The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees 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."
Patricia Lynn Scarlett is an American government official,environmental policy executive and analyst who served as United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 2005 until 2009. She is a frequent commentator on environmental issues.
Will Shafroth is a conservationist and outdoor recreation enthusiast whose professional career has been in preservation and protection of public lands. Since July 2015,Shafroth has served as President and CEO of the National Park Foundation.
The Director of the National Park Service of the United States is nominated by the President and requires a Senate confirmation. The incumbent is Charles F. Sams III,who was sworn in by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on December 16,2021.
The environmental policy of the first Donald Trump administration represented a shift from the policy priorities and goals of the preceding Barack Obama administration. Where President Obama's environmental agenda prioritized the reduction of carbon emissions through the use of renewable energy with the goal of conserving the environment for future generations,the Trump administration policy was for the US to attain energy independence based on fossil fuel use and to rescind many environmental regulations. By the end of Trump's term,his administration had rolled back 98 environmental rules and regulations,leaving an additional 14 rollbacks still in progress. As of early 2021,the Biden administration was making a public accounting of regulatory decisions under the Trump administration that had been influenced by politics rather than science.
David Longly Bernhardt is an American lawyer who served as the 53rd United States Secretary of the Interior from 2019 to 2021 in the administration of Donald Trump. He previously was a shareholder at the Colorado law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck,where he was an oil and energy industry lobbyist and natural resources attorney. He began working for the United States Department of the Interior (DOI) in 2001,and served as the department's solicitor from 2006 to 2009 and deputy secretary from 2017 to 2019.
Andrew R. Wheeler is an American attorney who served as the 15th administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2019 to 2021. He served as the deputy administrator from April to July 2018,and served as the acting administrator from July 2018 to February 2019. He has been a senior advisor to Governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin since March 2022. He previously worked in the law firm Faegre Baker Daniels,representing coal magnate Robert E. Murray and lobbying against the Obama administration's environmental regulations. Wheeler served as chief counsel to the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and to the chairman U.S. senator James Inhofe,prominent for his rejection of climate change. Wheeler is a critic of limits on greenhouse gas emissions and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks is appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. The Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks reports to the United States Secretary of the Interior,who is the head of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks has the direct responsibility for programs associated with the management and conservation of natural resources,including the National Park Service,Fish and Wildlife Service,Air Resources Division,American Indian Liaison Office,Geological Resources Division,and the Water Resources Division.
William Perry Pendley is an American attorney,conservative activist,political commentator,and government official who served as the acting director of the Bureau of Land Management from 2019 to 2021.
Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto is an American attorney,businesswoman,and biologist who served as the director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service from 2019 to 2021. She was confirmed by the Senate as director on December 12,2019,by a 52–39 vote,and is the first black director of the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Raymond David Vela is a parks administrator who is the former acting director of the United States National Park Service.
P. Daniel Smith is a longtime United States government administrator who is a former acting director of the U.S. National Park Service in the first Trump administration.
The Great American Outdoors Act is a piece of legislation passed by the United States Congress,signed by President Donald J. Trump,and activated into Public Law in 2020. It has two major components:fully and permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at $900 million per year,and providing $9.5 billion over five years to address a maintenance backlog at American national parks,including updating facilities to increase accessibility for the general public. The Associated Press wrote that it would be "the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century."
Mamie Parker is an American biologist,conservationist,executive coach,facilitator,and inspirational speaker from Wilmot,Arkansas. She holds a PhD in limnology from the University of Wisconsin and spent 30 years with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in a variety of positions in Wisconsin,Minnesota,Missouri,Georgia,and Washington,D.C. Highly regarded as a pioneer in the field,she was the first Black woman to serve as the assistant director of Fisheries and Habitat Conservation and the first African American to lead a USFWS regional office when she served as the Northeast Service Regional Director,covering 13 northeastern states. She also served as USFWS Chief of Staff and Chief of Fisheries. She received the US government's highest honor for career service employees for her accomplishments,the Presidential Rank Meritorious Service Award,and in 2005 was the first African American inducted into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame. Since retiring from USFWS,she has worked as an executive leadership coach,inspirational speaker,and environmental consultant with Ma Parker and Associates and EcoLogix Group,Inc. She is on the board of directors of the National Wildlife Federation,Chesapeake Bay Foundation,Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment,The Nature Conservancy-Virginia Chapter,American University School of Public Affairs,Ducks Unlimited,and the Student Conservation Association. Throughout her career she has worked to advance diversity and opportunities for minority students in conservation and fisheries careers;in 2016 she was awarded the Emmeline Moore Prize from the American Fisheries Society for these efforts.
Rhea Suh is a former government official who served as Assistant Secretary for Policy,Management and Budget of the United States Department of the Interior from 2009 to 2014 and president of the Natural Resources Defense Council from 2015 to 2019.
Rachel Jacobson is an American attorney and government official who is the assistant secretary of the Army for installations,energy and environment in the Biden administration.
