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Julie Kates
Refuge Associate, Federal Lands Program
Areas of expertise: National Wildlife Refuges, wildlife and climate change adaptation.
Julie focuses on developing and implementing programs to enhance the conservation of biodiversity within the National Wildlife Refuge System, as well as supporting Defenders’ climate change adaptation work on federal lands. Within these program areas, she engages in national policy development, land management planning, and projects of national or ecological significance.
Julie worked at several conservation organizations in the DC area prior to joining Defenders, including the Wildlife Habitat Council, where she served as a wildlife biologist and research coordinator. She also spent a year in Tanzania working on community conservation projects.
Julie received her B.S. in Environmental Policy and Behavior from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She earned her M.S. from the University of Maryland in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology. Her thesis focused on climate change adaptation options on the National Wildlife Refuge System lands in the Prairie Pothole Region.
Contact Information
Email: julie.kates@defenders.org
