KWF News

Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and National Wildlife Federation join forces for conservation

During the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s (CSF) Annual Banquet & Auction on September 13, CSF and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in order to enhance the organizations’ shared goals of advancing wildlife conservation across the country.

This partnership will combine CSF’s ties to conservation-minded federal and state legislators with NWF’s six million members and supporters to ensure healthy fish and wildlife habitats through science-based policies and management.

“The National Wildlife Federation has been committed to safeguarding and improving habitats for fish and wildlife for over 80 years,” said CSF President Jeff Crane. “CSF looks forward to strengthening our partnership and working closely with the Federation and its state affiliates to advance opportunities for conservation funding for fish and wildlife as well as ensuring public access to public and private lands.”

“The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s bold leadership in Congress, with Governors, and in state legislatures has proven that there is no issue with greater bipartisan support than conservation,” said Collin O’Mara, President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation President. “The National Wildlife Federation and our affiliates are proud to join forces with CSF on the Hill and in states across the country to expand hunting and fishing opportunities, increase America’s wildlife populations, and promote proactive, collaborative conservation.”

About CSF

Since 1989, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has maintained a singleness of purpose that has guided the organization to become the most respected and trusted sportsmen’s organization in the political arena. CSF’s mission is to work with Congress, governors, and state legislatures to protect and advance hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping. The unique and collective force of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC), the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC) and the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC), working closely with CSF, and with the support of major hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping organizations, serves as an unprecedented network of pro-sportsmen elected officials that advance the interests of America’s hunters and anglers.

About NWF

The National Wildlife Federation is America’s largest conservation organization, with over six million members and supporters and 51 state and territorial affiliates, working to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world. NWF and its affiliates are dedicated to increasing wildlife populations by protecting, restoring, and restoring land and water habitats, transforming wildlife conservation, and connecting all Americans with wildlife, especially children, through outdoor experiences, Ranger Rick magazines, and environmental education.

NWF taps Montana Governor’s top aide to lead Public Lands program

Tracy Stone-Manning, the former chief of staff for Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and a longtime conservationist, is the new associate vice president for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation.

Stone-Manning, who started work Monday, heads the national public lands team, whose staffers are based in the National Wildlife Federation’s Rocky Mountain Regional Center in Denver and in Washington, D.C.

The job was elevated to an associate vice president position to reflect the importance of protecting public lands to the organization’s mission and the broadening of the public lands work across the country, said Collin O’Mara, the National Wildlife Federation’s president and CEO.

“Tracy Stone-Manning is one the most effective conservation leaders in America and the National Wildlife Federation is fortunate to have her leading one of our most important conservation priorities – protecting and improving the management of America’s public lands,” O’Mara added. “Tracy’s extensive experience will be invaluable as the Federation and our state affiliates expand our public lands program nationwide and work with Congress and the administration to conserve and enhance our outdoor heritage.”

Before serving as Bullock’s chief of staff, Stone-Manning was his director of the Department of Environmental Quality. She was also a natural resources adviser and state director for Montana Sen. Jon Tester.  From 1999-2007, she was the director of the Clark Fork Coalition in Missoula, Mont., where she spearheaded the successful effort to remove a dam at the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot rivers, as well as advocated successfully for a $120 million cleanup of the upper Clark Fork.

“I’m thrilled to be part of an organization that has such a deep commitment to our nation’s conservation heritage,” said Stone-Manning. “I look forward to growing support for our nation’s public lands, which are key to ensuring our ability to pass that legacy on to future generations.”

The National Wildlife Federation and its state and territorial affiliates have worked for years to prevent the sale and transfer of national public lands to the states or private owners, O’Mara said. The organization’s more than 6 million members and supporters are committed to seeing that our country’s public lands legacy, built over more than a century, remains intact and that we improve management to ensure that our fish and wildlife populations survive and thrive, he added.

“With her background and experience with Americans of all political stripes,” O’Mara said, “Tracy is the absolute right person to lead the National Wildlife Federation’s efforts to conserve public lands. Now more than ever, we must increase collaboration among Americans across the political spectrum to improve the management and ensure sufficient funding for the places where we hunt, fish, paddle, hike, and connect to the natural world.”

Stone-Manning has lived in Montana since 1988. She earned a bachelor’s degree in radio, television and film from the University of Maryland and a master’s of science in environmental studies from the University of Montana. She started her career as an intern with the National Wildlife Federation in Washington D.C. in 1987. She is a hunter and hiker and is married to the writer Richard Manning.

Visit the National Wildlife Federation Media Center at NWF.org/News.

Shop at Dillons and Support the Kansas Wildlife Federation

Do you shop at Dillons?

