Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Late condor biologist Mike Tyner looks on as a released California condor takes flight.

With a heavy heart, I write this post about the tragic, untimely death of condor biologist Mike Tyner.

While out checking on a recently released condor in Big Sur, Calif. Mike was fatally struck by a large tree during a severe windstorm on November 30, 2011.

But he was no stranger to putting his life on the line to help save these rare, magnificent birds. In 2008, he joined the rescue team responsible for saving eight condors from the Basin Complex Wildfire, which razed two condor facilities as it raged across Big Sur.

Mike was unassuming, humble and hard working, says Ventana Wildlife Society’s executive director, Kelly Sorenson. “He was truly an exceptional individual. This loss is catastrophic, heartbreaking and painful. As we mourn the passing of a remarkable friend, our hearts go out to his family. Mike will be greatly missed.”

Mike worked for the Ventana Wildlife Society, an organization solely dedicated to monitoring Big Sur’s flock of wild condors. And for several years, Defenders partnered with Ventana, helping to support Mike’s research.

Thanks to Mike, the team was able to locate numerous nests in Big Sur. And twice each year, he led an effort to recapture every condor in the flock to check their blood for lead poisoning—the leading cause of death among endangered condors—helping to ensure that sick condors received urgent, lifesaving medical care.

Although Mike is no longer with us, his dedication and research will be with us every day. His work has left a lasting mark on condor conservation efforts.

Our partners at Ventana Wildlife Society have helped to bring the California condor back from the brink of extinction—thanks, in part, to Mike’s dedication.

May his spirit soar with the condors.

Dave’s dog survives avalanche and four-day trek through Montana wilderness

Kerry Gaillard and Oly look for snowmobile trespass in wolverine country west of Yellowstone. Photo courtesy of Dave Gaillard.

With the tragic death of our friend and colleague Dave Gaillard, it’s been a rough week for the entire extended Defenders family. But a ray of hope broke through the dark clouds yesterday in the form of a Welsh corgi named Oly.

Oly, the Gaillard family’s dog, had been with Dave and his wife Kerry on New Year’s Eve when they got caught in an avalanche while cross-country skiing. Oly disappeared into the tumbling snow along with Dave, and was presumed dead. Miraculously, four days later, Oly turned up at the motel in Cooke City, Montana, where Dave and Kerry had stayed the night before the avalanche.

The story has since gone viral, appearing on the Today Show this morning as well as news outlets from coast to coast. See print coverage from the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Reuters, USA Today and video from NBC-Montana and the Associated Press (below).

Hopefully, Oly’s incredible survival story will help lift the spirits of Dave’s family as they gather today for his memorial service outside Bozeman, Montana.

Defenders’ President Jamie Rappaport Clark, Rocky Mountain Director Mike Leahy and the rest of the regional staff will be there to honor Dave’s memory. For the rest of us, our thoughts and prayers are with you, Dave.

David Gaillard (far right) during a recent trip with his fellow colleagues and "citizen scientists" to collect hair samples from grizzly bears in Montana. Click the image above to see Dave's blog post and video from the trip.

One of the last emails Dave ever sent landed in my inbox on Friday afternoon. While most of us at Defenders had already headed home for the long holiday weekend, Dave was still thinking up new and better ways to protect the critters he cared so much about. He had compiled a list of conservation successes for 2011 for his beloved “meso-carnivores”—wolverines, lynx, fishers—and mentioned wanting to do a similar recap for each quarter of 2012.

That’s just the kind of guy he was. For two decades, Dave was deeply dedicated to protecting the wild animals and wild places that make the Northern Rockies so special. Whether he was tromping through the backcountry with “citizen scientists” in search of wolverine tracks, or defending critical lynx habitat from oil and gas drilling, he was always focused on a mission much larger than himself. And he did it with a warm smile, infectious laughter and an uplifting spirit that made us all want to cheer for the underdogs he was working hard to save.

Here’s a look at just some of the great work that Dave was involved with over the past year:

We here at Defenders will miss Dave very much, but we take some solace knowing that he died doing what he loved to do most: savoring the rugged wilderness under a beautiful Montana sky with his beloved wife.

Dave, your life was an inspiration for us all. Rest in peace, dear friend.

Readers: If you have any thoughts or memories to share, please feel free to add a comment below. You can also make a donation in Dave’s honor by visiting www.defenders.org/dgmemorial.

In Memory of Naturalist-Conservationist David Gaillard, 44

Northern Rockies Conservationist Dies In Avalanche

Written by Todd Wilkinson (Authors Bio)

[This post originally appeared on January 2nd 2012 on WildlifeArtJournal.com]

Heartbreaking is the only way to describe it.  On the afternoon of New Year’s Eve 2011-12, the American conservation community lost a young, fearless and inexhaustible advocate.

David Gaillard setting up a remote camera. Photo courtesy of WildlifeArtJournal.com.

David Gaillard, 44, of Bozeman, Montana, died in an avalanche while cross-country skiing the Hayden Creek drainage, located in the Absaroka Mountains just beyond the  back northeastern doorstep of Yellowstone National Park.

