WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, reports emerged that Donald Trump plans to nominate the former head of Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department to head the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. According to an update on Congress.gov , Trump has nominated Brian Nesvik to lead the agency tasked with implementing Endangered Species Act protections for threatened wildlife. Nesvik was picked for that role in 2019 by Gov. Mark Gordon, and led the department until his retirement in 2024.
Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, reports emerged that Donald Trump plans to nominate the former head of Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department to head the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. According to an update on Congress.gov , Trump has nominated Brian Nesvik to lead the agency tasked with implementing Endangered Species Act protections for threatened wildlife. Nesvik was picked for that role in 2019 by Gov. Mark Gordon, and led the department until his retirement in 2024.
Nesvik’s tenure in Wyoming was marked by controversy. He was tasked with implementing a new agency plan for managing elk feedgrounds in the state, a unique practice among Rocky Mountain states, which many attribute to the spread of disease among the state’s elk population, including hoof rot which several years ago led to the death of half of the elk calves on one feedground. He has also testified before Congress calling for the removal of Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears. Under Nesvik’s leadership Wyoming has implemented a killing by any means of wolves in an effort to drive numbers to bare minimums, and has made it clear it wants to do the same thing to grizzly bears, which would undo decades of work to recover the species.
The nomination of Nesvik appears to advance the Trump administration’s long-standing anti-wildlife sentiments. Under Nesvik’s leadership, wolves have been killed by any means, including allowing them to be run over with motor vehicles, trapped and baited. In one incident last year, a wolf maimed by a snowmobile rider was brought into a local bar and tortured, which drew international condemnation as inhumane and disgraceful. These incidents of carnivore species being run over by motor vehicles are common in Wyoming.
In response, Bradley Williams, Sierra Club’s Deputy Legislative Director, Wildlife and Lands Protection, released the following statement:
“From his first day in office, Donald Trump has made it clear that he views the Endangered Species Act as a roadblock to his pro-polluter agenda rather than a duty to uphold. If his goal is to put as many species on the brink of extinction as possible, he’s found the perfect candidate in Brian Nesvik. The anti-wildlife agenda the state of Wyoming has been pursuing for years is about to debut on the national level, and the most vulnerable species will suffer the consequences.
“The Endangered Species Act is one of the most successful and popular conservation laws of the last half-century. Now more than ever, we need people across the country to demand our leaders protect these iconic species for the next generation, not put a target on them.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org .
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