For me Father’s Day is all about wildlife. I’ve spent every one for the past 20 years in woods of Michigan on a fishing trip with my Dad. It used to mark the end of the trip, but this year it’s the beginning. Every year we get to reap the benefits of the work done by conservation organizations. Up there a lot of the work is done by non-profits with a sporting focus, but I’ve come to realize that there quite a few organizations that protect wildlife just because it’s something that should be done. One of these is Defenders of Wildlife. They’re based in Washington, DC, and they aim to “protect and restore imperiled species throughout North America by transforming policies and institutions and promoting innovative solutions.” The organization was founded in 1947 and operates at both a national and local level.

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For Defenders of Wildlife success looks like this: “Diverse wildlife populations in North America are secure and thriving, sustained by a network of healthy lands and waters.” That’s the kind of vision that nearly everyone can agree on, so why is it so hard to achieve? Because most of us live our lives in a way that conflicts with that mission and don’t even realize it. Defenders of Wildlife has a number of priority issues where they think that their intervention can change the way that people think and act. These include Species at Risk, Habitat Conservation, Living with Wildlife, Endangered Species Act, Climate Change, Renewable Energy, and International Conservation. Over the past 65+ years they’ve had quite a few success stories on these fronts. If you have any lingering questions about Defenders of Wildlife, check out their FAQ, and then visit their Jobs page. Right now they have some great opportunities for new and recent grads including:

• Database Administration Coordinator
• Development Coordinator
• Digital Campaigns Production Associate
• New Mexico Outreach Representative (Albuquerque or Santa Fe, NM)
• Outreach Representative (Seattle, WA)
• Revenue Processing Associate
• Rockies & Plains Coordinator (Denver, CO)
• California Program Associate (Sacramento, CA)

There are quite a few options, so give them all a look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• Defenders.org
• Jobs at Defenders of Wildlife
• About Defenders of Wildlife
• Staff at Defenders of Wildlife
• Defenders of Wildlife’s Annual Reports
• Defenders of Wildlife’s Blog

What have you heard about Defenders of Wildlife?

We've identified Defenders of Wildlife as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• accounting
• administrative
• all employers
• animals
• California
• conservation
• data
• development
• environmental
• finance
• marketing
• New Mexico
• non-profit
• organizing
• policy
• production
• program development
• public policy
• Washington
• Washington DC

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