The Washington Post this morning ran a great story detailing the way in which a high-level Bush appointee at the U.S. Department of Interior, Julie MacDonald, repeatedly reversed key decisions made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect highly endangered wildlife species like the Gunnison sage grouse and white-tailed prairie dog.  We’ve been working on the issue for months, along with Union of Concerned Scientists and a bunch of other partners, digging up the many documents showing her intervention in what are required by law to be strictly biological decisions.  The Department of Interior’s Inspector General has apparently already begun an internal investigation, and I’m especially pleased that Congressman Rahall (D-WV) is calling for Congressional hearings.

It’s also fun to see that the bloggers have already started running with the story. Corrente ("More Interior Department Shenannigans: Endangered Species Edition"), Copeland Institute for Lower Learning ("It isn't just rights that are endangered under Dubya"), and Take it Personally ("No warm, fluffy-bunny sentimentality for Bushco") all focused on the obvious problems with a Bush political appointee – not a scientist – overturning what are absolutely required to be scientific decisions.

We've got the documents showing MacDonald's illegal political interference on the white-tailed prairie dog posted on our web site, and you can visit the Union of Concerned Scientists to see a bunch of documents showing the same on a bunch of other species.

So how do we fix this?  Let's start with Julie MacDonald.  She was way over the line, repeatedly, and ought to be dismissed.  The Congressional hearings that Representative Rahall is calling for would be a great follow up as well.  The new Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne should also immediately fix all the tainted decisions - including white-tailed prairie dog, Gunnison sage grouse, and a bunch of others - and let the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service do its job.  Finally, Kempthrone needs to step up and fix the underlying problem, which is the administration's culture of suppressing science for political purposes.

In September Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey and other leading administration officials wrapped up a series of 24 Cooperative Conservation listening sessions around on the country.  With Interior Secretary Kempthorne's life-long commitment to dismantling environmental protections,  Mark Rey's abysmal environmental record, and the implicit goal of making voluntary what is currently law, it's hard to imagine anything good coming out of these listening sessions.  This in spite of overwhelming public support for our legacy environmental laws like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act  expressed at every listening session, including the one held in Colorado Springs September 15th. 

America has spoken
When all was said and done, more than 30,000 individuals and 138 organizations from across the country submitted written comments to the Department of the Interior in support of our nation’s conservation laws, representing an overwhelming majority of comments submitted.  Also, Aveda Corporation submitted 176,000 petition signatures addressed to President Bush in support of the Endangered Species Act and nineteen religious organizations signed a joint letter in support of environmental protections and conservation.

Administration officials attending the the listening sessions have admitted surprise at the level of support demonstrated for our nation's bedrock environmental laws.  So America has spoken, and Americans care about conservation. 

What's  next
It is likely that the administration will begin its efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws through administrative changes using the listening sessions as soon as Congress convenes this November.  For updates on this and related endangered species issues, keep visiting our new Critterthink Blog or sign up for our e-alerts. Meanwhile, a big hearty thank you to everyone who spoke in support of our nation’s environmental protections during the listening sessions!

Center for Native Ecosystems proudly presented our first ever Conservation Legacy Award to Jasper Carlton.  We at Center for Native Ecosystems owe an enormous debt to Jasper and his Biodiversity Legal Foundation for pioneering the sort of assertive science-based biodiversity advocacy for which Center for Native Ecosystems is known.  We are honoring Jasper for his extraordinary contributions to the conservation and recovery of endangered species across our region and the continent through “gonzo law, guerilla lawyering, a deep belief in the importance of good science, and an unwavering commitment to passionately defending and appreciating all forms of life.”

It was fitting that we also presented our “Jasper Carlton Activist in the Trenches” Award to our exceptional colleague Jeremy Nichols.  We’ve worked closely with Jeremy for years in his role as an endangered species advocate at Biodiversity Conservation Alliance (our Laramie-based allies), and wanted to honor him for his fierce, uncompromising defense of endangered plants and wildlife across the Greater Southern Rockies.  We wish Jeremy the best of luck in his new venture, Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action, working to ensure that Colorado’s air is clean and healthy for both the critters and the humans.

CNE staff biologist Erin Robertson, last year’s recipient, presents the Jasper Award to Jeremy.

CNE staffers Erin Robertson and Jacob Smith and CNE board member Jay Tutchton (left to right) join Jeremy after presenting the award.

