Sam Hamilton: Conservationist and patriot

I visited Sam Hamilton in his office at the Department of the Interior in October to interview him for a story for Mississippi State's Alumnus magazine. Sitting in the magazine's planning meeting, I didn’t know much about him besides his recent nomination by President Obama to serve as director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and that he was a MSU alumnus.

After interviews with his family, colleagues, government officials and others affected by this man's work, I felt honored to write a story about Mr. Hamilton, an American patriot who dedicated his life to improving our nation’s natural resources.

From his childhood growing up in Starkville, he developed a love for the outdoors, spending time at the nearby Noxubee Wildlife Refuge. He learned that we must appreciate and conserve the wilderness if we want generations after us to experience this part of the American experience.

From his office high in the Department of the Interior, Mr. Hamilton never forgot the mission of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the impact it has on families and communities.

Mr. Hamilton inspired people all across the nation to be a part of something larger than himself. His life was proof that someone from Starkville, Mississippi, can make a difference on local, regional and national policy issues. After leaving his office, I wandered through Washington, D.C., for a while, on my way to meet a friend in the Capitol. As I walked I kept thinking about Hamilton’s path in life. His is one of those stories that helps all of us realize we can achieve our dreams if we set our sites high and stay focuses.

Last night I saw a tweet last night with news of Mr. Hamilton’s death. He was skiing in Colorado when he felt chest pains. Read the Associated Press' obituary for him here.

Just two weeks ago, I mailed a package of copies of the Mississippi State Alumnus magazine with his article in it. I wrote him a short letter thanking him for taking time to visit with me in Washington, D.C. I thanked him for sharing experiences from his life and informing me about his goals for the Fish and Wildlife Service. I ended by thanking him for his service to our nation.

His sister works at MSU in the College of Veterinary Medicine and one of his sons is a student at the university. Sam’s mother died just before Sam was confirmed to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

God bless you Mr. Sam Hamilton.

Below is the article from the Winter 2010 Alumnus magazine, which begins in page 10:

Protecting and preserving our natural resources

By Robbie S. Ward

Walk into Sam Hamilton’s office inside the U.S. Department of the Interior and you’ll see a carving of a maroon bulldog sitting on his coffee table. The small statue rests beside a book about Mississippi State—a place Hamilton calls home.

The maroon bulldog reminds the Starkville native of family and opportunities. His father, a World War II fighter pilot, was commander of the Air Force ROTC program at MSU. Growing up in Starkville, Hamilton spent lots of time in the outdoors, particularly at the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge a few miles south of the city and university.

His family is filled with Bulldogs. His two brothers and sister all graduated from MSU, and one of his sons attends the university now. At Starkville and Mississippi State, Hamilton discovered his love for the outdoors and everything it offers. He has spent much of his life enjoying the outdoors and three decades working to preserve and enhance it so the rest of the nation can have opportunities as rich as his.

Hamilton recalls catching his first fish. He was five years old and with his dad at Noxubee Refuge. He spent much time there during his teenage years, learning to band wood ducks and Canada geese, build waterfowl pens, and to understand the importance of wildlife management. More than four decades later, he still loves to fish and spend time at the nation’s wildlife refuges.

“Our national refuges provide some of the richest experiences this country has to offer,” he said. “Some of my best memories of growing up are fishing and hunting with friends.”

Hamilton will continue to devote his life to making sure wildlife continues to be a part of the American experience. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama nominated the 1977 Mississippi State graduate to serve as director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, a key office in the Department of the Interior. In this position, Hamilton has administrative duties over the National Wildlife Refuge system, the Migratory Birds Program, National Fish Hatchery System, Endangered Species Program, and the service’s Office of Law Enforcement.

“Visionary” and “innovative” are words that have been used to describe his leadership at the Fish and Wildlife Service. Elected officials on both sides of the partisan aisle agree that Hamilton brings experiences, judgment and vision to his position. He is known for the use of sound science and collaborative efforts to solve challenges.

U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., said during testimony for Hamilton’s confirmation hearing during this past summer that Hamilton understands the role of states working with the federal government in conserving the nation’s wildlife resources. Cochran pointed to Hamilton’s experience for more than a decade as the Southeast regional director of the FWS. During that time, he handled some of the toughest and most significant conservation challenges, including the restoration of the Florida Everglades and coastal Louisiana.

“Mr. Hamilton and I both believe that abundant wildlife and healthy outdoor environments are very important resources to our nation,” Cochran said. “We must coordinate government activities with private landowners to preserve lands managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service for the benefit of future generations.”

Respect for Hamilton’s background and career in the FWS also spreads throughout the organization. Hamilton said that a background as a career service employee with the FWS helps him understand the caliber of biologists, researchers and other wildlife professionals involved in the service. Cindy Dohner, now director for the Southeast region, said Hamilton’s approach to working on key issues, innovative conservation partnerships and leadership style make him the right choice to lead the FWS.

“His conservation policy is that the service must work with partners,” Dohner said. “It’s not the service dictating—it’s a shared partnership.”

One key point that Hamilton emphasizes is his commitment to using the best science available to make decisions related to the FWS, from determining when to place animals on or remove them from the endangered species list.

“This science-driven, strategic, big-picture approach implies partnership and is particularly important since it takes into account the dimensions of the threats that now exist to the sustainability of our fish and wildlife resources,” Hamilton said.

Climate change is the transformational conservation challenge of our time, Hamilton said, “not only because of its direct effects, but also because of its influence on all of the other stressors of our wildlife resources,” he said.

In the spirit of collaboration and partnership, Hamilton also has worked with energy companies and NGOs on issues related to climate change. He has worked on carbon sequestration programs, among others, to help limit global warming that affects habitats. During his tenure as the director for FWS’s Southeast region, Hamilton helped lead efforts to restore more than 80,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests, much of it on National Wildlife Refuge System lands. These techniques, which will sequester an estimated 33 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere during the next decade, restore or improve habitat, directly benefiting fish and wildlife.

While Hamilton enjoys discussing the value of nature, he has found himself in difficult situations in his job. While state administrator in Texas for the FWS, he worked to protect habitat for the golden-cheeked warbler, a bird listed on the federal Endangered Species Act.

“Sometimes, people can get really emotional about these kinds of issues,” Hamilton said. “But, usually, when you bring everyone to the table, people want to work together.”

Hamilton’s belief in having everyone work together helped change the tone of discussion in Florida when he encouraged greater partnerships and information sharing with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other conservation partners interested in helping save manatees, which were decreasing in numbers and habitat in Florida. People involved in the discussions said the tone and tenor of the conversation changed when Hamilton spearheaded efforts for collaboration.

Now, back to Hamilton’s office at the Department of the Interior. Perched at one of his windows, a couple of redcockaded woodpecker carvings enjoy the view. Hamilton’s work affects the entire nation through policies of the FWS, but he only has to look at the painted woodpeckers to know that the decisions made in his office will determine the quality of our natural resources for future generations.

“This is as much of the American experience as anything I can think of,” he said.


WILD9 - Sam Hamilton (English) from The WILD Foundation on Vimeo.