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62-466: Established in 1969 and managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service , it was the first federal refuge created specifically for the protection of the bald eagle . It is 2,277 acres (9.21 km) in size, with 4.4 miles (7.1 km) of shoreline. It is covered with oak and hickory forest and it includes the largest freshwater marsh in northern Virginia . Since its founding,

124-695: A founder of the Ecological Society of America , were promoting a " balance of nature " theory – the idea that predators were an important part of the larger ecosystem and should not be eradicated. In 1924, at a conference organized by the American Society of Mammologists (ASM), the debate generated a public split between those in the Survey, promoting eradication, and those from the ASM who promoted some sort of accommodation. Edward A. Goldman, from

186-742: A museum program for the Smithsonian, requesting that the organization focus on natural history in the United States. His program also allowed him to create a network of collectors through an exchange system. He asked that members of the Army and Navy collect rare animals and plant specimens from west of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico . In order to balance the collection, Baird sent duplicate specimens to other museums around

248-610: A protected area in Virginia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Fairfax County, Virginia state location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS or FWS ) is a U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees

310-727: A self-trained naturalist as a young man, learning about the field from his brother, William, who was a birder , and the likes of John James Audubon , who instructed Baird on how to draw scientific illustrations of birds. His father was also a big influence on Baird's interest in nature, taking Baird on walks and gardening with him. He died of cholera when Baird was ten years old. As a young boy he attended Nottingham Academy in Port Deposit, Maryland and public school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania . Baird attended Dickinson College and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees, finishing

372-499: A violation of law occurred in its death, and to identify and compare physical evidence to link suspects to the crime scene and the animal's death. United States Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge Law Enforcement consists of professional law enforcement officers entrusted with protecting natural resources and public safety. Federal Wildlife Officers promote the survival of species and health of the environment by ensuring that wildlife laws are followed. They also welcome visitors and are often

434-592: Is today. Baird became the manager of the United States National Museum in 1872. Baird told George Perkins Marsh that he sought to be the director of the National Museum and that he had intentions to expand on the collections within the museum en masse. He was the primary writer of A History of North American Birds, which was published in 1874 and continues to be an important publication in ornithology today. He created all of

496-816: The Clark R. Bavin National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory , the only forensics laboratory in the world devoted to wildlife law enforcement . By treaty, it also is the official crime laboratory for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES ) and the Wildlife Group of Interpol . The laboratory identifies the species or subspecies of pieces, parts, or products of an animal to determine its cause of death, help wildlife officers determine if

558-650: The Code of Federal Regulations (50 CFR 22), and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act , the USFWS administers the National Eagle Repository and the permit system for Native American religious use of eagle feathers. These exceptions often only apply to Native Americans that are registered with the federal government and are enrolled with a federally recognized tribe. In the late 1990s and early 2000s,

620-571: The Endangered Species Act ; mitigating the loss of fisheries resulting from U.S. Government water projects; and providing fish to benefit Native Americans and National Wildlife Refuges. The NFHS also engages in outreach, education, and research activities. The National Fish Passage Program provides financial and technical resources to projects that promote the free movement of fish and aquatic life. Common projects include dam removal and fishway construction. Between 1999 and 2023,

682-799: The Landscape Conservation Cooperatives , a network of 22 autonomous cooperatives sponsored by the Department of the Interior which function as regional conservation bodies covering the entire United States and adjacent areas. The Office of Law Enforcement enforces wildlife laws, investigates wildlife crimes, regulates wildlife trade, helps people in the United States understand and obey wildlife protection laws, and works in partnership with international, state, and tribal counterparts to conserve wildlife resources. It also trains other U.S. Government, U.S. state, tribal, and foreign law enforcement officers. The USFWS operates

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744-618: The National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS), which includes 70 National Fish Hatcheries and 65 Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices. Originally created to reverse declines in lake and coastal fish stocks in the United States, the NFHS subsequently expanded its mission to include the preservation of the genes of wild and hatchery-raised fish; the restoration of native aquatic populations of fish, freshwater mussels , and amphibians including populations of species listed under

806-744: The United States . The original ancestor of USFWS was the United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries , more commonly referred to as the United States Fish Commission , created in 1871 by the United States Congress with the purpose of studying and recommending solutions to a noted decline in the stocks of food fish . Spencer Fullerton Baird was appointed to lead it as the first United States Commissioner of Fisheries. In 1903,

