Introduction:

“I am basically a career conservationist. That may not sound very exciting, but it is! I didn’t know you could do that when I started out. But I got in early with the National Audubon Society, where I got to know and then work for Defenders of Wildlife, first as an attorney then a regional director for over 13 years total. As the Rockies and Plains director, I came to understand that hunting and fishing are how my passion for wildlife most naturally and intimately expresses itself, so I went to work for and learn from a couple top hunting and fishing conservation groups.

It’s great to be back here at Defenders – the energy, innovation, and focus here is even better than I remember. As Vice President of Government Relations, I work with a top-notch team of public policy and outreach professionals to make sure we succeed in advocating Defenders’ interests in the laws, policies, and programs affecting wildlife and biodiversity. We work with most of the organization to do that, and with practically anyone else with influence over wildlife and habitat. That includes Democrats, Republicans and independents - on Capitol Hill, in every presidential administration, and in some statehouses. We work with environmental groups of course, but also hunting, angling, animal welfare, and other groups, and with a wide range of businesses – outdoor recreation, and timber, agriculture, and other natural resource companies for example.”

 

What do you consider a highlight of your career?

“I was there when the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes released the first bison back to the Fort Peck Reservation in northeast Montana! A true first, a watershed in wildlife restoration. But most of that work was done by the Tribes, with support from Defenders’ donors and regional staff. I played a more central role in passing the bill that established the first federal wildlife crossings program in 2021.

I returned to DC from Montana impressed with the importance and effectiveness but also feasibility of wildlife crossings, and I put that knowledge to work in pushing for and helping Congress craft a program. It plugged a critical gap in wildlife policy and has proven very effective and popular.”

 

What would you say to someone looking to volunteer or pursue a conservation career?

“Look broadly and diversely – don’t limit your options. It is hard getting into the conservation field these days, because a lot of young people want to contribute, which is great but creates a lot of competition. When I started out, I focused on non-profits and it worked out for me at that time, but I have come to appreciate how many interesting ways there are to contribute to conservation. Tribes and states offer some of the coolest opportunities, in their wildlife programs but also agricultural and water programs. Same for First Nations and provinces in Canada. Most federal agencies have natural resource positions, not just the wildlife and land agencies – the Department of Defense for example (although there are a lot fewer and less reliable federal jobs these days).

The private sector also provides so many options – in natural resource fields like forestry and agriculture, in environmental restoration and consulting, in outdoor recreation, or sustainability, not to mention communications and public relation firms, wildland firefighters, helicopter pilots, outdoor tech companies. And don’t forget the US and state congresses. If the job is not exactly what you are hoping for, you can still get great experience and develop skills and pivot to something more up your alley. You can also gain experience or just stay involved by volunteering.”

 

What's one species you wish people knew more about?

“The woodland caribou! Humans extirpated them from the lower 48 in 2019, yet few Americans, even wildlife supporters, seemed to notice – even though they are charismatic megafauna. This species used to range across the northern tier – northeastern states down into New York, the Great Lakes states, the northern Rockies. We pushed them out of all those areas except far northern Idaho / northeast Washington by the 1970s.

Defenders tried to help the last herd with outreach and litigation, and we won all of our cases, but to no avail. However, some of the tribes that depended on them think their habitat in north Idaho is close to being able to support them again. There is hope for bringing them back if we can get the US to help British Columbia recover their dwindled herd, then return some to us when they do.”

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