Connecting FWS Retirees and FWS Friends Groups

There are lots of ways that FWS Retirees Association might intersect with Refuge and Hatchery Friends - click here for some ideas.

The History Committee
--  and birth of the Retirees Association

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is one of the world’s oldest conservation agencies with its history being traced to approximately 1871.  Despite that prominence and long history, there was no systematic and sustained effort to document, collect and preserve important aspects of the Service’s rich history.  In 1996 the Service embarked on a bold initiative to preserve its past and protect its future.  The completion of the National Conservation Training Center  (NCTC) and its world’s class museum and archives, provided the Service with the means to begin the process of developing national collections of materials important to the history of the Service. To guide the process, the Service formally established the Heritage Committee in 1998.   This core group was chartered to identify, propose, and implement projects and programs designed to ensure that the rich history of the Service is preserved, protected, and shared with others. In 2021 the name of that committee was changed to the History Committee (https://www.fws.gov/node/268102). The Committee is chaired by a Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) or Deputy Regional Director (DRD) and with support from staff at NCTC.  The 11-member committee consists of a current employee or FWS retiree representatives from each Region to serve at the pleasure of the Regional Director for a  three-year term. Current (as of August 2021) membership of the Committee can be found here.
The focus of the Committee is to help guide an orderly process to foster:

• Understanding and appreciation of the Service’s unique history and values in natural resource conservation; as a source of pride and motivation for Service employees; and as a context for future FWS policy and action.
• Involvement and engagement of present and past employees in the heritage of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Preservation and use of important historical treasures, documents, objects and information to educate Service employees and the public.
• Preservation of the “people connections” of past and present employees.

It became instantly clear that the recognition and involvement of its past career employees would be a critical part of this process. With this clear mandate, the Association of Retired Fish and Wildlife Service Employees (AKA the Retirees Association) was formed. In 1999 the Association was chartered as a 501[c](3) non-profit organization. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was developed between the Retirees Association and the FWS that defines how they work together and provides the basis for grants that the Retirees Association receives from the FWS.  The current version of the MOA can be found here. There are currently over 2,400 (plus spouses) on the membership list maintained by the Association in a secure database.

Other History Committee actions established the:

• Fallen Comrades Memorial. A memorial was established at the NCTC as a tribute to our fellow Service employees who have given their lives in the line of duty.  It was dedicated in 1999 and can be viewed here.

• Museum Collection. The National Conservation Training Centerand D. C.  Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery (http://www.fws.gov/dcbooth/)  encourages contributions to further the extensive archival collection of historical artifacts, documents and photos now preserved in the Service’s state-of-the-art museum and storage space.  This material serves as a basis for creating displays showcasing the history of conservation in America, all made possible by the oversight of an on-staff Historian and Museum Curator.

• Oral History Project. In 1999, the Committee began documenting the living history of the life and times of retired peers and former colleagues to assure that their history, institutional knowledge, and memories are not discarded or forgotten by the making of digital recordings.  Over 700 have been collected and transcribed so far and are available in a searchable database here. 

• Conservation History Journal.  The FWS, with the assistance of the History Committee, established the Conservation Journal, an online publication focusing on the history of conservation.

All Retirees are invited to assist the History Committee by donating important equipment or photos to the museum archives and by helping to collect oral histories of former colleagues. Let a Board member know your interests or check the appropriate box when you renew your membership.