868-455: The United States Department of Agriculture , have taken steps to be more inclusive of tribes, native people, and tribal rights. This has marked a transition to a relationship of more co-operation rather than the tension between tribes and government agencies seen historically. Today, these agencies work closely with tribal governments to ensure the best conservation decisions are made and that tribes retain their sovereignty. From 1940 to 1970,

930-609: The United States and Mexican Boundary Survey . In 1855, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society . He received his Ph.D. in physical science in 1856 from Dickinson College. In 1857 and 1852 he acquired the collection of the National Institute for the Promotion of Science . However, the objects did not join the permanent collection of the Smithsonian until 1858. Baird attended

992-894: The Animal Damage Control Agency, responsible for predator control, was transferred from the USFWS to the Department of Agriculture and renamed the Division of Wildlife Services. USFWS manages the National Wildlife Refuge System, which consists of 570 National Wildlife Refuges , encompassing a full range of habitat types, including wetlands , prairies , coastal and marine areas, and temperate, tundra , and boreal forests spread across all 50 U.S. states . It also manages thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas covering over 150,000,000 acres (61,000,000 ha). The USFWS governs six National Monuments : The USFWS shares

1054-583: The BOF having decommissioned the last one, USFS  Albatross II , in 1932; only in the late 1940s did the FWS begin to commission new research ships. Although between 1871 and 1940 the Fish Commission and BOF had never had more than three fisheries research ships in commission at the same time — and had three in commission simultaneously only in two years out of their entire combined history — by March 1950,

1116-524: The Bureau began an ongoing legacy of protecting vital natural habitat throughout the United States. In 1939, the Bureau of Biological Survey moved from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of the Interior. On June 30, 1940, the Bureau of Fisheries and the Bureau of Biological Survey were combined to form the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service . In 1956, the Fish and Wildlife Service

1178-592: The Bureau of Fisheries also assumed other duties; in 1906, the U.S. Congress assigned it the responsibility for the enforcement of fishery and fur seal -hunting regulations in the Territory of Alaska , and in 1910 for the management and harvest of northern fur seals , foxes , and other fur-bearing animals in the Pribilof Islands , as well as for the care, education, and welfare of the Aleut communities in

1240-406: The Department of Commerce on October 3, 1970, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries merged with the salt-water laboratories of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife to form today's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), an element of NOAA. The remainder of the USFWS remained in place in the Department of the Interior in 1970 as the foundation of the USFWS as it is known today, although in 1985

1302-560: The Division for 25 years and became a national figure for improving the scientific understanding of birds and mammals in the United States. In 1934, the Division of Biological Survey was reorganized as the Bureau of Biological Survey and Jay Norwood Darling was appointed its chief;. The same year, Congress passed the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (FWCA), one of the oldest federal environmental review statutes. Under Darling's guidance,

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1364-472: The FWS (from 1956 the USFWS) operated a fleet of seagoing vessels. The fleet included fisheries science research ships , fishery patrol vessels, and cargo liners . The Fish Commission operated a small fleet of research ships and fish-culture vessels. The Bureau of Fisheries inherited these in 1903, and then greatly expanded its fleet of seagoing vessels, including both patrol vessels for fishery enforcement in

1426-468: The FWS fleet included 11 seagoing fisheries research and exploratory fishing vessels either in service or under construction, and its fishery enforcement force in the Territory of Alaska included 29 patrol vessels and about 100 speedboats , as well as 20 airplanes. In the 1956 reorganization that created the USFWS, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries (BCF) assumed the responsibility within the USFWS for

1488-524: The February 1887, Baird went on leave due to "intellectual exertion". Samuel P. Langley served as Acting Secretary. Spencer Fullerton Baird died on August 19, 1887. Upon Baird's death, the Arts and Industries building was draped with a mourning cloth. John Wesley Powell spoke at Baird's funeral. Baird is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery . Baird's sparrow , a migratory bird native to Canada, Mexico and

1550-506: The Fish Commission was reorganized as the United States Bureau of Fisheries and made part of the United States Department of Commerce and Labor . When the Department of Commerce and Labor was split into the United States Department of Commerce and the United States Department of Labor in 1913, the Bureau of Fisheries was made part of the Department of Commerce. Originally focused on fisheries science and fish culture ,

1612-663: The Pribilof tender until the BCF's seagoing fleet was transferred to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), an element of NOAA, upon the creation of NOAA on October 3, 1970. Although the NMFS continued to operate the Pribilof tender until 1975, the rest of the ships were transferred from the NMFS to a unified NOAA fleet during 1972 and 1973. The modern NOAA fleet therefore traces its ancestry in part to

