WildEarth Guardians' Chris Smith Advocates for Enhanced Wolf Protection Policies Across Western U.S.
Chris Smith, the Wildlife and Wild Places Program Director for WildEarth Guardians, is actively advocating for policy changes to protect forests, deserts, and the communities that rely on them across the Western U.S. With over 15 years of experience in policy advocacy, Smith leads WildEarth Guardians' efforts to ensure the survival and thriving of wolf populations. He emphasizes that current wildlife agency approaches, which often reduce recovery to mere population numbers, are insufficient. Smith argues that wolves require large, connected habitats, robust legal protections, and the freedom to form new packs, secure adequate food sources, and maintain genetic diversity. His work highlights the need for a comprehensive strategy that extends beyond numerical targets to address the ecological and genetic needs of wolf populations, particularly in the Rockies and surrounding regions. This advocacy is part of a broader initiative to challenge the conventional 'numbers game' approach to wildlife recovery, which...
