Williams Brings Strong Record of Conservation Leadership and Management

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Washington, DC – Last night, the United States Senate confirmed Martha Williams as director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Williams previously served as the Department of the Interior’s deputy solicitor for parks and wildlife from 2013 to 2017, and most recently as deputy director of the USFWS.

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Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn issued the following statement applauding the confirmation of Director Martha Williams:

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“The confirmation of Martha Williams as director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ushers in a new age of leadership and responsibility as partners throughout the nation strive to meet the Biden Administration’s nationwide conservation goal to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

“Chesapeake Conservancy has been proud to work with the USFWS in expanding National Wildlife Refuges in the Chesapeake Bay region, including Blackwater NWR, James River NWR and Rappahannock River Valley NWR.

“We look forward to working with Director Williams on land conservation priorities in the Chesapeake, including key parcels of land for the Rappahannock River Valley NWR, especially Fones Cliffs, which are important both to The Rappahannock Tribe and to the wildlife that call the Rappahannock home.

“Further creation and future protection of national wildlife refuges in the Chesapeake Bay watershed will also help advance Chesapeake Conservancy’s 30x30 initiative, which aims to protect 30% of the Chesapeake Bay watershed by 2030, in accordance with President Biden’s ‘America the Beautiful’ initiative.

“Chesapeake Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have achieved great success, and we are eager to further support Director Williams and the agency’s role in conserving land for the benefit of wildlife and our communities.”