Washington Wildlife Federation

The Washington Wildlife Federation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, enhancement, and perpetuation of Washington's fish, wildlife, and habitats. Its mission is supported through key outdoor education and conservation programs, with a focus on connecting people with nature and promoting sustainable management of natural resources.

Mission and Vision

The organization's mission is to preserve and enhance Washington's wildlife and habitats through comprehensive education and conservation initiatives. Its vision includes ensuring that all generations have the knowledge and skills to access and safely explore Washington's outdoors, maintaining abundant and connected habitats that support healthy wildlife populations, and promoting quality fishing and hunting opportunities while supporting effective fish and wildlife management.

Core Values and Programs

Washington Wildlife Federation highlights the importance of:

• Traditional Outdoor Skills Education: Providing quality education, particularly for women and families, to ensure they can engage with and appreciate the outdoors.
• Connection to Nature: Facilitating opportunities for people to experience and conserve natural resources.
• Science-Based Policy: Advocating for policies that are grounded in scientific research to manage wildlife and habitats effectively.

The organization is notable for its involvement in the Washington Outdoor Women program, which offers the state's most comprehensive outdoor education for women. It is also a founding member of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, recognized for its significant contributions to habitat protection.

Achievements and Impact

The Washington Wildlife Federation has contributed to several key conservation initiatives and policy efforts:

• Initiative 90: Supported legislation to fund wildlife conservation and recreation programs in Washington state.
• Environmental Protections: Helped defeat initiatives that could have undermined environmental regulations, such as Initiative 933.
• Wilderness Designations: Played a role in securing wilderness designations for areas like the Wild Sky Wilderness and additions to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
• Teaming with Wildlife Coalition: Built a national award-winning coalition to secure federal resources for Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Hunter Education Programs: Contributed to the development of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Master Hunter Program and supports hunter education initiatives.

Conservation Efforts

The organization works towards expanding public lands access and ensuring habitat connectivity to sustain wildlife populations. It also aims to bridge gaps between outdoor recreationists, hunters, and anglers to build a unified front for wildlife conservation.

[1] https://www.fws.gov/office/washington-fish-and-wildlife [2] https://washingtonwildlifefederation.org/aboutus/ [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Wildlife_Federation [4] https://wildliferecreation.org/our-work/washington-wildlife-and-recreation-program/ [5] https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats