Jamie Rappaport Clark, Former president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, issued this statement:
“Federal law enforcement officers protect wildlife and habitat throughout the National Wildlife Refuge System, including from poaching. They ensure public safety and prevent destruction of public land and property across more than 850 million acres of irreplaceable and unique habitat dedicated to wildlife conservation. It is poor and ill-timed policy for the Trump administration to strip essential wildlife refuge staff of law enforcement authority—without first at least replacing this capacity with full-time refuge officers—especially during a time of record visitation and increased access for hunting and fishing on refuges. This ill-conceived decision could put wildlife, wild lands and people at risk.”
For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.
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