My DFP project is with the USFWS External Affairs program in Region 2 (the Southwest Region) to create outreach materials for an upcoming proposed rule change to the management of Mexican Wolves. I’m currently a master’s student at the University of Minnesota in Conservation Science, with a background in photography and communications. So far I am really enjoying learning the ropes in External Affairs, meeting wonderful colleagues at USFWS, and learning a ton about Mexican wolves and the Endangered Species Act.   

Mexican wolves are an endangered subspecies of gray wolves and were nearly extinct within their range of the Southwestern United States and the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico by the 1970s. They were listed as an endangered subspecies under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1976.  As a result, a bi-national captive breeding program was established and wolves have been successful re-established in the Southwestern U.S. Along the way, the USFWS has been through all the required regulatory processes that come with crafting a recovery plan and re-introducing an endangered subspecies; there are a lot of steps!  There will soon be a proposed revision to parts of the regulations regarding how Mexican wolves are managed. Before the proposed revisions are released to the public for comment, there is a lot of work done by External Affairs to make sure that communication about the proposed changes is clear and accessible. 

Working with External Affairs on this project so far has given me a great introduction to how the agency manages media and relationships with partners and the public when it comes to managing controversial species. I spent my first few weeks meeting the various teams involved in Mexican wolf recovery, doing a lot of background reading, and working with my project supervisor to craft documents for the internal communications plan that will accompany the proposed rule changes.  I’m also working on graphics to support the proposed revision release, and social media and web content about Mexican wolves. There are lots of new skills to learn, including how to create content for the USFWS website, crafting public-facing documents like press-releases and official FAQs, and learning how to make documents and other media in compliance with federal accessibility standards, among many others.   

I’m doing this project remotely, and I live in another place well-known for wolves: Minnesota.  We have approximately 2000 gray wolves in my state alone, and thousands more throughout the Midwest.  In contrast, the current wild population of Mexican wolves is 186 (based on 2020 count data); quite a different situation!  I’m excited to learn more and continue to work with the great team in External Affairs.

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service - DFP

Location: Southwest Regional Office