Did you know that the Kansas Wildlife Federation is participating in their Community Rewards program?

Now, when you shop at Dillons and use your Rewards Card, the Kansas Wildlife Federation will get credit for every purchase you make!

Here’s what you need to do:

The Kansas Wildlife Federation’s NPO number is 62633.

A customer must have 3 things to register and begin supporting the Kansas Wildlife Federation:

  • A Plus card, which is available at any store by asking an associate
  • A valid email address, which can be obtained from any free online service and can be anonymous
  • A personalized account at our website, which again can be anonymous

TO ENROLL IN THE COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM:

1.   Members must visit Dillon’s website at www.dillons.com/communityrewards

2.  Sign in OR Create an account (see below on creating an online account at our website)

3.  Click on “Enroll Now”

4.  Enter the 5-digit NPO and search

5.  Select your Organization and click on “Enroll”

TO CREATE AN ONLINE ACCOUNT AT OUR WEBSITE:

1.  Visit our website at www.dillons.com/communityrewards 

2.  Click on “Register” at the top of the page

3.  Enter your email address, password, zip code (select preferred store) and check the box if you desire to receive email communitcation from us

4.  Click on “Create Account” at the bottom of the page

5.  You will receive an email confirmation to your inbox, to activate your account click on the link in the body of the email and enter your sign in information to confirm

For assistance setting up an online account or with general questions, please feel free to contact us at 800-576-4377 option 3.  Administrators are always welcome to email us at [email protected].

Please share this with your friends and let’s help outdoor Kansas !

From the Annual Meeting straight to Congress

The following is correspondence NWF delegates received shortly after returning from the NWF Annual Meeting held June 16-18 at the YMCA of the Rockies at Estes Park, Colorado. It summarizes what was accomplished at the meeting.

 

It was great seeing so many of you at the National Wildlife Federation Annual Meeting in Colorado last week – what an amazing meeting, from the caucuses to the breakout sessions to the incredible presentations to the major decisions you made to strengthen our Federation and align us together – a new vision statement, bylaws changes, resolutions, election of the Federation Board of Directors’ Chair-Elect, and more. I’ve never been to an Annual Meeting where the affiliates worked harder, got more done and had more impact. As Alabama Wildlife Federation’s Rebecca Pritchett told us, “Our Federation is back!”

 

For those of you who couldn’t make it, I’ll do a quick recap below – but first I wanted to share a remarkable development.

 

The affiliates on Saturday passed a resolution calling for Congress to enact a wildlife funding bill of at least $1.3 billion annually. Tomorrow – Thursday, five days later (drum roll, please) — Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Don Young (R-AK) will introduce a wildlife funding bill for $1.3 billion annually.

 

WOW.

 

All that didn’t happen overnight, of course, and many affiliates have been working with the national staff for the last few months to line this up. But still – wow. Talk about resolutions that matter. And that was just one of twelve.

 

The others are equally impressive and we expect them to be similarly impactful. The affiliates passed a resolution calling for expanding Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in Hawai’i to become the largest national marine monument ever – and thanks to the work of the Conservation Council of Hawai’i, we expect President Obama to take action on that soon. Last Thursday, affiliates held a news conference at the start of the Annual Meeting calling for state and federal lawmakers to keep public lands in public hands; two days later the affiliates passed a resolution condemning the Malheur occupation and calling for support of law enforcement. Ten affiliates and the national organization debuted their new public lands short film entitled “This Land is Your Land” (soon to be a box office sensation!). We continue to battle attempts at public lands seizures in state legislatures and in Congress and we continue to win.  In 2016 alone, we’ve beaten back 13 bills and demonstrated unwavering opposition to transfer bills in Congress.

Those are just a few of the breaking issues our Federation addressed through our resolutions at the Annual Meeting. We have a news release link below that describes all the resolutions as well as the other major events at the AM. (The links to the resolutions in the news release aren’t live yet; in another day or so they will be and you can click them then to get to the full text of the final resolutions).

 

Here are a few more highlights of the Annual Meeting:

 

The affiliates’ unanimous adoption of a new We Envision statement that calls on our Federation to reverse the species decline in the U.S., mobilize a conservation army of 75 million people, and build a nationwide public that supports a conservation ethic. Through the general session and an overflow breakout session, the affiliates made numerous changes to improve the initial draft;

 

The affiliates’ approval of amendments to the Federation’s bylaws, including insertion of last year’s We Believe statement into the Bylaws as a preamble, and a new mission statement: “Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrives in a rapidly changing world.” The complete bylaws amendment can be found on the Annual Meeting website; the proposed bylaws on the website were adopted without changes.

