Sarah Palin
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s surprise announcement of her decision to step down from office later this month may have the Defenders of Wildlife scrambling to replace its number one fund raiser.

Palin didn’t support the nearly single-issue animal advocacy group, but, as a result of the Defenders’ characterization of Gov. Palin as an enemy of gray wolves, donations poured in to the organization from wolf sympathizers.

According to the Slugs and Plugs blog, Defenders of Wildlife ran a graphic ad campaign in September 2008, smearing Palin as a supporter of aerial gunning, a wolf management practice unique to Alaska.

The organization gained more than $1 million in donations as a result of the advertisements.

Even though Palin didn’t get to the White House last year, the Defenders of Wildlife continued to blast her through fund-raising efforts. In 2009, seven press releases with Palin as the star were issued by the group.

Slugs and Plugs prods the group for its antics over the past nine months by saying, “It’s doubtful they’ll even send her a note of thanks for the millions of dollars they raised in a short nine months while shamelessly assaulting her unwavering support for the sound biological practices of the Alaska Fish and Game Department.”