Judy Camuso, Commissioner for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, is certainly making a name for herself beyond the bridge in Kittery.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland recently announced that Camuso was appointed to the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, the first person from Maine to ever serve on the international council.

V. Paul Reynolds, Outdoors Columnist

The North American Wetlands Conservation Council protects, restores and enhances wetland habitat for birds and other species. Since 1989, the council has provided over $2 billion in grants for over 3,000 projects in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The grants have attracted over $4.1 billion in matching funds, protecting or enhancing over 31-million acres of wetlands and connected uplands.

Good for Commissioner Camuso!

Camuso’s appointment to the council comes soon after being named vice chair of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. She also serves as chair of AFWA’s North American Bird Conservation Initiative, vice chair of the National Conservation Leadership Institute, and is vice president of the North East Association of Fish and Wildlife agencies.

These national leadership positions can put Camuso on a personal vocational path to bigger things. It also nurtures networking opportunities that can deliver benefits for Maine.

For example, the council Camuso has served on over the past five years has awarded Maine $15,499,725 in funds from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, which was matched by $59,074,347. Since 2018, this program has protected 137,123 acres in Maine, including large parcels of land along the Kennebec and Narraguagus rivers, and significant coastal wetlands in central and Downeast Maine.

The outdoor community has reason to be pleased that our Fisheries and Wildlife leader is deemed worthy by her professional contemporaries at the national level. She is getting national exposure, not only for herself, but for the state she represents.

May she find the wisdom and the good sense to strike a balance between her extra-curricular commitments and her important job here at home.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal, an author, a Maine guide and host of a weekly radio program, “Maine Outdoors,” heard at 7 p.m. Sundays on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. Contact him at vpaulr@tds.net.