 

The affiliates’ election of NWF’s Board of Directors and the Board’s Chair-Elect, Kathy Hadley of the Montana Wildlife Federation. Kathy and the other remaining candidate, Board member Nicole Wood, engaged in a spirited, positive and constructive campaign; we are lucky they have chosen our Federation in which to invest their inspiring talents, expertise and passion.

 

Exceptional, moving, and informative presentations from Brenda Richardson on the Washington, D.C. affiliate Earth Conservation Corps’ work to save both at-risk young adults and the Anacostia River (as featured on a “60-Minutes” TV episode); Jason Baldes on the return of sacred bison to Eastern Shashone and other tribal lands; and Vanessa Braided Hair, co-founder of Eco-Cheyenne. You’ll be able to see these presentations in their entirety on the NWF website soon.

 

Awards to deserving individuals and organizations, including the staff of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for building bridges to the local community that withstood the armed occupation of the Refuge, and our Affiliate of the Year, the Oregon’s Association of Northwest Steelheaders.

Conservation priority caucuses that affiliates used to map out campaigns and joint actions on water, public lands, captive cervids, climate and energy, youth engagement, conservation funding and sportsmen’s issues;

 

Breakout sessions that covered topics ranging from diversity/equity/inclusion to fundraising to advocacy campaigns; and

 

A whirlwind speech by Collin, delivered at warp speed without notes, that described the affiliate’s and NWF’s work in each one of the 52 states and territories, the state of national policy, and our Federation’s vision, and brought all of us to our feet – in just 45 minutes. That too will be available online, and I’d recommend sticking close to the “pause” button to make sure you can take it all in.

 

There’s so much more – the beautiful setting, a wild elk calf kicking a soccer ball, Doug Inkley on a zipline — but this email is long enough. Thank you for your hard work, passion, and commitment to our Federation. You give us hope for wildlife.

 

Here’s the news release that includes a summary of all the resolutions:

 

http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/General-NWF/2016/06-21-16-NWF-Commits-to-New-Vision-For-Wildlife-Conservation-80th-Annual-Meeting.aspx

 

Andy Buchsbaum

NWF VP of Conservation Action

CALENDAR of EVENTS

May 14                        4TH Annual Grassland Heritage Foundation Plant Sale Lawrence 785-840-8104

May 15-16      Geary County Fish & Game Assoc. ATA registered shoot 785-238-8727

June 3-12        Nebraska Wildflower Week Nebraska Native Plant Society http://nnps.wsc.edu/

June 4             Spring Wildflower Tour Maxwell Wildlife Refuge [email protected]

June 5-10        KWF 28th Outdoor Adventure Camp kids 10-12 Call Theresa Berger 785-658-5159

June 11           Spring Wildflower Tour Maxwell Wildlife Refuge [email protected]

June 11           17th Annual Cowley Co. Wildflower Tour Winfield [email protected]

June 11           Women on Target event Geary County Fish & Game Assoc. Shirley Allen 785-375-7305

June 11           Prairie Field Day Mine Creek Battlefield Linn Co. Tami Neal [email protected]

June 16-18      National Wildlife Federation 80th Annual Meeting Estes Park, CO

June 18           FOK Cleanup Float Johnson Co. Register at [email protected]

June 18           Prairie Pollinators: Wildflowers and Butterflies Chase Co. [email protected]

June 25           FOK River Cleanup below Springhill Suites Register at [email protected]

July 16                        Float the Kansas River Manhattan CVB Register w/Marcia Rozell 785.776.8829

July 16                        FOK Little Apple Paddle Event Register with Marcia Rozell 785.776.8829

July 30                        FOK Let’s Paddle the Kaw event Register with Marcia Rozell 785.776.8829

Aug 2-4           KGLC Mid  & Shortgrass Range School Scott County Registration www.kglc.org

Aug 6              FOK Water Matters Day More info from Marcia Rozell 785.776.8829

Aug 16-18       KGLC Tallgrass Range School Camp Wood Registration www.kglc.org

Aug 27                        FOK Let’s Paddle the Kaw event Register with Marcia Rozell 785.776.8829

Sept 10                        FOK Let’s Paddle the Kaw event Register with Marcia Rozell 785.776.8829

Sept 24                        FOK Great Kaw Adventure Race Register with Marcia Rozell 785.776.8829

Oct 7-8                        FOK Fundraiser event Astronomy & Wine Register w/Marcia Rozell 785.776.8829

Oct 8               FOK Let’s Paddle the Kaw event Register with Marcia Rozell 785.776.8829

Oct 29             FOK Little Apple Glow Paddle Register with Marcia Rozell 785.776.8829

For a more up-to-date calendar go to http://www.kswildlife.org/ww/events/.

