Biographical Information about John Kostyack

John Kostyack is Senior Counsel in the National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) Washington, D.C. office, where he manages the Federation's Species Conservation Program, a nationwide effort to protect and restore endangered species and other imperiled wildlife. His responsibilities include strategic planning, management, policy analysis, advocacy, media and public education on land use and biodiversity conservation. A leading expert on the Endangered Species Act, he is responsible for overseeing NWF's advocacy on imperiled species before Congress, the federal agencies and the courts. He also supervises NWF's outreach efforts on imperiled species conservation, such as Endangered Species University, Species Recovery Fund, Frogwatch, and other partnerships with NWF state affiliates and like-minded organizations.

John has served as counsel for NWF and other environmental groups in a variety of legal initiatives, including an ongoing campaign to re-orient the federal government's policies toward development in the habitat of the critically-endangered Florida panther. In 2001, he secured a major legal victory for an environmental coalition in Sacramento, California, that sets a national precedent concerning regional habitat conservation planning under the Endangered Species Act.

In 2000, John launched NWF's Smart Growth and Wildlife initiative, which is working in key places around the country to counter development harmful to imperiled fish, wildlife and plants, and to promote development alternatives that benefit people and wildlife.

John has advocated for imperiled species and habitats in testimony before House and Senate committees, on television and radio broadcasts, in written comments on legislative and regulatory proposals, and at numerous conferences, meetings and workshops. His recent articles include, "NWF v.Babbitt: Victory for Smart Growth and Wildlife," published in the June 2001 edition of Environmental Law Reporter; "The Need for HCP Reform: Five Points of Consensus," published in the May/June 1999 edition of Endangered Species UPDATE; and "Surprise!," an article on Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) published in the March/April 1998 edition of Environmental Forum.

John joined NWF in February 1994. Prior to joining NWF, he worked six years for a private law firm in Washington, D.C., and two years as a federal judicial clerk in Florida. He also has worked extensively on land use issues as a volunteer leader for Sierra Club chapters in Washington, D.C. and Florida. He holds a J.D. from Stetson University College Law in
St. Petersburg, Florida, and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.