The Boone and Crockett Club today endorsed the nomination of Aurelia Skipwith as the new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director. Skipwith, an attorney and scientist, currently serves as deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife, and parks at the U.S. Department of the Interior.

"This is a critical appointment because our fish and wildlife are critical natural resources to our nation," said Paul Phillips, co-chairman of the Club's Conservation Policy Committee.  "This might be stating the obvious, but the challenges facing our fish and wildlife require a deeper dive than what just lies on the surface. Skipwith has proven she has the knowledge, experience, and energy to not just maintain, but enhance these resources for all Americans."

"The Boone and Crockett Club has had a close relationship with the Fish and Wildlife Service dating back to 1905 when it was named the Bureau of Biological Survey," explained James L. Cummins, also a co-chairman of the Boone and Crockett Club's Conservation Policy Committee.  "This was part of our founder, Theodore Roosevelt's strategy for wildlife conservation, the establishment of expert agencies."

The Bureau of Biological Survey was one of the nation's first conservation and management agencies. In addition to studying birds and mammals, the Survey's responsibilities included managing the nation's first wildlife refuges, controlling predators, enforcing wildlife laws, and conserving dwindling populations of migratory birds. The Bureaus of Fisheries and Biological Survey were transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1939. In 1940, they were combined and named the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

"I have had the privilege of working with Ms. Skipwith in her current capacity at the Department of the Interior," Cummins added. "The nation is fortunate to be the beneficiary of her service."