The New Manager at the Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge

The new manager of the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge officially took charge on November 2006. He is John Kasbohm, a man with a wide range of experience with wildlife and facing several management challenges. Graduate study ranging from bugs to bears eventually brought him to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Kasbohm's last assignment was as Assistant Manger of the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Refuge near Crystal River where the Whooping Cranes over winter.

Dr. John Kasbohm, Manager of the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.

The primary concerns at the Lower Suwannee refuge are restoring long-leaf pine and protecting the seabird nesting on islands near Cedar Key. The managerial challenges include filling several vacant positions on the refuge staff and facing a flat budget while costs increase.

Kasbohm, more properly Dr. Kasbohm, earned a doctor degree at Virginia Tech where he studied black bear ecology. His experience with bears led to additional research on the endangered Florida Panther. At the Chassahowitzka refuge he gained experience with another endangered species, the Whooping Crane. His enthusiasm for the very successful crane project was apparent when he mentioned the recent arrival of the first offspring of cranes reared in the crane recovery program.