HOW THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE FORCED OUT JULIE MACDONALD

Former Assistant Deputy Secretary of Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Julie MacDonald resigned her position at FWS (Fish and Wildlife Service), after allegations and complaints against her resulted in a biased and ‘scathing’ investigation, published in an official Dept. of Interior, FWS document. The investigation was initiated after the FWS received an anonymous tip alleging departmental abuses by MacDonald. One of the major complaints against MacDonald was her challenging of findings by FWS field technicians. MacDonald would actually go into the field, find the FWS who had submitted finds based on field studies and hold the technician accountable for their findings. This unprecedented action on behalf of a high-ranking FWS person of authority offended the egos of field technicians who were unaccustomed to having their reports challenged on any level. Along with allegations of abuse of her authority were accusations she went outside the department to seek third party opinions on FWS findings that would impact public policy. In the official document denouncing MacDonald there is an admission by the department that there was no evidence of MacDonald releasing any ‘non-public’ information to the pubic or non-departmental entities.
MacDonald was probably one of the few, if not the only high ranking official of a federal bureaucracy that demanded accuracy and truthfulness in policy that could affect the use of public lands. For this realistic and courageous policy of accountability, MacDonald was forced out her position at the Fish and Wildlife and Parks.

In the official report published by the FWS, there are ‘Agents Notes’, that contradict the reports attacks on MacDonald, all initiated by an ‘anonymous tip’. The words ‘no evidence’, regarding accusations against MacDonald are in the ‘Agents Notes’.

What follows the resignation of Julie MacDonald? The Center for Biological Diversity has released a press statement which includes its intent to sue the federal government on the grounds of an ‘Environmentalists Challenge Political Interference with 55 Endangered Species in 28 States, Seek to Restore 8.7 Million Acres of Protected Habitat across the Country.

In the links listed on the left side of the blog, under Julie MacDonald: Chain of evidence, the reader can follow the inner-workings of how a government agency seeks to destroy the credibility of one individual who demanded credibility and accountability of the people reporting to her.

The following are taken from the offical FWS report 'investigatve findings' on Julie MacDonald.

REPORT OF INVESTIGATION
Julie MacDonald,
Deputy Assistant Secretary,
Fish, Wildlife and Parks

P. 2
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated this investigation based on an anonymous complaint alleging that Julie MacDonald, Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS), Fish, Wildlife and Parks, had been involved in unethical and illegal activities. Specifically, the complainant alleged that MacDonald had bullied, insulted, and harassed the professional staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to change documents and alter biological reporting regarding the Endangered Species program, As our investigation progressed, we also developed information that MacDonald had disclosed nonpublic information to private sector sources.



Page 18

Agent's Note: According to Deputy Director Jones, the Interim Guidance for Critical Habitat Designation has never been publicly.released or published for comment. Jones said it remains an FWS internal document and probably will remain so indefinitely. During his interview, Jones speculated that MacDonald may have been sharing internal FWS ED documents with outside sources; however, he had no evidence to substantiate his contention.

The other former Assistant Secretary also said he never gave MacDonald permission to release nonpublic information. He admitted that the issue of MacDonald disclosing nonpublic information was a rumor within Fish, Wildlife and Parks; however, he said the subject was not officially brought to his attention in his official capacity as Assistant Secretary.

P. 17
When we interviewed Julie MacDonald, she said she is responsible for reviewing, commenting, and at some times editing critical habitat designation reports and five-year endangered species reviews.
MacDonald said she views her involvement in the Endangered Species Program as part of her duties, and she challenges the science produced by FWS field personnel and makes them accountable for the citations and rules they refer to in field reports. She admitted that she is not always right, as in the case
of the vernal pools, but added, "The figures were a mistake and very embarrassing, but they didn't make a difference in the outcome of the review."
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/PROGRAMS/esa/pdfs/DOI-IG-Report_JM.pdf


TESTIMONY OF
JULIE MACDONALD
DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE AND PARKS DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BEFORE THE HOUSE RESOURCES COMMITTEE

SEPTEMBER 10, 2004
FONTANA, CALIFORNIA

However, we believe that resource management does not need to come at the expense of the needs of local communities, and the Administration is committed to achieving a balance between conservation and growth using all the available tools. At the Department, this commitment means implementing a cooperative approach toward the recovery of endangered and threatened species through the development of partnerships with states, tribes, landowners, and other stakeholders. To that end, I would like to discuss how the Administration is working to make implementation of the ESA more efficient and effective.

Designation of Critical Habitat
While the Department has made great strides in improving the administration of the ESA, one area of implementation that continues to be both a challenge and a source of controversy is the designation of critical habitat. As we have previously detailed in testimony before this Committee, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) has been embroiled in a relentless cycle of litigation over its implementation of the listing and critical habitat provisions of the Act. The Service now faces a Section 4 program facing serious difficulties due not to agency inertia or neglect, but to a lack of scientific or management discretion to focus available resources on the listing actions that provide the greatest benefit to those species in greatest need of conservation.

The Service has characterized the designation of critical habitat as required by the Act as the most costly and least effective class of regulatory actions undertaken by the Service. It is often of little additional value or counterproductive and can result in negative public sentiment to the species and the Act itself. This negative public sentiment is fueled by inaccuracies in the initial area designated when we must act with inadequate information to meet strict statutory deadlines. For example, under the Act, the Service is required to designate critical habitat concurrent with a final listing determination, using the best scientific data available. Unfortunately, in some circumstances, the information supporting such designations have later been found to be incomplete, sometimes resulting in a cycle of litigation, described in further detail below.

In closing, I would like to reiterate our commitment to working with Congress to find a solution to the problems associated with critical habitat designation and other related issues. At the same time, the Department will continue to strengthen our partnerships and expand the use of cooperative conservation tools. It is our goal to use cooperative conservation and the tools at our disposal to implement programs that will eliminate the need for listing by conserving species before they become threatened.


Links to the Chain of Evidence in the Julie MacDonald resignation can be found on the left side of the blog page. I urge all readers to read these links. Julie MacDonald's story is why we have uncontrolled and unchallenged junk science policy and a policy of federal land grabs and designation of wilderness areas, endangered species and a continuing threat to private property owners in the United States.