predators

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.

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 ...

Alaska Aerial Gunning Bears Yields No Clear Benefits

by PEER | January 7, 2025
State Has No Evidence Strafing Brown Bears Increases Caribou Calf Survival ...

Alaska to Resume Aerial Gunning of Bears and Wolves

by PEER | December 11, 2024
Strafing Predators Aims to Increase Moose and Caribou Hunting Permits ...

Countdown for PEER’s Regulatory Petitions

by Peter Jenkins | May 9, 2024
Read the latest updates on eleven of the regulatory petitions we've worked on this year. With an election just around the corner, now is the time to ramp up action to get our requests granted, especially in case there is a new administration in 2025 ...

Do Bears Get Shot in the Woods?

by PEER | June 28, 2023
Alaska Won’t Release Photos of Aerial Slaughter of Nearly 100 Brown Bears ...