With over 25 years of experience in the wildlife field, Kristy Bly’s expertise is on the conservation and restoration of black-footed ferrets, black-tailed prairie dogs, and swift fox in the North American Great Plains. She manages World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) black-footed ferret restoration program in collaboration with myriad tribal, state, federal and private entities. Kristy’s work includes co-developing local and state-wide black-footed ferret restoration plans; establishing, maintaining, monitoring, and protecting black-footed ferret populations and their habitat; developing innovative technologies to improve black-footed ferret detection and protection; improving endangered species policies and lobbying for congressional funding; enhancing local personnel and financial capacity; fostering human-wildlife coexistence; co-authoring manuscripts; and conducting outreach. Kristy came to WWF in July 2007 from the Turner Endangered Species Fund, where she led the black-tailed prairie dog and black-footed ferret restoration program in South Dakota. Kristy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology and Management from the University of Rhode Island and a Master’s degree in Ecology from Montana State University.
![A woman wearing a beige baseball cap and a black jacket stands in a grassy field.](https://www.wildhope.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Kristy-Interview_Sequence-01.00_01_34_20.Still006-scaled.jpg)