Secretary Salazar addresses FWS employees, partners, and Friends at the Conserving the Future Conference.
I’m conflicted. Which keynote speaker from today’s morning plenary at the Conserving the Future Conference did I like best?
National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones provided truly inspiring words punctuated with the most beautiful images. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar took the stage and bravely took to task the U.S. House of Representatives budget, listing its drastic cuts to the federal conservation budget that would decimate so programs created to protect America’s natural resources. Acknowledging the cuts were a depressing topic, he challenged the partners and public to fight to keep these essential programs. Then Admiral Thad Allen took command of the stage and wowed us with the preparation he did prior to speakingwith us. He read Fulfilling the Promise, which is the vision document crafted a decade ago, he also read the current vision document and he became a part of this social network. He told us to be open and honest with people about the process. He shared stories of Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill and reminded us of the characteristics of leadership. This last morning of the vision conference was inspiring, and I look forward to the afternoon session.
Turns out the closing session of the conference was equally inspiring as the morning. Three former FWS Directors joined the newly appointed FWS Director Dan Ashe on stage. Lynn Greenwalt spoke of family ties to the system and how a love of the land and wildlife is often transferred from one generation to another; and that among those individuals working on refuges there often a special bond among people doing what they love – wildlife conservation.
Dan closed the session. He called on the agency, the audience and the public to put words into action. To that end Dan called for the immediate implementation of 3 priorities to meet select recommendations in the vision. First, establish within 30 days a team to plot out the strategic growth of the system, also within 30 days a team of individuals will coalesce around the needs to connect wildlife refuges to local communities, and third is the mandate to create within 45 days a Leadership Council who will be charged with helping develop the next generation of leaders.
Its hard to believe that we now begin implementation of the vision, but I for one am motiviated and excited to tackle that phase of the process.
Maribeth Oakes, National Wildlife Refuge Association
