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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 3, 2005 Refuge’s Lowe gets high marks Overseer of complex on the Oregon Coast earns national honor By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune The Oregon man in charge of protecting the 1,862 rocks, reefs and islands that make up part of the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex has been recognized for his work. Refuge complex manager Roy Lowe was named national wildlife refuge manager of the year by two nonprofit conservation organizations involved in refuge expansion and protection. Lowe is the first West Coast refuge manager to win the award in the decade since the two organizations — the National Wildlife Refuge Association and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation — started the program. Lowe, 52, started as the coastal refuge’s first employee 20 years ago and became its manager in 1999 when the complex was split from the Willamette refuges and became its own entity. Now he oversees 3,295 acres in six refuges from Tillamook Head south to the California border —including the coast’s unique collection of postcard-quality rocks known more for their beauty than their function. Advertisement These rocks are protected habitat for 1.2 million nesting seabirds annually, said Lowe, who is based in Newport. That population of birds — such as tufted puffins, common murres, guillemots, and both Brandt’s and pelagic cormorants — accounts for more than half of the seabirds nesting from Canada to Mexico. The islands, rocks and reefs are extremely susceptible to human disturbance and are closed to the public year-round. Boaters are requested to stay 500 feet away from them, and aircraft are requested to fly no closer than 2,000 feet over them and not within a half-mile laterally of them. "We’re the regional center for nesting seabirds," Lowe said. "It’s been a big outreach effort, trying to inform the public about their sensitivity. "When you have a mainland refuge with a fence and a sign, it’s easy for people to understand that," Lowe said. The manager of the year award is one of two national awards handed out jointly by the two organizations. This year’s Refuge System Employee of the Year award goes to Laura Brandt, a wildlife biologist helping restore the Greater Everglades ecosystem in Florida. Both awards will be presented during the 70th annual North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference held March 16-19 in Arlington, Va. In Lowe’s tenure, the refuge complex has acquired about 2,100 acres of the roughly 2,500 mainland acres of the complex — mostly from private lands. Bob Fields, the NWRA’s vice chair from Beaverton, said many of those acquisitions were done "in an environment not conducive to federal activities." Russ Pinto, a former Nature Conservancy employee in Portland, said Lowe is effective at helping private landowners understand and appreciate habitat conservation on newly acquired federal lands. "Roy’s been able to work through that and he’s done it, in the most appropriate way — he does it with science," said Pinto, who wrote a letter supporting Lowe’s nomination. "He knows science and he’s able to explain it in layman’s terms," Pinto said. "That’s a terrific talent." The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation was formed by Congress in 1984 to help conserve fish, wildlife, plants and the habitat on which they depend. The foundation awards grants that help leverage federal funds for conservation projects. The NWRA is the only nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to protecting and enhancing the national wildlife refuge system. It was formed in 1975. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s