A refuge manager who started her Fish and Wildlife Service career near her hometown along the U.S.-Mexico border now has much more turf to tend.
As the new chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System’s Pacific Region, Juliette Fernandez will oversee 67 refuges, four marine national monuments and one national monument.
“The Pacific Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is home to some of the world’s most extraordinary natural resources and wildlife, stretching from the Mariana Trench to the Great Basin,” Hugh Morrison, the region’s acting director, said in a statement.
Morrison added that Fernandez’s “exceptional leadership abilities, deep expertise in natural resource management, and commitment to fostering inclusive partnerships” will serve her well in the region that spans Hawaii; Idaho; Oregon; Washington; and the Pacific Islands, which include America Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.