Tom Melius, the Midwest regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been appointed to serve as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s representative on the Monarch Joint Venture steering committee. The steering committee is made up of representatives from ten partners who serve as the decision making body for the Joint Venture. In this role, Tom and other committee members are responsible for guiding conservation implementation across the U.S. by planning habitat conservation, education, research, and monitoring priorities of the JV and its partners. Tom’s leadership of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Midwest Region will be invaluable as we ramp up monarch conservation across the U.S.; we are excited to have him on our team. The Midwest Region includes eight states in the heart of the monarch’s range including 1.29 million acres of National Wildlife Refuges. Tom will help rally U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service efforts toward monarch conservation not only in the Midwest, but across the U.S.
Tom has served in the role of regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 2008 and has extensive prior leadership experience in the conservation field. Read his bio on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website to learn more about the expertise that Tom will bring to the MJV.