Jamie Rappaport Clark | |
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Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service | |
In office July 31, 1997 –January 20, 2001 | |
President | Bill Clinton |
Preceded by | Mollie Beattie |
Succeeded by | Steven Williams |
Personal details | |
Born | 1957or1958(age 65–66) New York City,New York,U.S. |
Spouse | Jim Clark |
Education | Towson State University (BS) University of Maryland,College Park (MS) |
Jamie Rappaport Clark (born 1957 or 1958) [1] is an American conservationist and former government official working as the president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife. [2] She joined the organization as executive vice president in 2004. [3]
Born in New York city,Clark attended Towson State University,earning a B.S. in wildlife biology in 1979. She received an M.S. in wildlife ecology from the University of Maryland,College Park. [2] [4]
Clark has been a lifelong participant in the conservation of wildlife. As a college student,she spent a summer at Aberdeen Proving Grounds,where she released peregrine falcons back into the wild as part of a national recovery effort. Twenty years later,as the director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service,she officially removed them from the federal list of endangered species due to the successful recovery efforts, [5] in which she participated. [6]
Clark has a long career in conservation,both inside the government,mostly with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,and with non-profit conservation organizations. [4] [7]
In recognition of her expertise and achievements in endangered species conservation,President Bill Clinton appointed her as Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) in 1997,a post which she held until 2001. [8] [9] During her tenure as director,Clark established 27 new refuges and added two million acres to the National Wildlife Refuge System. [10] While director,the Service worked with Congress to pass the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvements Act of 1997 Archived June 17,2015,at the Wayback Machine , [11] establishing wildlife conservation as the main purpose of all refuges. [12] The Service was involved in many successful efforts to recover imperiled wildlife during her tenure,including the bald eagle, [13] gray wolf [14] and the Aleutian Canada goose. [15]
As president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife,Clark has been at the forefront of endangered species and habitat conservation in the non-profit community. [16] [17] She has been frequently called on to testify on Capitol Hill,providing guidance to members of Congress on conservation issues. [18] Under her tenure,Defenders has played a key role in the reintroduction of bison to tribal reservations, [19] [20] secured protections for right whales, [21] [22] sea turtles and piping plovers [23] and many other species and habitats. [24] In November 2023,Clark announced her intention to step down as President and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife sometime in 2024. [25]
While under Clark’s leadership,Defenders of Wildlife gained a reputation for toxic work culture. Employees criticized Clark for perpetuating an internal “culture of fear”within the organization. [26] The term was coined in a report summarizing the results of an internal survey of 144 staff members by the Avarna Group in 2021. “When asked who staff were afraid of,the primary source of fear was not immediate supervisors,but specific individuals on the Executive Team,including the CEO.” [27] On March 29,2021, management staff spanning several departments at Defenders of Wildlife wrote a group letter to Clark citing efforts by Defenders of Wildlife’s executive team to sanitize the Avarna Group’s report. The letter also censured the executive team for downplaying,ignoring,or rejecting consistent themes of fear in previous organizational assessments conducted by the Raben Group and Stratton Consulting Group. [28]
Matters worsened in 2022. According a deeply researched article by to Politico,“current and former staff blame Defenders CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark for setting the tone and establishing a ‘culture of fear’within the organization. Upsetting Clark over even minor issues,they say,can result in getting fired.” [29] In August 2022,the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found Defenders of Wildlife management had violated labor law by terminating a former employee for their union organizing efforts,failing and refusing to provide the staff union with information needed for contract bargaining,and bypassing the union and direct dealing with staff. [30] [31] [32] [33] Clark's name is listed alongside other Defenders of Wildlife senior managers as "supervisors of Respondent" in the subsequent Consolidated Complaint issued by the NLRB in December 2022. [34] [35] In protest of these violations,the staff union held a 3 day rally in front of Defenders HQ in Washington,DC,and issued a public petition in February 2023 calling for Clark to negotiate a fair contract or resign as CEO,which garnered 561 signatures. [36]
The above charges were settled between the parties in early 2023. [37] [38] As of May 2024,however,several subsequent unfair labor practice charges against Defenders of Wildlife management are still pending investigation by the NLRB. [39] According to the staff union,Clark deprived union members of access to improved leave benefits [40] and annual merit increases in late 2023. [41] As of May 2024,Clark has an approval rating of 28% on Glassdoor. [42]
In 2017 she was awarded the Rachel Carson Award by the Audubon Society for her life's work. [43]
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a U.S. federal government agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish,wildlife,and natural habitats in the United States. The mission of the agency is "working with others to conserve,protect,and enhance fish,wildlife,plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people."
The White River National Wildlife Refuge is a 160,756 acres (650.56 km2) wildlife refuge located in Desha,Monroe,Phillips,and Arkansas counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The refuge is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. White River NWR borders on Cache River National Wildlife Refuge at its northern boundary. In 1974,the White River Sugarberry Natural Area was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
National Wildlife RefugeSystem (NWRS) is a system of protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS),an agency within the Department of the Interior. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish,wildlife,and plants. Since President Theodore Roosevelt designated Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge as the first wildlife refuge in 1903,the system has grown to over 568 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts encompassing about 856,000,000 acres (3,464,109 km2).
