Former Fish and Wildlife Service Director Disappointed with Obama, but Hopes to Create Change with Defenders of Wildlife

Jamie Rappaport Clark, the former Fish and Wildlife Service director who later this year takes over one of Washington’s most influential environmental advocacy groups, Defenders of Wildlife, pledged to “be absolutely rock solid” in holding the Obama administration accountable for its decisions on endangered species and conservation.

That’s the intro to a piece over on the NYTimes. Clark attributes lagging work by the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect threatened plants and animals to nearly a decade of funding cuts and leadership errors under George W. Bush. She is a bit disappointed with the Obama administration so far as well, but has more hope for the future. And she believes that incoming FWS director Dan Ashe will help make the agency stronger and more important in the Interior Department.

Let’s hope that is the case and let’s hope that Clark and others can put enough pressure on critical wildlife issues to get the U.S. back on a greener, more animal-friendly course.

For much more on Clark’s work history (working for the FWS for many years and for leading environmental organizations such as the Nature Conservancy, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Defenders of Wildlife for the last 10 or so), check out Former FWS Chief Disappointed in Obama, but ‘Hopeful’ for Agency’s Resurgence on the NYTimes.

The piece also goes into good depth on current threats to the Endangered Species Act, wolves, the Gulf Oil Spill, and climate change.

Related Stories:

1. Obama Endangered Species Work in Low Gear
2. Yellowstone Grizzlies Back on Endangered Species List
3. A Future for Wolves?
4. Yellowstone National Park Wolf Population Dropped Sharply in 2008

Photo via Defenders of Wildlife

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