Plenert Retiring

Marvin L. Plenert, a representative to the California Executive Council on Biological Diversity since its creation, will retire as regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on July 3 after five-and-a-half years of managing plant and animal resources in a six-state area from Canada to Mexico.

His successor is Michael J. Spear, assistant director for Ecological Services in Washington, D.C. Spear previously served as regional director in the Southwest.

During Plenert's tenure in the Pacific region, several individual species, including the Northern Spotted Owl, coho salmon, and the California Gnatcatcher became the focus of broad ecosystem challenges.

Thomas J. Dwyer, a specialist in migratory birds and the operation of the National Wildlife Refuge System, was named deputy regional director in May.