1674-487: The Survey, made perfectly clear their position in a paper that with the arrival of Europeans in North America, the balance of nature had been "violently overturned, never to be reestablished". He concludes with the idea that "Large predatory mammals, destructive to livestock and to game, no longer have a place in our advancing civilization." The Survey subsequently placed over 2 million poisoned bait stations across

1736-483: The Territory of Alaska and a cargo liner — known as the "Pribilof tender " — to provide transportation for passengers and haul cargo to, from, and between the Pribilof Islands. In the 1930s, the Bureau of Biological Survey operated a vessel of its own, Brown Bear . Upon its creation in 1940, the FWS inherited the BOF's fleet and Brown Bear . By 1940, no fisheries research vessels remained in commission,

1798-402: The USFWS began to incorporate the research of tribal scientists into conservation decisions. This came on the heels of Native American traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) gaining acceptance in the scientific community as a reasonable and respectable way to gain knowledge of managing the natural world. Additionally, other natural resource agencies within the United States government, such as

1860-458: The USFWS fleet operated by the BCF. Both before and after the FWS became the USFWS in 1956, ships of its fleet used the prefix "US FWS" while in commission. The BOF usually named its ships after aquatic birds, and ships the FWS inherited from the BOF in 1940 retained those names in FWS service. However, the FWS/USFWS thereafter usually named vessels it acquired after people who were notable in

1922-437: The USFWS's international responsibilities under about 40 treaties , as well as U.S. laws and regulations. It oversees programs which work with private citizens, local communities, other U.S. Government and U.S. state agencies, foreign governments, non-governmental organizations , scientific and conservation organizations, industry groups. and other interested parties on issues related to the implementation of treaties and laws and

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1984-490: The United States federal exhibits in the Centennial Exposition , many of which won awards. When the exposition ended, Baird was successful in persuading other exhibitors to contribute the objects from their exhibits to the Smithsonian. In total, Baird left with sixty-two boxcars filled with 4,000 cartons of objects. Owing to the large number of objects collected, in 1879, Congress approved construction for

2046-679: The United States, is named after him. A medium-sized shorebird known as Baird's sandpiper is also named after him. Baird Auditorium in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is named in his honor. It is located on the National Mall side of the first floor of the museum. Baird's wife, Mary, donated his stamp collection to the National Museum. His papers are held in the Smithsonian Institution Archives . In 1946, Baird

2108-565: The United States. By 1905 with funding scarce, the Survey included in its mission the eradication of wolves, coyotes and other large predators. This garnered them the support of ranchers and western legislators resulting, by 1914, in a $ 125,000 congressionally approved budget for use "on the National Forests and the public domain in destroying wolves, coyotes and other animals injurious to agriculture and animal husbandry". Meanwhile, scientists like Joseph Grinnell and Charles C. Adams,

2170-597: The Wildlife Sport Fish and Restoration Program. The vast majority of fish and wildlife habitats are on state or private land not controlled by the United States government . Therefore, the USFWS works closely with private groups such as Partners in Flight and the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council to promote voluntary habitat conservation and restoration. The Fish and Wildlife Service

2232-408: The coast. Baird used the U.S. Fish Commission to limit human impact through a compromise by prohibiting the capture of fish in traps from 6pm on Fridays until 6pm on Mondays. The Albatross research vessel was launched during his tenure, in 1882. He was highly active in developing fishing and fishery policies for the United States, and was instrumental in making Woods Hole the research venue it

2294-402: The commission sought opportunities to restock rivers with salmon and lakes with other food fish and the depletion of food fish in coastal waters. Baird reported that humans were the reason for the decline of food fish in these coastal areas. Individuals with access to shoreline property used weirs, or nets, to capture large amounts of fish on the coast, which threatened the supply of fish on

2356-403: The conservation of species around the world. The USFWS's National Conservation Training Center trains USFWS employees and those of USFWS partners in the accomplishment of the USFWS's mission. At its founding in 1896, the work of the Division of Biological Survey focused on the effect of birds in controlling agricultural pests and mapping the geographical distribution of plants and animals in

2418-504: The country, often exchanging the duplicates for specimens the Smithsonian needed. During the 1850s he described over 50 new species of reptiles , some by himself, and others with his student Charles Frédéric Girard . Their 1853 catalog of the Smithsonian's snake collection is a benchmark work in North American herpetology. Baird also was a mentor to herpetologist Robert Kennicott who died prematurely, at which point Baird left

