As of May 10, the Rocky Mountain News had yet to report on the April 30 resignation of former Deputy Assistant Interior Secretary Julie MacDonald, despite its previous coverage of her controversial decisions regarding the federal Endangered Species Act and her claim that there was no proof she interfered with researchers' findings in determining whether Colorado wildlife would be federally designated for protection. In contrast, The Aspen Times reported on May 9 that MacDonald “quit after government investigators determined that she violated federal ethics rules by sharing internal agency information with industry lobbyists.” The Denver Post also noted MacDonald's resignation, on May 1.

As the News reported on November 1, 2006:

Scientific research didn't justify keeping four Colorado wildlife species in the running for endangered species protection, a Bush administration appointee said Tuesday.

“I check scientific citations for the conclusions. I ask questions about statements,” said Julie MacDonald, deputy assistant secretary of the Interior. “I'm not saying the science was bad. It's a work in progress, but I'm the second pair of eyes and I care that these documents be right.”

MacDonald's review resulted in the Gunnison's prairie dog, the Gunnison sage grouse, the white-tailed prairie dog and the roundtail chub being dropped from the years-long process that selects candidates for an Endangered Species Act listing.

All four species are found in Colorado, but development has diminished their habitat.

Four conservation groups, including the Denver-based Center on Native Ecosystems, said that MacDonald's comments on the species were based on politics, not science.

The News further reported that “MacDonald said there is no proof that she ordered researchers to change their findings and challenged the conservationists to come up with a document that shows she did.” In a November 21, 2006, article about environmental groups' subsequent legal challenge to her office's findings, the News again reported MacDonald's contention that “there was no proof she ordered researchers to change findings,” and that she “challenged conservationists to provide documents showing she did.”

However, as the Associated Press reported on April 15, “The federal Inspector General recently found that Julie MacDonald, the deputy assistant Interior secretary for fish, wildlife, and parks, should face punishment for leaking information about endangered species decisions to industry groups.” On March 23, the Office of Inspector General (OIG), having noted that MacDonald was “heavily involved with editing, commenting on, and reshaping the Endangered Species Program's scientific reports from the field,” concluded that MacDonald's conduct “violated the Code of Federal Regulations” provisions regarding the use of nonpublic information and the appearance of preferential treatment in the fulfillment of public service obligations. The OIG also determined that MacDonald had “misused her position and disclosed nonpublic information to private sector sources.”

In addition to reporting on MacDonald's resignation, the Aspen Times noted in its May 9 article that "[e]nvironmental groups, including the Boulder-based Center for Native Ecosystems, released other documents showing that McDonald [sic] specifically ordered agency scientists to change their conclusions on endangered species decisions."

Also in contrast to the News' lack of coverage, the Post on May 1 noted MacDonald's “ethical transgressions” in reporting on her resignation in a broader piece about the nomination of Lyle Laverty, the former Colorado parks director, to oversee the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) blocked Laverty's nomination, indicating his opposition stemmed from his concern over a series of ethical issues in the Department of the Interior, including those involving MacDonald:

On Monday, Wyden said Laverty's nomination would be on hold until the agency addressed ethical transgressions by Julie MacDonald, the deputy assistant interior secretary for fish, wildlife and parks.

On Monday night, MacDonald resigned.

An earlier investigation by the Interior Department's inspector general said MacDonald often sought to reshape the agency's scientific reports in endangered-species cases to ease the impact of agency decisions on private landowners.

Wyden said MacDonald's resignation “removes her from the equation, but not the atmosphere that allowed her to operate as she did for so long.”

Wyden said he wants assurances from Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and Laverty that political appointees will not manipulate scientists' work.