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR),and part of the Everglades Headwaters NWR complex,located just off the western coast of North Hutchinson Island in the Indian River Lagoon east of Sebastian,Florida. The refuge consists of a 3-acre (12,000 m2) island that includes an additional 2.5 acres (10,000 m2) of surrounding water and is located off the east coast of Florida of the Indian River Lagoon. Established by an executive order of President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14,1903,Pelican Island was the first National wildlife refuge in the United States. It was created to protect egrets and other birds from extinction through plume hunting. The oldest government wildlife refuge of any kind in North America is the Lake Merritt Bird Refuge in Oakland,California. Oakland Mayor Samuel Merritt declared it a wildlife refuge for migrating birds in 1869. In 1870,the state of California designated Lake Merritt a state game refuge.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation",the ESA was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28,1973. The Supreme Court of the United States described it as "the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species enacted by any nation". The purposes of the ESA are two-fold:to prevent extinction and to recover species to the point where the law's protections are not needed. It therefore "protect[s] species and the ecosystems upon which they depend" through different mechanisms. For example,section 4 requires the agencies overseeing the Act to designate imperiled species as threatened or endangered. Section 9 prohibits unlawful ‘take,’of such species,which means to "harass,harm,hunt..." Section 7 directs federal agencies to use their authorities to help conserve listed species. The Act also serves as the enacting legislation to carry out the provisions outlined in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Supreme Court found that "the plain intent of Congress in enacting" the ESA "was to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction,whatever the cost." The Act is administered by two federal agencies,the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). FWS and NMFS have been delegated by the Act with the authority to promulgate any rules and guidelines within the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to implement its provisions.
The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in southern New Mexico. It was founded in 1939 and is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is a favorite spot to observe sandhill cranes,which spend the fall and winter in the area. The reserve is open year-round and provides safe harbor for its varied wildlife. Visitors to the refuge also enjoy partaking in activites such as hiking,cycling,driving tours on the 12-mile scenic auto route,and participating in educational programs offered on site.
The Key deer is an endangered subspecies of the white-tailed deer that lives only in the Florida Keys. It is the smallest extant North American deer species.
The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is a 145,188-acre (587.55 km2) wildlife sanctuary is located west of Boynton Beach,in Palm Beach County,Florida. It is also known as Water Conservation Area 1 (WCA-1). It includes the most northern remnant of the historic Everglades wetland ecosystem.
The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Montana on the Missouri River. The refuge surrounds Fort Peck Reservoir and is 915,814 acres (3,706.17 km2) in size. It is the second-largest National Wildlife Refuge in the lower 48 states of the United States,and the largest in Montana. Created in 1936,it was originally called the Fort Peck Game Range. It was renamed in 1963 after Montana artist Charles M. Russell,a famous painter of the American West. In 1976,the "range" was made a "refuge".
The Scuppernong River is a blackwater river that flows through Tyrrell County and Washington County,North Carolina,into the Albemarle Sound. The river shares its name with the Scuppernong grapes native to the area. The river has a history closely linked to colonization and agricultural utilization. Currently,the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge and Pettigrew State Park can be found on the banks of the river. The River is celebrated annually through the Scuppernong River Festival.
Defenders of Wildlife is a 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization based in the United States. It works to protect all native animals and plants throughout North America in their natural communities.
Wolf reintroduction involves the reintroduction of a portion of grey wolves in areas where native wolves have been extirpated. More than 30 subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized,and grey wolves,as colloquially understood,comprise nondomestic/feral subspecies. Reintroduction is only considered where large tracts of suitable wilderness still exist and where certain prey species are abundant enough to support a predetermined wolf population.
The J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System,located in southwestern Florida on Sanibel Island in the Gulf of Mexico. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society (DDWS),a non-profit Friends of the Refuge organization,supports environmental education and services at the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. It is named after the cartoonist Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling.
The St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System,located in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Apalachicola,on the barrier island of St. Vincent. The refuge includes Pig Island,located in the southwest corner of St. Joseph Bay,nearly 9 miles west of St. Vincent and 86 acres of mainland Florida along Franklin County Road 30A. The 12,490 acre (51 km2) refuge was established in 1968.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit membership organization known for its work protecting endangered species through legal action,scientific petitions,creative media and grassroots activism. It was founded in 1989 by Kieran Suckling,Peter Galvin,Todd Schulke and Robin Silver. The center is based in Tucson,Arizona,with its headquarters in the historic Owls club building,and has offices and staff in New Mexico,Nevada,California,Oregon,Illinois,Minnesota,Alaska,Vermont,Florida and Washington,D.C.
James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge on the island of Oʻahu,Hawaii. It was established in 1976 to permanently protect an ecologically-intact unit and to provide habitat for native and migratory fauna and native flora. It established critical habitat for Hawaii's four endangered waterbirds,the ʻalae kea,koloa maoli,ʻalae ʻula,and āeʻo and many migratory seabirds,endangered and native plant species,and the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and green sea turtle. It also provides increased wildlife-dependent public uses and flood control within the refuge and the local community.
The Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge protects the lower course of the Bill Williams River,to its mouth at Lake Havasu reservoir,in western Arizona. It is located within eastern La Paz and Mohave Counties,in the Lower Colorado River Valley region.
The Sayville National Wildlife Refuge is a 127-acre (51 ha) National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) located in West Sayville,New York about two miles (3.2 km) inland from the Great South Bay. Sayville NWR is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a sub-unit of Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge and part of the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It is the only land-locked refuge in the complex.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement contributes to Service efforts to manage ecosystems,save endangered species,conserve migratory birds,preserve wildlife habitat,restore fisheries,combat invasive species,and promote international wildlife conservation. It is an office of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
confirmed by the Senate in July of 1997, making history at the age of thirty-nine as the youngest person to serve as director
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