Calif. wildlife manager to lead Mississippi refuge

MADISON, Wis. - A veteran California wildlife manager will take over the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Kevin Foerster currently manages the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, a collection of five refuges and three wildlife-management areas about 90 miles north of Sacramento. The complex includes more than 35,000 acres of wetlands in the Sacramento Valley.

He replaces Don Hultman, who managed the Mississippi refuge from 2002 until he retired in June. Foerster is scheduled to start the job in Winona, Minn., on Nov. 9.

"I am really looking forward to working at Upper Miss Refuge," Foerster said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "It is one of the crown jewels of the Refuge System with a professional staff that has earned an excellent reputation of working with others."

Foerster served as manager of the Sacramento refuge complex for a decade. He has worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 22 years, including stints at the San Francisco Bay and Humboldt Bay national refuges. He graduated from the service's advanced leadership development program.

The Mississippi refuge stretches from Wabasha, Minn., to Rock Island, Ill., encompassing 240,000 acres of wooded islands, marshes and backwaters.

Foerster will inherit a number of issues.

A new 365-kilovolt power line is planned that will cross the refuge at either Winona, La Crescent, Minn., or Alma, Wis., said acting refuge manager Rick Frietsche. The refuge also is involved in the replacement of the Interstate 90 bridge over the Mississippi at Dresbach, Minn., implementation of a new refuge management plan, and island building.