Salazar Applauds Legislation Naming Mississippi Refuge After Sam Hamilton

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today praised President Obama for signing into law legislation to change the name of Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Mississippi to the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, in honor of the late director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“It is fitting that Sam's distinguished career and extraordinary contributions to wildlife conservation – and especially the National Wildlife Refuge System – will be honored by this tribute,” Secretary Salazar said. “Sam Hamilton first fell in love with fish and wildlife at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge where he started working at age 15 for the Youth Conservation Corps. It is fitting that now that same refuge will carry his name so that his great conservation legacy will live on.”

The legislation to rename the refuge was sponsored by Rep. Gregg Harper in the U.S. House of Representatives and Sen. Thad Cochran in the U.S Senate. President Obama signed the legislation into law yesterday.

Hamilton was sworn in as the 15th director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in September, 2009 and was serving in that capacity when he died suddenly in February, 2010.

A 30-year career employee of the Service, he previously had served in a variety of positions, including regional director of the Southeast Region, where he was instrumental in the extensive recovery and restoration efforts required following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the Interior Department's restoration work in the Everglades.

Established in 1940, the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge is located within the three Mississippi counties of Noxubee, Oktibbeha and Winston. Its 42,500 acres of bottomland and upland woodlands provide essential habitat to the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, the American alligator, bobcat, quail, white-tailed deer and wild turkeys. In addition 15,000 waterfowl, primarily American widgeons, gadwalls, mallards and wood ducks, winter on the Refuge.

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