2480-597: The field of herpetology to focus on larger projects. Eventually, he became the Assistant Secretary, serving under Joseph Henry . As assistant, Baird helped develop a publication and journal exchange, that provided scientists around the world with publications they would have a hard time accessing. He supported the work of William Stimpson , Robert Kennicott , Henry Ulke and Henry Bryant . Between his start as Assistant Secretary and 1855, he worked with Joseph Henry to provide scientific equipment and needs to

2542-547: The first National Museum building, which is now the Arts and Industries Building . Joseph Henry died on May 13, 1878 and on May 17, Baird became the second Secretary of the Smithsonian. Baird was allowed to live, rent free, in the Smithsonian Institution Building, but declined and had the east wing converted into workspace. He also had telephones installed throughout the building. That year, he

Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge - Misplaced Pages Continue

2604-652: The first U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees encountered by the public on refuges. Federal Wildlife Officers (FWO) are entrusted with protecting natural resources, visitors and employees on National Wildlife Refuge System lands. The USFWS issues an annual Federal Duck Stamp , a collectable adhesive stamp required to hunt for migratory waterfowl . It also allows access to National Wildlife Refuges without paying an admission fee. The USFWS International Affairs Program coordinates domestic and international efforts to protect, restore, and enhance wildlife and its habitats, focusing on species of international concern, fulfilling

2666-584: The former in 1840. After graduation he moved to New York City with an interest in studying medicine at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons . He returned to Carlisle two years later. He taught natural history at Dickinson starting in 1845. While at Dickinson, he did research, participated in collecting trips, did specimen exchanges with other naturalists, and traveled frequently. He married Mary Helen Churchill in 1846. In 1848, their daughter, Lucy Hunter Baird,

2728-670: The funeral of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, alongside Joseph Henry. In 1870, Baird was vacationing in Woods Hole, Massachusetts , where he developed an interest in maritime research. He went on to lead expeditions in Nova Scotia and New England . On February 25, 1871, Ulysses S. Grant appointed Baird as the first Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries for the United States Fish Commission . He served in this position until his death. With Baird as Commissioner,

2790-598: The history of fisheries and fisheries science. A partial list of ships of the FWS and USFWS fleet: In 1959, the methods used by USFWS's Animal Damage Control Program were featured in the Tom Lehrer song " Poisoning Pigeons in the Park ." Jeremy Renner plays a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service predator control specialist in the 2017 film Wind River . Spencer Fullerton Baird Spencer Fullerton Baird ( / ˈ b ɛər d / ; February 3, 1823 – August 19, 1887)

2852-553: The islands. In 1939, the Bureau of Fisheries moved from the Department of Commerce to the Department of the Interior. The other ancestor of the USFWS began as the Section of Economic Ornithology , which was established within the United States Department of Agriculture in 1885 and became the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy in 1886. In 1896 it became the Division of Biological Survey . Clinton Hart Merriam headed

2914-600: The late 1960s and early 1970s resulted in Nixon banning post- World War II -era poisons in 1972 and the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973. Also in 1972, the Nixon administration rewrote the Animal Damage Control Act, effectively repealing it in favor of turning the mission of predator control over to the states. The loss of federally fund to protect their livestock was too much for ranching and agricultural communities and by 1980 Reagan had reversed

2976-706: The management of fish , wildlife , and natural habitats in the United States. The mission of the agency is "working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people." Among the responsibilities of the USFWS are enforcing federal wildlife laws; protecting endangered species; managing migratory birds ; restoring nationally significant fisheries; conserving and restoring wildlife habitats, such as wetlands; helping foreign governments in international conservation efforts; and distributing money to fish and wildlife agencies of U.S. states through

3038-779: The northeastern and central United States. Often traveling by foot, Baird hiked more than 2,100 miles in 1842 alone. In 1850, Baird became the first curator at the Smithsonian Institution and the Permanent Secretary for the American Association for the Advancement of Science , the latter which he served for three years. Upon his arrival in Washington, he brought two railroad box cars worth of his personal collection. Baird created

3100-583: The operation of the seagoing vessels of the fleet. The USFWS continued fishery enforcement in Alaska until after Alaska became a state in January 1959, but by 1960 had turned over enforcement responsibilities and some of the associated vessels to the Government of Alaska as the latter assumed the responsibility for fishery enforcement in its waters. The USFWS continued to operate fisheries research ships and

