The National Wildlife Refuge Association, in conjunction with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, recently named U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Kevin Brennan as 2008 Refuge Manager of the Year. Brennan, manager of the Fergus Falls (Minnesota) Wetland Management District, accepted his award at a ceremony on March 27 in Phoenix, Ariz. 

The organizations, both nonprofits that partner with the Service in fish and wildlife conservation, honored Brennan for his achievements during his 34-year-career with the Service.  “I was somewhat overwhelmed to receive this award,” Brennan said.  “But, I also realize that I received this award thanks to the support of my family and all the dedicated and supportive people at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service I’ve had the pleasure of working with during my career.”

As manager at the Fergus Falls WMD, Brennan manages 218 waterfowl-production areas covering more than 44,000 acres in five counties.  During his career Brennan has been able to permanently protect more than 17,000 acres of wetlands and grasslands in the Fergus Falls WMD area.  “It is rewarding to think that we played some part in ensuring that future generations will have the opportunity to see a flight of ducks rise from a wetland and fly over native prairies,” he said.

In addition to protecting and managing habitat to preserve wildlife, Brennan has also made helping children share his love of wildlife a priority throughout his career. Brennan, in cooperation with many local individuals, helped establish the Fergus Falls Prairie Wetlands Learning Center.  The center is the Refuge System’s only residential education facility and is home to the one-of-a-kind prairie-science class.  The prairie-science class brings Fergus Falls School District students out on the landscape every day and incorporates math, science and other studies into real-world situations.

A native of Hillsboro, N.D., Brennan graduated from the University of North Dakota with at bachelor’s degree in Fish and Wildlife Management.  He began his career with the Service at Devils Lakes Wetland Management District.  Brennan also worked at Kirwin (Kansas); J. Clark Salyer (North Dakota); and Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuges (Nebraska). He moved to his current position at Fergus Falls in 1986.

Brennan said he has seen many positive changes in the management of waterfowl and wildlife during his years with the Service.  “The realization that private landowners can have such a positive impact on wildlife populations and water quality has been very significant,” he said.  “We no longer just focus on individual parcels of land; we have to work at a landscape level.”

Another significant change has been the understanding that natural processes are resilient.  “When I started my career, if a wetland had been drained, we were discouraged from restoring and protecting it,” Brennan said.  “We now know that if you break a drain tile and properly treat and manage the surrounding uplands, a drained wetland basin and its associated uplands will have significant wildlife and ecological value again in just a few years.”

Brennan said what he’s seen during his career, and what he sees in children’s faces at the center, has made him thankful for what the National Wildlife Refuge System has done and optimistic about the future.  “After 34 years I still love to get up in the morning and go to work; so I’m not planning to leave anytime soon,” he said.  “But I also know that whenever I do decide to move onto my next challenge, the Prairie Pothole Region will be in good hands.”

For more information on the work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the people that make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov.

For more information on National Wildlife Refuges in the Midwest, visit http://midwest.fws.gov/refuges