Growing up in the woods of New England, I loved nature long before I knew what “environmentalism” meant. After numerous trips out West and a semester spent in the mountains of Colorado, I fell in love with the high peaks and open spaces of the West and knew I would live here someday. Now a Wildlife Advocate in NRDC’s Montana office, I spend my days working to protect the wildlife and wildlands that have inspired me for so many years.
Previously, I graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts in 2008, with a degree in economics and environmental studies, and then spent a year conducting research on climate and energy issues for a think tank in Washington, DC. Wherever I’ve been, I’ve always tried to spend as much time outside as possible. So when I’m not in the office, you can find me exploring mountains and rivers with my family and friends, on foot or on skis.
Before I was a full-fledged staff member at NRDC, I did some blogging on NRDC’s OnEarth Magazine site; check it out to read my past musings on bison, grizzlies, forests, and climate change.
Posted April 27, 2012 by Whitney Angell Leonard in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
A polar bear cartoon on display at the IPY 2012 conference For the past few days, I’ve been representing NRDC at the International Polar Year conference in Montreal, Canada, which has been both fun and fascinating. While I haven’t...continued→
Posted February 7, 2012 by Whitney Angell Leonard in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
I think I might be hooked on wolverines. Last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to join a group of volunteers tracking wolverines and lynx in western Montana, and now I can’t stop searching for Google images of these...continued→
Posted January 12, 2012 by Whitney Angell Leonard in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
The Canadian government, which manages two thirds of the world’s polar bear population, claims its management framework “ensure[s] the sustainability of Polar Bear populations in Canada.” But if the Canadian government is so committed to polar bear conservation, why...continued→
Posted September 23, 2011 by Whitney Angell Leonard in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
Joe Engelhart, Alberta, Canada If you’ve ever heard anything about wolves in the Rockies, you’ve probably heard that ranchers can’t stand ‘em. That’s why we exterminated wolves in the early 1900s, after all....continued→
Posted August 29, 2011 by Whitney Angell Leonard in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
Working as a wildlife advocate in Montana is not always as glamorous as it sounds, but every now and then I’m lucky enough to have a bit of adventure come my way. This past weekend I got a chance...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
