What's New at the Detroit River International Refuge?

How about a new Refuge Manager? Dan Kennedy started his new job on Feb 28, so on his Day One of Week Two I took the opportunity to have a ZOOM meeting with him to welcome him to the area and ask a few questions. Dan brings a 25-year career in wildlife management, with nearly 19 years with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in the areas of wildlife and endangered and threatened species.

He was inspired to apply for the job as Refuge Manager because of the US Fish & Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Urban Wildlife Conservation Program, which has been in existence for about a decade but only recently funded at the DRIWR. Dan noted that historically, the nation's conservation programs have focused on rural areas with large tracts of land but few people, and he is excited by the prospect of helping to connect people with nature. (Seven million people live within driving distance of the DRIWR.) With the world's population increasingly moving to cities,* the USFWS believes "Conservation in urban areas helps protect our natural heritage and provides people with access to nature that raises their quality of life."**

Dan's immediate goal is learning. He expects a steep learning curve to absorb the policies and practices of a new agency, the vast institutional and practical knowledge of the refuge staff, and the present and growing challenges including climate change and invasive species. Dan is looking forward to getting to know the refuge's partners, including its "friend" group, the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance, as well as the Grosse Ile Nature & Land Conservancy, Friends of the Detroit River, and others. He plans to connect with former Refuge Managers John Hartig on Grosse Ile and Susan White in Hawaii to learn from their experiences, and acknowledges that he is lucky to be arriving after the visitor center was completed.

Dan loves to go fishing from his kayak and went at least once a week during the depths of the pandemic to relieve stress. Originally from Midland, Michigan, Dan currently lives in Lansing. He is house-hunting in the Downriver area, and maybe the kayak launch at Sunrise Park and the fact that the free bridge is open can lure him to become a Grosse Ile neighbor! At any rate, we will be seeing Dan at some GINLC functions as he settles in, and wish him a warm welcome.

*Globally, over 50% of the population lives in urban areas today. By 2045, the world's urban population will increase by 1.5 times to 6 billion. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/overview#1

**https://www.doi.gov/urban/USFWS