A proud graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Williams College, Gaillard came West in 1990 seeking to groundtruth what he learned in the classroom.  He worked for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Predator Conservation Alliance and, for the last five years, Defenders of Wildlife. His special interest was with carnivores, which are key indicators of ecosystem health.

Gaillard was at his most passionate in giving voice to a suite of forest and mountain dwellers many of us take for granted because they are so elusive and seldom seen.  The animals on this list include the wolverine, Canada lynx, fisher, and pine marten.

“People will protect the things that are right before their eyes,” he told me in 2011 as I was writing a story about wolverines, then being considered for federal protection as a result of a listing petition that Gaillard himself helped craft.  “If people can’t encounter these animals directly, then I at least want them to realize they are out there—and they need our help.  Otherwise, they could easily disappear without anyone knowing the difference.”

Gaillard, a lanky, red-headed outdoorsman, loved traversing through snow on skis and snowshoes. He wasn’t the kind of conservationist who saw himself as a town crier;  rather, he was a celebrator of wild places.  During the course of his career, he attended countless public meetings and dared to testify before hostile audiences that automatically equated species protection with loss of jobs. He delighted most in sharing anecdotes about the life histories of wolverines and lynx, encouraging folks to learn what their tracks look like in the snow and to take up the mantle of “citizen science” by sharing information they gleaned from their own backcountry adventures.

In 2011, as the U.S. Forest Service in Wyoming deliberated over whether it will open the Hoback Basin and Wyoming Range to oil and natural gas drilling—bringing industrial strength development to an important wildlife corridor—Gaillard erected remote controlled cameras.  He wanted viewers to objectively see for themselves that the areas targeted for energy production were used by a wide variety of critters, including hunters and outfitters drawn to mountains unblemished by pumpjacks and air pollution.  For an example of David’s handiwork, enjoy the video below (click on the lower corner of player to bring it to full screen).

Gaillard had many friends in the conservation movement. Not long ago, Defenders magazine published a story about wolverines and global warming written by Douglas Chadwick and in it Gaillard was quoted:  “Nobody can say for sure what the future may bring,” he said. “But I want to be able to look my daughter in the eye and say we are doing everything we can to prepare lynx, wolverines and other wildlife that she loves for the big changes ahead.”

Gaillard delivered on his promise.  His daughter can always know that her Dad did everything he could to remind us that wild places matter.  Condolences go out to David’s family and close friends.

Carnivore conservation expert killed in avalanche outside Yellowstone

BOZEMAN, Mont. (Jan. 3, 2012) — Defenders of Wildlife mourns the passing of David Gaillard. Dave was buried in an avalanche Saturday afternoon while cross-country skiing near Pilot Peak in the Shoshone National Forest south of Cooke City, Montana.

David Gaillard

Dave had been the Northern Rockies Representative in Bozeman, Montana for Defenders of Wildlife since 2007. Prior to coming to Defenders, Dave worked on carnivore conservation in the Northern Rockies region for a number of organizations since 1991. Dave was a leading champion for the conservation of some of the smaller and lesser known carnivores in the region – lynx, wolverines, fishers, and martens. Dave was very generous with his time and talents and worked on many other issues including wildlife adaptation to climate change, state wildlife action plans, and habitat conservation plans.

Dave was a great, long-standing, and effective conservation advocate, with a kind and generous heart, a quiet but hilarious sense of humor, and a warm and friendly demeanor. One of Dave’s highest priorities was to get people in the conservation community and far beyond to work more closely, effectively and cordially together, as evidenced by his work to bring wolverine researchers, managers, educators, and advocates together to form the Wolverine Network (http://www.wolverinenetwork.org/).

Dave was also a strong family man and community member.

Dave’s passing is a great loss for the conservation community, particularly the species he championed the most – lynx, wolverines, and fishers. It is a great loss for his family, many friends, and the Bozeman community. We are grateful for the time we had working with and getting to know Dave as a colleague and a friend. We express our condolences to Dave’s family, and to his friends and colleagues.

To learn more about Dave’s work for Defenders, visit his staff profile and recent blog posts. Click here to view a photo of Dave.

Read the full story reported by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, and a touching tribute from freelance writer and friend Todd Wilkinson.

One of the neat things about working at Defenders of Wildlife is being on the receiving end of some wonderful letters from young supporters. Recently I received a letter from 9-year-old activist Chloe, asking us if she could do a speech at an event for us about “how you are so nice to animals.”  She ended the letter with a P.S.: “I promise to make a difference.”

Well, how could we turn down a request like that?  I suggested that, instead of an event, maybe she could video tape a speech and send it to us?  And she did just that.

And boy was it impressive.  She declares her own commitment to wildlife, talks about their plight and provides some great suggestions for what we can all do to help wildlife.

With supporters like Chloe out there inspiring all of us to make a difference, I know we can do great things for wildlife.

I hope that sharing Chloe’s speech will inspire you to do something good for wildlife.  At this time of year, you could even share the gift of wildlife with friends and family by adopting.