hunting

Senior Counsel

Jeff serves as Senior Counsel to PEER, where he specializes in civil service, scientific integrity, and whistleblower protection issues. Jeff was PEER’s Executive Director from 1997 to 2019 and its Pacific Director from 2019 to 2025. Previously, he was the Policy Director and a staff attorney at the Government Accountability Project, representing whistleblowers from both the public and private sectors. Before coming to DC, Jeff worked in California state government for 17 years, mostly in the State Legislature as counsel to various committees where he drafted hundreds of laws on topics ranging from energy conservation to the rights of employed inventors. Jeff served stints as a deputy district attorney and an appellate court clerk. He is a graduate of the California Correctional Officers Academy.

Ruination of Public Lands: All Uses, Everywhere, All the Time, Without Limit

by Jeff Ruch | July 8, 2026
Donald Trump will certainly not go down in history as the Conservation President. At the current rate, his legacy will be as our first Despoiler-in-Chief ...

Comment – FWS Proposed Rule on Management of the National Wildlife Refuge System

by PEER | June 4, 2026
Comments on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposed Rule Regarding Management of the National Wildlife Refuge System ...

Animal Welfare and Public Health Groups File Petition in Colorado to Ban Lead Ammunition for Hunting

by PEER |
Lead poisons and kills dozens of wildlife species and is also an acute threat to hunting families and others eating wild game shot with the toxic, irreducible metal ...

Eroding Sanctuary for Wildlife in National Parks

by Jeff Ruch | May 8, 2026
During Trump’s first term, the National Park Service was an area of malign neglect, without a confirmed director for all four years. For most of Trump 1.0, the national parks were ignored, but no longer ...

Comment – CPW Lead Ammunition and Tackle Phase-Out

by PEER | August 8, 2025
Comments on the inclusion of a lead ammunition and tackle phase-out in Colorado Parks and Wildlife's State Wildlife Action Plan ...