Introduction:

“My name is Pamela Flick, and I am based in northeastern Sacramento County. As the California Program Director, I oversee Defenders’ initiatives across the Golden State. I manage a small but mighty team that addresses conservation challenges statewide, from our iconic coastline to the majestic snowcapped peaks of the Sierra Nevada, and from the sand-swept Mojave Desert to the San Francisco Bay-Delta.

Our diverse work spans water and wetlands policy, renewable energy development and forest resilience and fire restoration. It also includes the conservation of many imperiled species such as desert tortoise, southern sea otter, gray wolf, burrowing owl, Joshua tree and Chinook salmon.”

 

How did you get your start in conservation?

“My love for the natural world and wide-open spaces comes from growing up in the rolling foothills of Mariposa County, just outside Yosemite National Park in the heart of the Sierra Nevada.

I explored every inch of our oak-studded 30-acre ranch – often on horseback – and learned first-hand about how fascinating nature can be by capturing tadpoles in the seasonal stream that flowed through our property.

As it turns out, I was a defender of wildlife at a young age, taking it upon myself to “rescue” tarantulas that dared to cross our winding country road, or insisting to my parents “not to panic” about a rattlesnake being right next to my kiddy pool at the tender age of five.

Our summer vacations to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite’s high country kindled my passion for ecology, natural history, protected landscapes and interpretation, so I could share my love and knowledge of the natural world with other people.

It was a natural fit for me to study natural resources conservation, biology and environmental studies in college. When it came time to start my professional career, I jumped at the chance to get my foot in the door at Friends of the River, California’s only statewide river conservation organization. I worked there for eight years in a variety of positions focused on permanently protecting public lands and rivers before making my move to Defenders in Spring 2005.”

 

Could you share a highlight of your career so far?

“I’ve been fortunate to be part of several key conservation wins here in California, none of which would have happened without diverse coalitions of skilled partners all working together on a common cause. While individual contributions are important, successful conservation efforts often take numerous years and help from many colleagues with different perspectives.

One big victory was passing legislation to make our state the first in the nation to require the use of non-lead ammunition for hunting wildlife statewide. Lead poisoning is the number one cause of death in critically endangered wild California condors and dozens of other wildlife species impacted by the harmful – and even lethal – effects of this toxic substance. It was incredibly satisfying to work on this ambitious campaign with our conservation allies and see it through to completion.

Many said we couldn’t do it, but we took on the National Rifle Association and others in the extremely powerful hunting and gun lobby – and we won! A variety of wildlife species throughout the state are better off for it, and as is so often the case, California set a strong example for other states to follow.

A reality of our work is that successes can be few and far between, so it’s important to celebrate the victories when they come.”

 

What's one wildlife issue you wish people understood better?

“As John Muir famously wrote, ‘When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.’ 

This is especially true when we look at wildlife and habitat conservation. From the profound effects of trophic cascades through the removal or reintroduction of a native predator, to the increase in phenological mismatches caused by anthropogenic climate change, to the concerning impacts of the growing biodiversity crisis, everything is connected – more so than we may ever realize.

We must act with unparalleled urgency when it comes to righting the wrongs of our past mismanagement and work to restore and protect all species, great and small, and the places they depend upon, not only to survive but to thrive. 

That means working to protect native bumble bees, to provide sufficient water flows for imperiled salmon and migratory birds, to advance coexistence between humans and species like beavers and gray wolves, to develop clean energy generation facilities without sacrificing desert tortoises and Swainson’s hawks, and to restore sea otters to their historical habitats along our northern coastline.

That’s just what we do at Defenders every day, here in California and across the country. I am honored to play a small part in this critically important work.”

Click here to learn more about Pamela and her work at Defenders!

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