Interested in protecting Washington's wildlife? Learn how to advocate for our bears, wolves, and more. We are joined by Samantha Bruegger and Claire Davis, a policy expert and an attorney working on wildlife policy reform in Washington.

Samantha Bruegger is the Executive Director of  Washington Wildlife First, a nonprofit formed to transform Washington’s management of its fish, wildlife, and natural spaces from a model of consumptive use to an ethic that values science, respects nature, and prioritizes the preservation of natural ecosystems.  Samantha's diverse work experience has included a slate of important social issues from equitable access to resources to wildlife policy reform in the nonprofit, private and government sectors. She has worked on policy issues from the local to federal level, giving her unique insights into the various systems within government structures and the people within them.

Claire Davis is the managing partner of Animal & Earth Advocates, a Seattle-area law firm that brings public interest litigation on behalf of animals, wildlife, and the environment. Claire filed her first suit against Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (“WDFW”) in 2017, related to its destruction of the Sherman wolf pack, and since that time, much of her practice has been focused on attempting to hold WDFW legally accountable. Claire became a founding board member of Washington WildlifeFirst because she believes the state needs a strong watchdog organization to hold its environmental agencies accountable, and to ensure that they fulfill their role as trustees of the state’s wildlife and wild spaces.