Over and over, Eller had to grit his teeth and okay new subdivisions that he knew would destroy the places the endangered cats called home. He had to say yes to things he knew were wrong.
Finally, he’d had enough. In 2004, with help from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Eller filed a whistleblower suit against his own agency. He accused his bosses of using bogus science so their wrong decisions appeared to be right.
His bosses responded by firing him.