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Wildlife for All Hires Co-executive Director

We are thrilled to introduce our new Co-Executive Director, Michelle Lute, who will be joining fellow Co-Executive Director and founder Kevin Bixby to lead Wildlife for All into a new era of wildlife conservation.

Michelle brings a wealth of experience and expertise with her. With a background in wildlife biology and conservation policy, Michelle has dedicated her career to protecting and preserving our planet's precious wildlife and ecosystems.

At Wildlife for All, we strongly believe that effective governance requires shared decision-making and equal participation. That's why we've chosen a co-directorship model that encourages collaboration and allows us to harness the collective talents of all our team members.

You can read more about Michelle on our website here.

State Wildlife Reform Measures Advance

Most state legislatures have adjourned for the year. Many wildlife related bills were considered, including wildlife governance reform measures.

In Washington, Wildlife for All coalition members were instrumental in getting the legislature to approve funding for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Accountability and Reform Study. The study will assess the ability of the agency to respond to climate change and biodiversity threats, examine potential changes to the department's mandate, funding model, and governance structure, and recommend improvements to achieve greater transparency and accountability.

In Maryland, the governor signed into law a bill to diversify the membership of Maryland’s Wildlife Advisory Commission to include biologists, wildlife protection advocates and outdoor recreationists, as well as hunters and farmers.

In New Mexico, a bill to reform the Game Commission to add a scientist and a non-game wildlife advocate, and to transfer authority to appoint a majority of commissioners from the governor to the legislature, passed with bipartisan support. Unfortunately it was vetoed by the governor, but will likely reappear in the future.

These and other measures signal a growing understanding by legislators of the need to reform state wildlife management as advocated by Wildlife For All.

For more from the states, check out the news page on our website.

Do You Know What Conservation Means?

There are many definitions of conservation, ranging from the preservation of biodiversity for intrinsic and ecological reasons, to maintaining wildlife mainly as resources for human consumption. (To see our definition, visit the MythBusters section of our website.)

Surprisingly, given how frequently the term is used, state wildlife managers do not adhere to a standard definition. That's one reason the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is weighing a proposed policy that prioritizes conservation, which is defined as "science informed actions to preserve the health and resilience of natural environments including fish, wildlife and humans, safeguard the intrinsic value of nature, and provide equitable benefits to current and future generations of human and non-human life." The proposed policy has generated significant public comments both for and against. The commission will make a final decision at its October meeting.

What do you think? Send your thoughts about what wildlife conservation means to info@wildlifeforall.us.

Not a member of Wildlife for All? Please join us!

Your support will help us reform wildlife management in the U.S. to be more democratic, just, compassionate and focused on protecting wild species and ecosystems.

Thank you!

SWEC dba Wildlife for All

PO Drawer BB,
Mesilla, NM 88046

wildlifeforall.us

info@wildlifeforall.us

575-522-5552

SWEC dba Wildlife for All is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, federal EIN 85-0403860.