3162-530: The poison killing ban and transferred the responsibility for predator control to the Wildlife Services program under the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service . The Program's mission has evolved to protect "agriculture, wildlife and other natural resources, property, and human health and safety". Pursuant to the eagle feather law , Title 50, Part 22 of

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3224-524: The program has worked with over 2,000 local partners to open 61,000 mi (98,000 km) of upstream habitat by removing or bypassing 3,400 aquatic barriers. The Division of Migratory Bird Management runs the Migratory Bird Program, which works with partners of the USFWS to protect, restore, and conserve bird populations and their habitats by ensuring the long-term ecological sustainability of all migratory bird populations, increasing

3286-466: The refuge has been renamed for Elizabeth S. Hartwell , a local activist sometimes named the "Eagle Lady" who fought to keep Mason Neck free of development. A handicapped accessible paved trail in the marsh is named to honor longtime Virginia state senator Joseph V. Gartlan Jr. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service . This article related to

3348-471: The responsibility for administering the Endangered Species Act of 1973 with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), an element of NOAA, with the NMFS responsible for marine species , the FWS responsible for freshwater fish and all other species, and the two organizations jointly managing species that occur in both marine and non-marine environments. The USFWS publishes the quarterly Endangered Species Bulletin . The USFWS's Fisheries Program oversees

3410-870: The socioeconomic benefit of birds, improving the experience of hunting, bird watching, and other outdoor activities related to birds, and increasing the awareness of the aesthetic, ecological , recreational and economic significance of migratory birds and their habitats. It conducts surveys; coordinates USFWS activities with those of public-private bird conservation partnerships; provides matching grants for conservation efforts involving USFWS partners; develops policies and regulations and administers conservation laws related to migratory birds; issues permits to allow individuals and organizations to participate in migratory bird conservation efforts; helps educate and engage children in wildlife conservation topics; and provides resources for parents and educators to assist them in helping children explore nature and birds. The USFWS partners with

3472-656: The time of his death. He also served as the U.S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries from 1871 to 1887 and published over 1,000 works during his lifetime. Spencer Fullerton Baird was born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1823. His mother was a member of the prominent Philadelphia Biddle family ; he was a nephew of Speaker of the Pennsylvania Senate Charles B. Penrose and a first cousin, once removed, of U.S. Senator Boies Penrose and his distinguished brothers, Richard , Spencer , and Charles . He became

3534-685: The west and by 1930 had "extirpated wolves from the Lower 48 and advised and assisted in erasing grey wolves from" Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. The Survey then turned to the eradication of coyote, coordinated through the 1931 Animal Damage Control Act . With various agency reorganizations, the practice continued more or less apace through the early 1970s but though hundreds of thousands of coyotes were killed, their extreme adaptability and resilience led to little overall population reduction and, instead, their migration into an expanded habitat, including urban areas. Increasing environmental awareness in

3596-451: Was an American naturalist , ornithologist , ichthyologist , herpetologist , and museum curator . Baird was the first curator to be named at the Smithsonian Institution . He eventually served as assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian from 1850 to 1878, and as Secretary from 1878 until 1887. He was dedicated to expanding the natural history collections of the Smithsonian which he increased from 6,000 specimens in 1850 to over 2 million by

3658-444: Was born. He was awarded a grant, in 1848, from the Smithsonian Institution to explore bone caves and the natural history of southeastern Pennsylvania . In 1849 he was given $ 75 by the Smithsonian Institution to collect, pack and transport specimens for them. It was during this time that he met Smithsonian Secretary Joseph Henry . The two became close friends and colleagues. Throughout the 1840s Baird traveled extensively throughout

3720-423: Was created in 1940 through the combination of two previous bureaus within the Department of the Interior. Its current director is Martha Williams , who was appointed by U.S. President Joe Biden on March 8, 2022. USFWS employs approximately 8,000 people and is organized into a central administrative office in Falls Church , Virginia , eight regional offices, and nearly 700 field offices distributed throughout

3782-417: Was made a member of the Order of St. Olav by the King of Sweden. In 1880 Baird was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society He oversaw the building of the new National Museum building, which opened in 1881. In September 1883, he was unanimously declared a founding member of the American Ornithologists' Union even though his duties prevented him from attending their first convention. During

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3844-461: Was reorganized as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service — which remained part of the Department of the Interior — and divided its operations into two bureaus, the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries , with the latter inheriting the history and heritage of the old U.S. Fish Commission and U.S. Bureau of Fisheries. Upon the formation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within

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