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James Pissot
Director, Canada Programs
Areas of Expertise: Canadian environmental politics and policy, grizzly bear conservation, wolf-livestock issues, transportation and wildlife
Jim directs and implements all programs for Defenders’ Canada office, which since its establishment in January 2003 has led successful campaigns to mitigate wildlife movement on the final section of the Trans-Canada Highway through Banff National Park, end the grizzly bear hunt in Alberta, and launch BearSmart programs in priority communities in Alberta. Defenders Canada is currently working with ranchers to conserve wolves and reduce predation of livestock, pressuring the Canadian Pacific Railway to end grain spills which attract grizzlies and other animals to their deaths in Banff National Park, and launching a campaign to protect polar bears in light of climate change.
Before joining Defenders in 2003, Jim served for two years as executive director of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. He served as a vice president at the National Parks Conservation Association, was a program officer for the W. Alton Jones Foundation, directed wildlife programs for the National Audubon Society, and co-chaired the Endangered Species Coalition to a successful reauthorization of the ESA in 1989. In 1979 Jim co-founded the Utah Wilderness Association and helped secure the passage of the Utah Wilderness Act in 1984.
Jim received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and holds a masters degree in resource management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Contact Information
Phone: (403) 678-0016
Email: jim.pissot@defenders.org
