those impacts. FWS Betton on-camera: So what would you say
was the most challenging issue that you perhaps faced doing your confirmation hearing?
FWS Ashe: I'd definitely say 'climate change.'
And it's interesting because that really reflected that challenging political
dynamics surrounding that entire issue.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee which handles confirmation for
the Fish and Wildlife Service Director is led by Chairman Barbara Boxer,
and Ranking Republican Senator Jim Inhofe.
Chairman Boxer and Ranking Member Inhofe hold distinctly differing views on this
subject. But my response to their questions was essentially the same. I
pledged that our efforts to address climate change will always be driven by
the application of the best available science,
and within the framework of our mission and the existing statutory authorities
given to us by Congress
Science is particularly important in the arena of changing climate.
It's critical that we understand the implications and the effects of a
changing climate system on fish wildlife plants
and their habitat.
That's our mission.
We must, if we are
to live up to the responsibilities entrusted to us by the
American people,
ensure that the steps we take today
are providing for a healthy fish and wildlife resource
10 and 20 and 30 years from now. That means using the best science to
understand and anticipate the impacts of a changing climate
as well as other factors on fish and wildlife.
It's not just climate, since we know that climate will act in concert with habitat
fragmentation, water
scarcity, invasive species, disease and other factors.
Climate change is an important factor for us
to consider in the course of our daily activities.
But as I told the Committee, it's not the overarching factors driving our
day-to-day decision making.
Decisions are driven by our statutory authorities. Our statutory authorities,
as i've mentioned, require us to anticipate and manage the impacts
of climate change on fish and wildlife resources,
as we are required to address any other factor addressing the long-term health
and abundance of these resources. They don't, however, give us the authority or
the responsibility to regulate the causative factors of climate change. Our
existing statutory authority or regulatory authorities cannot, for
instance, allow us to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Nor should they.
The Fish and wildlife Service is not the responsible authority for the
regulation of greenhouse gases. Our responsibility is to ensure that fish
and wildlife are able to adapt
in a warming world. And,
believe me, that will be challenging enough.
FWS Betton VO: The challenges facing the Fish and Wildlife Service resources it manages are
complex and daunting. But Dan
told us he is very optimistic for the future
because of the dedication of the men and women of the Service.
FWS Ashe: I've had a great opportunity as I've worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service
to work with wonderful
employees. I think it's very important for any one in a position
like Director to have the opportunity to get out and meet with our field
people, to understand
t he challenges that they're dealing with we. passed a few
FWS Betton VO: We asked a few employees and partners who worked with Dan to describe their experiences
working with him.
FWS Brad Knudsen: I think that
Dan is an excellent choice for the Director of the Fish and Wildilfe Service.
He's proven he has the vision, and the passion--
certainly the smarts--to excel in that job.
I think a lot of things that he
he is most interested in are
really the emerging issues of the day--such as climate change
, the strategic growth of the refuge system so we continue adding to
our diversity of habitats and wildlife conservation mission.
He's very skilled, I believe,
at developing partnerships,
reaching consensus on a wide
range of opinions on a particular issue. And I think he'll do
an excellent job.
FWS Jerome Ford: Dan is a progressive thinker, an 'out-of- the box' thinker.==
Wants to move forward, agreat listener, a compassionate family man. I think those are all
tools that a person needs to be a leader--especially of the Fish and Wildlife Service these days.
Naomi Edelson - NWF: Dan very much understands partnerships, really likes to work with
other conservation groups of all stripes.
And he understand it takes a big job and we all have to
work together to get the job done.
FWS Paul Tritiak: I first met Dan on his visit to Pelican Island when he was Chief of the
National Wildlife Refuge System, and I was manager at Pelican Island and Archie Carr refuges.
Dan took a personal interest in helping Pelican Island become fully functional by supporting staff, resources,
land acquistiion, and habitat restoration.
FWS Paul Souza: I remember a couple of times we took Dan out into the Everglades.
And I could just see in his eyes how impressed
he was with our partnership and all of the work that we had done.
Being in Everglades National Park and having the chance to see a Burmese python,
an invasive snake,
and all of the challenges that it's posing for our ecosystem.
Talking about climate change in that very low-lying environment and what one
meter of sea-level rise would mean for Cape Sable seaside sparrows, and American
crocodiles. I could see that he cared
and he wanted to hear from the biologists in the field that are working
so hard to protect the resources we love.
FWS Betton VO: Dan looks foward to continued success and new beginnings.
FWS Ashe: As we look into the future, it's hard not to feel overwhelmed.
by the types of challenges facing the organization,
and facing the conservation of fish wildlife and plants and their habitats.
But, I would say that we need to face those challenges squarely.
We need to build a scientific capacity and understanding so that we can
identify the most important work to do. We need to build partnerships--
more important than ever.
But we need to maintain a spirit of optimism that we can
deal with these challenges if we put ourselves to the work. And that's what
the Fish and Wildlife Service has always done in the past, and I'm confident that
we're going do that in the future.
FWS Betton VO: In Washington, Kim Betton, for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.