Marcia Pradines

Marcia Pradines Long is the Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex Project Leader with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In this position, she has focused on strengthening relationships with the community, helping new audiences get engaged with the outdoors through programs like mentored hunts and partnerships, and finding the connections between people and wildlife that make conservation successful. She co-founded the First Shot mentored hunt program in 2018 with NWTF and MD DNR to help fill the gap she had personally experienced as an adult onset hunter who also needed help to get back out. She previously led the Division of Communications and Visitor Services for the National Wildlife Refuge System in the USFWS headquarters where she spearheaded the national Urban Wildlife Refuge Program.

She has a Masters degree in Wildlife Management from West Virginia University, and a BS in Biology from University of Pittsburgh. In her spare time she is an avid hunter, angler, and loves training her rescue dog Elsie. She also serves as a mentor for other women learning to hunt; Marcia has a strong desire to break down both the stereotypes and barriers for women and other minorities to get involved in the liberating and diverse world of outdoor sports.