Leon Kolankiewicz

Leon Kolankiewicz "is a practicing environmental scientist, wildlife ecologist, and natural resources planner whose career spans more than 25 years, multiple states, and three countries. Leon holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Virginia Tech University in Forestry and Wildlife Management and an M.S. Degree from the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) in Environmental Planning and Natural Resources Management. Leon’s professional career includes stints with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, University of Washington, University of New Mexico, and Orange County (California) Environmental Management Agency. He also served as Vice-President and Network Coordinator of Carrying Capacity Network, a Washington, DC-based population advocacy organization, and as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) in Central America, promoting conservation of tropical rainforests and wildlife. While a PCV in Honduras, Leon co-led scientific and fact-finding expeditions into Pico Bonito National Park and the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve. He helped delineate the park boundaries and edited the first-ever operative management plan of Parque Nacional Pico Bonito. In 1989 he married a Honduran immigrant whom he met during his Peace Corps service. They have two sons.

"Leon has written more than 100 popular articles and technical reports, and contributed to numerous comprehensive conservation plans (for U.S. national wildlife refuges), environmental impact statements, and environmental assessments. He has authored the following books: Where Salmon Come to Die: An Autumn on Alaska’s Raincoast (Pruett, 1993), and Bright River, Dark Dreams – Tragedy on the Río Plátano (Biodiversity First, 2009), as well as other book-length monographs on population, immigration, and the environment. He has been interviewed many times on radio and TV, including NPR’s “The Morning Edition,” Public Radio International’s “The World”, and PBS’s “To the Contrary.” He has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time magazine, and many other newspapers and magazines. He is a Senior Writing Fellow and Member of the Board of Advisors of Californians for Population Stabilization."


 * Advisory Board, Progressives for Immigration Reform
 * Environmental Advisor, NumbersUSA