Established to help protect ranchers and farmers from wolves, the federal agency Wildlife Services traps and kills animals from hundreds of species across the United States. Using snares, traps, poisoned carcasses and aerial hunts, since 2000 alone it has exterminated millions of animals, intentionally and inadvertently, from coyotes and bears to birds, beavers, and endangered bald eagles and wolverines — even house pets.

To shed light on this little-known agency, the 2013 Knight-Risser Prize winner Tom Knudson interviewed scores of people across the West — including former Wildlife Services employees — and filed dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests. His report in the Sacramento Bee, "The Killing Agency," paints a picture of an organization taking wildlife management to extremes.

Please join us on February 5th as we celebrate the Knight-Risser Prize winner and assess the state of investigative environmental journalism. How has the federal crackdown on media leaks affected reporters? What is the potential effect of laws targeting agricultural whistleblowers that passed recently in several states? Tom Knudson will be joined by a panel of journalists and educators to discuss these questions and more.

A reception with light refreshments will follow the event.

Please RSVP using the form below.