Speech: Director Steve Williams at the Region 4 Project Leader Meeting in New Orleans

March 5, 2002

Thank you, Sam, for inviting me here today and giving me this opportunity to interact with the folks who muddy their boots on a daily basis, making a difference where it matters most . . . on the ground. I also appreciate the invitation to get to know this part of the country and the resource issues you face here. I should say, though, that I did have some previous familiarity with the issues facing the region. In many respects, I was schooled on the politics of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service thanks to the southeast . . . and that was even before I was officially onboard as Director!

It is both an honor and privilege to lead the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the world's premiere fish and wildlife management agency. I proudly accept the job, yet I am humbled by the magnitude of the responsibility and by the challenges that lie ahead. I need some time to settle into my role as Director and to familiarize myself with the Service's varied and diverse programs. One of my immediate goals is to attend at least one Project Leaders Meeting in each region. It is here that I hope to hear and to learn from you. I place a high value on the work that Project Leaders do and I hope to get to know as many of you as I can.

I realize I have much to learn about the Service. However, I did come to the job with some clear ideas in mind. I see three challenges that all of us in the Service must confront together and I'd like to share them with you.

First, the Service must improve and restore its relationships with many of our existing and potential partners. States, industry, private landowners, conservation organizations, and the sportsmen and women of this country have provided the financial and political support for the major conservation successes of this nation. Our relationships with these entities have been strained and it is incumbent upon us to continue efforts to improve this relationship. Some of these traditional partners feel left behind as the conservation mission of the Service has expanded over time. Although there is no doubt that the resources of the agency have been stretched to the breaking point by Congressional mandate, public demand, and court actions, it is in our best interest to take the time to reach out to both traditional and non-traditional constituents to achieve the mission of the Service. I do not believe that we need to abandon those who first helped establish the Service, who supported the Service through the years, and who now desperately want to continue to be a part of our efforts. One only has to look at the make up of the CARE group to see that these parties continue to be effective advocates for us.

Second, the Service must restore its credibility with Congress and the public. The Service has a wonderful track record in fish and wildlife conservation. From the first National Wildlife Refuge at Pelican Island in 1903, to law enforcement efforts throughout the past century, to international migratory bird management, to Rachel Carson's work on environmental contaminants, to the more recent work with private landowners in the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. The list goes on and on.

Yet, because of recent events that have been published nationally, we are faced with serious public perception problems and questions about our credibility as a scientific-based, resource management and regulatory agency. Debates over Federal Aid reform, endangered species issues, and water-related issues have strained relationships with Congress. Please do not take these public perceptions lightly. I can assure you that many private landowners, federal and state partners, and members of the U.S. Congress have grave reservations about our ability to conduct objective science and to prescribe appropriate fish and wildlife management. I do not agree with these critics. I believe that this view is inappropriate and inaccurate. However, we must recognize that there is much work to be done to restore public faith and confidence in our ability to be an effective science-based resource management agency.

A few simple tasks will help set the foundation to improve these relationships. We must eliminate the correspondence backlog. I place a high value on timely responses to correspondence, both written and verbal. We must respond accurately and in a timely manner to Congressional and constituent requests for information. And we should strive to do it from a balanced perspective.

Communication means listening and trying to understand the message from the speaker's view. Too often, I have entered a meeting with my mind made up and never truly listened to opposing views. As I have disciplined myself to listen, I have had greater success in reaching agreements on controversial issues. This decision to try and understand opposing viewpoints is a tremendous conflict resolution skill that leads to long term success.

Coupled with communication is the need to develop skills where one looks at the big picture. I have and will ask, "If we win this battle, will we lose the war?" I will also ask, "Is the juice worth the squeeze?" This approach to contentious issues is necessary and appropriate. I remember my days as a deer biologist where I would fight tooth and nail for an issue only to lose the battle and the war. Those were hard lessons. From those experiences, I learned to adopt a more tempered approach, one that has served me well ever since.

Finally, we must demonstrate honesty and integrity. Recently the Service's integrity has been called into question. As biologists, as law enforcement officers, as refuge managers, and field staff, and as administrators, we must be honest with one another and with the public. That should go without saying. Integrity goes beyond that. If you have integrity, you are respected, and it may be frustrating to many of you, with your expertise and complete understanding of an issue, to know you are right, but to find people turning a deaf ear. The key to integrity is this: We must stop to consider not only what we intend to accomplish, but also how our actions may appear to those who already have some level of distrust. Consider their point of view, take the time to explain yourself, and make sure your actions cannot be misconstrued and used against the agency.

If we demonstrate integrity on a daily basis, we will be heard, listened to, and we will ultimately change the hearts and minds of even those who disagree or oppose us in our mission to conserve the wild resources of this nation.

The bottom line is this. The future success of the Service depends on you. The best thing the Service has going for it is its people, the finest group of dedicated fish and wildlife conservationists in the world. President George W. Bush and Secretary Gale Norton have entrusted me to lead the Service and I know we can count on their support. If we all strive to reach out to others, protect our credibility, and earn a favorable reputation through unquestionable integrity, I have no doubt we will be able to rise to any challenge and ensure that our rich wildlife heritage will be passed on to future generations.

Thank you for listening. Now, I'd like to take your questions and hear from you.