“If we want more than raccoons, possums, and pigeons, then we need to make choices and think about how those choices fit into the modern landscape,” said Ashe, addressing attendees in Kane Hall. “We’ve got to think differently about how we interact with nature because we are increasingly disconnected from the natural world.”

A graduate of the , Ashe said he tries to promote a give-and-take, pragmatic approach to managing wildlife resources. He cut his teeth in politics on Capitol Hill, going to Washington, D.C. initially in 1982 through a National Sea Grant fellowship.

Ashe continued working for Congress for more than a decade as staff on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries subcommittee in the House of Representatives, where he said he learned the importance of compromise and incorporating multiple perspectives toward problem solving.  He tries to bring this same leadership to the service where he works with diverse groups including industry, tribes, non-profits and land owners to find solutions to wildlife management in a time of rapidly changing demographics, economic conditions and societal values.

Ashe credits much of his success from the lessons he learned from the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs.

“My time at SMEA let me branch out from biology into economics and law and helped me be successful,” he said. Ashe studied estuarine mitigation while at the UW. His advice to students, “Be experts, but be free of the intellectual stovepipes to think across boundaries.”

“It was great to have Dan back on campus,” said , dean of the . “I am inspired by his leadership and approach not only with respect to the conservation of wildlife, but in his appreciation of the complexity of managing nature in a crowded, urbanizing, diverse nation.”

While on campus Ashe met with both students and faculty, sharing perspectives about how to manage wildlife in the face of climate change, effective ways to engage with policymakers, and the importance of enjoying our public lands as much as we can, whether in the wilderness or in the neighborhood park.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has long been an extension of Ashe’s family.  His father is a 37-year veteran of the service, and Ashe himself has been with the organization since the early 1990s.  Prior to being appointed director by President Obama in 2011, he served as the agency’s deputy director and chief science adviser.  He also served as chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

The annual ‘s lecture features , director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and alum of the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. He’ll talk about how a networked approach to conservation can ensure the sustainability of North America’s land, water, wildlife and cultural resources.

The lecture will be 7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 3, in Kane Hall 120. It is free and open to everyone with advance requested.

Ashe was confirmed in 2011 as the 16th director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the nation’s principal federal agency dedicated to the conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats. He previously served as deputy director for policy and as science advisor to the director.

UW Rideshare options in face of Metro bus route cuts
Saturday marked the end of King County Metro Transit’s Ride Free Area downtown and launched what some have called Metro’s most sweeping service changes in history.  The U District, for example, no longer has Metro routes 133, 45 and 46, three direct-to-UW services that were cut.

“To help, UW Transportation Services sent targeted emails out to community members living in ZIP codes impacted by Metro’s service changes and cuts,” said UW’s Rideshare coordinator Sara Brydges. “The emails included information for other bus lines, Metro’s trip planner and carpool and vanpool options.”

UW Rideshare options include:

• Carpooling, where carpoolers not only save money by splitting gas costs, they receive discounted campus parking. A carpool of three students with U-PASSes, for instance, can park all-day anywhere on central campus for $3 per car, and down at E1 with only two people for only $2 per car.
• Zimride, which is a secure online network where users login using a UWNetID, lets them post or find rides. Users can even connect their Facebook profiles and use interactive Google maps.
• Vanpooling, which is for groups of five to 15 people who live at least three miles away from campus, uses vans provided by any local transit agency. The agency pays for van upkeep, gas and insurance costs, and all vanpools park for free on campus. Vanpoolers receive a fare credit through their U-PASS.