Defenders of Wildlife Opens New Northwest Office in Seattle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: August 11, 2014

Contact: Melanie Gade, Defenders of Wildlife: mgade@defenders.org; 202-772-0288

Defenders of Wildlife Opens New Northwest Office in Seattle:

Longtime Conservationist Shawn Cantrell to Serve as Director

SEATTLE – Defenders of Wildlife today opened a new Northwest Office in Seattle to enhance our work on important emerging wildlife and public lands conservation issues with local communities, elected officials, state and federal agencies, tribes and partner conservation organizations in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

This new office will promote Defenders’ work as a collaborative member of the Northwest conservation community, providing science-based assistance on issues ranging from the sustainable management of public lands, the conservation of imperiled species, the development of wildlife-friendly renewable energy projects, and the creation of proactive solutions to minimize conflict between predators and livestock. It will oversee the work of programs in two other existing Defenders’ offices in Portland Oregon and Boise Idaho. 

Longtime conservation advocate Shawn Cantrell will join Defenders as the new Northwest Director. Cantrell has spent more than 20 years working on wildlife and public lands conservation, first as Northwest Regional Director of Friends of the Earth and later as Executive Director of Seattle Audubon Society. His advocacy and leadership was instrumental to the passage and implementation of the federal Elwha River Restoration Act, leading to the removal of the two dams on Washington’s Elwha River. Most recently, Cantrell has worked together with government agencies and private landowners to protect and restore forest habitat vital for the recovery of threatened northern spotted owls and marbled murrelets.

Shawn Cantrell, Defenders’ Northwest director, issued the following statement:

“Defenders of Wildlife is a leading national conservation organization with experienced boots on the ground in Idaho, Oregon and now in Washington, working at the national, regional and local levels to protect imperiled species and their habitat.  Its conservation work in the Northwest region is seamlessly connected to its policy and advocacy work in Washington DC and I look forward to continuing Defenders’ push to conserve our public lands and restore key species like wolves, grizzly bears and wolverines to the Pacific Northwest. Opening our new Northwest office in Seattle will allow our experienced and dedicated staff to further their work with state, federal and tribal wildlife agencies, county governments and local residents to develop the best solutions possible for imperiled wildlife, their habitat, and our communities.”

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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org and follow us on Twitter @DefendersNews.