Below is a press release from The Nature Conservancy:
WHO: Alex Littlejohn, State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Mississippi.
WHAT: United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has appointed Littlejohn to the North American Wetlands Conservation Council and the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Advisory Group.
WHY: As a member of these groups, Littlejohn will support the President’s commitment to the stewardship of America’s natural resources.
WHAT: The Council and Advisory Group oversee grant programs awarded through the North American Wetland Conservation Act and Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act.
The United States Secretary of the Interior, Secretary Deb Haaland, has appointed Alex Littlejohn to the North American Wetlands Conservation Council and the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Advisory Group. As a member of these groups, Littlejohn will support the President’s commitment to the stewardship of America’s natural
resources. Internationally, these advisory bodies have an important role in leading and encouraging public-private partnerships to conserve North America’s wetland ecosystems and other habitats for migrating birds and other fish and wildlife.
The Council and Advisory Group oversee grant programs awarded through the North American Wetland Conservation Act and Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act. These programs aim to increase bird populations and wetland habitat, while supporting local economies and American traditions such as hunting, fishing, bird watching, family farming, and cattle ranching. They are also designed to promote long-term conservation through a competitive grants program by promoting partnerships and local conservation efforts and achieving habitat protection in 36 countries. Since 1989 these programs have funded over $2 billion in grants, leveraged an additional $4 billion in funding from 6,600 partnering groups, and implemented 3,200 projects that have impacted over 31 million acres of habitat.
In Mississippi 19 NAWCA projects are either completed or underway. These projects have conserved 74,481 acres of wildlife habitat with NAWCA funding totaling more than $13.5
million and stimulated partner contributions of over $41.3 million.
“It’s truly an honor to receive this appointment from Secretary Haaland. Many of the areas I enjoyed hunting with my dad as a kid, and continue to enjoy now, have been impacted or made possible through investments made in wetland conservation by these very programs. It was those experiences years ago that led to my career in conservation and it’s humbling to know that I’ll now be able to take these experiences and use them to represent the Nature Conservancy in this new capacity.”
“We are so proud that Alex has been appointed to represent TNC on the NAWCA Council composed of many valued partners in conservation. He is well qualified to contribute to conserving North America’s migratory waterfowl and wetland habitats that are important to people and nature,” Michael Lipford, Southern U.S. Division Director.
Alex Littlejohn currently serves as the State Director of the Nature Conservancy’s Mississippi Chapter. He is a former graduate of Mississippi State University, where he received both a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife & Forest Management and a master’s degree in Wetland Ecology. He also serves on the Conservancy’s Southern Division Leadership Team and is an integral member of the organization’s cross-border teams for the Mississippi River Basin, Gulf of Mexico, and Longleaf Pine whole systems.