We created Center for Native Ecosystems seven years ago to meet a critical need in our region:  to protect the imperiled plants and wildlife of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming.  We value the clean water, fresh air, healthy communities, sources of food and medicine, and recreational opportunities provided by native biological diversity.  We also passionately believe that all species and their natural communities have the right to exist and thrive.

We have grown our budget and staff capacity in every year since our inception and have established a reputation as a lean and extremely effective advocate for native species and habitat across the region.  With a staff of five and an annual budget of $300,000, we now seek to hire a dedicated development staffer.  The Development Associate’s primary responsibilities will be to manage our membership program, coordinate our grant and major donor programs, and some administrative tasks in support of the organization. We will consider applicants interested in working between half- and full-time.

Job Description

The Development Associate will have three main areas of responsibility.

Membership:
•    Manage and maintain our membership database.
•    Develop and implement member retention and growth strategies.
•    Develop and implement our member action program.
•    Coordinate member communications including newsletters and thank you letters.
•    Organize membership and other special events.

Grants and Major Donor Program:
•    Foundation and major donor prospect research.
•    Plan, schedule, and manage existing grants and reporting requirements.
•    Prepare major donor materials.
•    Plan and schedule donor cultivation efforts.
•    Edit and provide input into outgoing grants and foundation correspondence.

Administrative Support
•    Recruit and coordinate our volunteers.
•    Supervise our administrative assistant.
•    Miscellaneous office and administrative management projects.

The Development Associate will work closely with the Executive Director and sometimes other staff.

Qualifications

A passion for protecting native species and ecosystems, extremely strong organizational and teamwork skills, computer literacy, and a sense of humor are essential.  You must also be extremely detail- and accuracy oriented.  We have a strong preference for someone with one to three years of membership or general development experience, fundraising creativity and fearlessness, and strong writing and communication skills.  Experience with Salesforce or another CRM or fundraising database, a demonstrated commitment to conservation advocacy, and experience with emerging internet technologies are also valuable. 

Salary:  Low- to mid-thirties (or equivalent if less than full-time) depending on experience, with benefits.

Applications:  Send letter, resume, references, and writing sample to Center for Native Ecosystems, 1536 Wynkoop St., Suite 302, Denver CO 80202.  Applications must be received by November 17, 2006.  Send inquiries to cne@nativeecosystems.org.

Center for Native Ecosystems, a non-profit conservation organization working to conserve and recover native biodiversity in the Greater Southern Rockies, seeks a second full-time staff biologist.

Job Description

The staff biologist will: a) track and analyze proposed land use projects for potential impacts to species and habitats of concern; b) prepare comments on and critiques of proposed land use projects; c) analyze proposed land management plans; d) prepare reports on biological values in specific areas, identifying at-risk species and habitats, characterizing threats, and articulating management recommendations; e) respond to queries by our coalition colleagues on the location, status, threats, and management needs of at-risk species across the region; f) prepare species- and habitat-related resources to aid our coalition colleagues in their own conservation advocacy efforts; and g) conduct outreach work with biologists and other scientists.  The biologist may also prepare detailed status reports and threat assessments on particular species, such as Endangered Species Act listing petitions.  The job will involve some travel within the region and considerable collaboration with Center for Native Ecosystems coworkers, conservation partner groups, and regional scientists.

Qualifications

Passion for protecting native species and ecosystems; enthusiasm for working on a wide range of species, natural communities, and ecosystem types; demonstrated commitment to conservation advocacy; strong writing, analysis, and communication skills; ability to advocate respectfully but strongly; ability to juggle and prioritize numerous tasks competing for attention; and a sense of humor are essential.  Background in conservation biology; scientific literacy; experience in teamwork situations; familiarity with the natural history of the Greater Southern Rockies; GIS competency; and ability to train and supervise interns and contract employees are also valuable.  Masters degree in applicable field preferred.

Center for Native Ecosystems

We created Center for Native Ecosystems seven years ago to meet a critical need in our region:  an organization focused on protecting the imperiled plants and wildlife of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming.  We value the clean water, fresh air, healthy communities, sources of food and medicine, and recreational opportunities provided by native biological diversity.  We also passionately believe that all species and their natural communities have the right to exist and thrive.  We use the best available science to forward our mission through participation in policy, administrative processes, legal action, public outreach and organizing, and education.

Salary:  Low- to mid-thirties depending on experience, with benefits.

Applications:  Send letter, resume, references, and writing sample to Center for Native Ecosystems, 1536 Wynkoop St., Suite 302, Denver CO 80202.  Applications must be received by November 17.  Send inquiries to cne@nativeecosystems.org.