Gina McCarthy: NWF Conservationist of the Year

 

The National Wildlife Federation to Honor Administrator McCarthy and Four Others with National Conservation Achievement Awards

By Miles Grant

As part of its 80th anniversary celebrations, the National Wildlife Federation will recognize five notable individuals for their outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation at the Conservation Achievement Awards.

“These individuals have all made remarkable efforts towards our shared goal of protecting America’s natural heritage,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “It is dedicated people like these who will help us maintain healthy wildlife populations in the future. We are particularly honored to recognize Gina McCarthy as the ‘Conservationist of the Year’ for her tireless efforts over the past three decades to protect America’s air, water and wildlife.”

A luncheon event was held April 14th in the same historic room the organization was founded, the Grand Ballroom at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. The following three individuals were honored:

Gina McCarthy – Conservationist of the Year: Gina McCarthy has served as the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency since July 2013 and she has been a leading advocate for common-sense strategies to protect public health and the environment. During her tenure, McCarthy has taken the President’s call to act on the climate and made it one of her top priorities for the EPA, most notably through the Clean Power Plan and the Clean Water Rule. She also spearheads the agency’s commitment to addressing environmental justice concerns and to making a visible difference in communities. Over her 30-year career, she has worked at both the state and local levels on policies regarding economic growth, energy, transportation and the environment. For example, McCarthy oversaw the development of the first mercury and air toxics standards which delivered huge protections to wildlife like the bald eagle, as well as public health benefits for many Americans.

Lowell E. Baier – Jay N. “Ding” Darling Conservation Award: Lowell Baier is an attorney, entrepreneur, conservationist, historian, and author. Baier’s passion for the outdoors began on his family’s Indiana farm and Montana ranch. After co-founding Wild Sheep Foundation and being active in the Boone and Crocket Club, Baier led President George H.W. Bush’s wildlife conservation agenda, and he has advised all three successive administrations on wildlife issues. Baier has led the creation of natural resources and wildlife conservation Ph.D. programs at five universities. He led a national campaign to raise $6 million to purchase the last remaining piece of privately held land that was Theodore Roosevelt’s historic Elkhorn Ranch, adjacent to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Baier recently authored Inside the Equal Access to Justice Act: Environmental Litigation and the Crippling Battle over America’s Lands, Endangered Species, and Their Critical Habitat and he is at work on Voices from the Wilderness: A Biography, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Baier presently serves on the President’s Leadership Council of the National Wildlife Federation and works with a number of other conservation groups.

Martha Darling – National Conservation Achievement Award: Over the past two decades, Martha Darling has picked up where her relative and National Wildlife Federation founder Ding Darling left off: Building power and clout for the National Wildlife Federation. Now part of the President’s Leadership Council comprised of the NWF’s most generous donors and ardent supporters  Martha also helped resurrect the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund; bringing her political passions to the national advocacy scene. Through her leadership, the NWF Action Fund has provided vital support to wildlife champions on Capitol Hill, worked with NWF’s state affiliates on ballot measures, and continues to grow its grassroots efforts.

At a reception that night at the Stewart R. Mott House, the National Wildlife Federation honored two congressional partners with National Conservation Achievement Awards for their work with NWF over the past year. Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) was recognized for his leadership advancing reforms to the Toxic Substances Control Act and for protecting, defending and securing funding for public lands. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) was recognized for his leadership championing legislation to protect the Boulder-White Clouds, which resulted in the federal protection of more than 275,000 acres of prime hunting, fishing and wildlife habitat in Idaho.

The organization will announce additional Conservation Achievement Award winners at the National Wildlife Federation’s 80th Annual Meeting in June in Estes Park, CO.

2016 Annual Meeting Registration Form

Yes – I am registering for the KWF Annual Meeting to be held February 26th at the Great Plains Nature Center at 6232 E. 29th St. N. and February 27th at the Hotel at Old Town Conference Center at 210 N. Mosley in Wichita.

Name _________________________________________________

Address _______________________________________________

City __________________________ State ____ Zip ___________

Telephone _____________________ E-mail __________________

Meeting Registration (includes Lunch):            ______ @ $20 (before 2-12-16)

______ @ $25 (after 2-12-16)

Conservation Achievement Banquet:  ______ @ $30 (before 2-12-16)

______ @ $40 (after 2-12-16)

Total Sent:       ______

I will bring an item to be auctioned for KWF’s education programs.   Yes ___           No ___

Please make checks payable to Kansas Wildlife Federation

MAIL TO: KWF Annual Meeting

Kansas Wildlife Federation

P.O. Box 771282

Wichita, KS 67277-1282