Interior Secretary Gale Norton today applauded the Senate's confirmation of H. Dale Hall to be director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"Dale Hall is an exceptional biologist with vast experience managing our nation's fish and wildlife resources, from the Everglades to the old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest to the high desert of the Southwest," Norton said. "He will be an outstanding director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as we seek more effective ways to conserve and restore our nation's fish and wildlife and their habitat."

Hall replaces Steve Williams, who resigned to become president of the Wildlife Management Institute. Matt Hogan, the Service's deputy director, has been acting as director during the confirmation process.

A 27-year career employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hall has served in Albuquerque, N.M. as the Southwest Regional Director since 2001.

During his tenure as regional director, Hall helped in bringing consensus to the Multi-Species Conservation Plan for the Lower Colorado River. That plan is a 50-year conservation initiative that provides more than $620 million in federal and local funding to protect fish and wildlife along 400 miles of the lower Colorado River, while meeting the needs of farmers, tribes, industries and urban residents who rely on the river for water and power supplies.

Hall's experience includes a term as Deputy Regional Director in Atlanta, Ga. and one as Assistant Regional Director for Ecological Services in Portland, Ore. He started his career with the Service in 1978 when he did field work in wetlands ecology in Vicksburg, Miss. He continued in ecological services in Galveston and Houston where he worked as Outer Continental Shelf Coordinator with responsibility to work with Minerals Management Service to protect sensitive areas in the Western Gulf of Mexico. He was also the office supervisor in Texas for four years. Along the career path he worked as Deputy Assistant Director for Fisheries in Washington, D.C.

A native of Harlan, Ky., Hall served in the Philippines and Italy during his stint with the U.S. Air Force. Hall also has private sector experience having managed catfish farms in the Mississippi Delta after returning to civilian life. His education includes a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Cumberland College in Kentucky and a master's in fisheries science from Louisiana State University.

Hall has been honored with the Department of the Interior's Meritorious Service Award. He and his wife, Sarah, have three children.