The commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi Valley Division has been recognized by the National Military Fish & Wildlife Association.

Brig. Gen. Michael J. Walsh, 54, is the recipient of the 2010 Award for Conservation Partnerships. The award, for efforts in ecosystem restoration and management, was announced at the association’s conference in Milwaukee this past week.

“I have high expectations that this award will serve to further proactive efforts of all who are concerned with the future ecological and economic sustainability of this great Mississippi River Watershed,” Walsh said in an e-mail.

Walsh oversaw the first comprehensive vision statement for a sustainable Mississippi River Watershed. In 2009, as a leader in the Mid-West Natural Resources Group, he developed a strategy that was signed by the group’s consortium of 14 federal agencies. Also, three memorandums of understanding were signed under his leadership, with The National Audubon Society, Ducks Unlimited and the U.S. Forest Service.

Walsh, 54, became commander of the MVD in 2008 after the retirement of Brig. Gen. Robert Crear. A Brooklyn, N.Y,. native, he has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York and a master’s in construction management from the University of Florida. As a soldier, Walsh attended Engineer Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army War College and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He and his wife, Susan, have two adult sons.

The NMFWA is a nonprofit organization working to protect and manage wildlife and other natural resources. The award given to Walsh recognizes individuals from the Department of Defense and others who promote the military’s role in conserving natural resources.

The MVD is responsible for the Corps’ water resources programs in a 370,000-square-mile area, extending from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and encompassing parts of 12 states. Work is carried out by its six district offices — St. Paul, Minn.; Rock Island, Ill.; St. Louis; Memphis; Vicksburg; and New Orleans.

The MVD is housed in a building on Walnut Street. The building is also the headquarters for the Mississippi River Commission, which was established by Congress in 1879 and charged with developing plans to improve the Mississippi River from its headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico by fostering navigation, promoting commerce and preventing destructive floods.

Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchan@vicksburgpost.com