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National Wildlife Foundation

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (or just the National Wildlife Foundation) is one of North America’s biggest non-profit funders of wildlife conservation. The Foundation is governed by its thirty-member Board of Directors, and, unlike most other conservation-based organizations, it is not supported or sustained by a membership program.

The Foundation’s role is to protect and restore America’s fish and wildlife, and to organize innovative solutions to the ever-increasing need for environmental conservation. The Foundation achieves such goals by providing grants to related organizations and agencies to help them implement scientifically-plausible conservation programs, and also by implementing similar programs with private partners such as the Walton Foundation, Wal-Mart, Shell Oil, FedEx, Altria, the Moore Foundation, Covanta, Southern Company, and many more.

The National Wildlife Foundation’s Conservation Projects

Bird conservation – The National Wildlife Foundation tends to focus on resident and migratory species in its bird program, especially those that are on the nation’s ‘high priority’ list. Presently, the Foundation is especially concerned about the future of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast shorebirds such as the American Oystercatcher. The numbers of these magnificent birds have declined for decades, and now it is estimated that there are no more than Continue Reading »

Utah Wildlife

Utah is a geographically diverse American state that is respected and admired for its natural beauty. Indeed, across the state you’re likely to see terrain that constantly transitions from deserts with sand dunes to dense pine forests and mountain valleys. Thanks to this diverse terrain, Utah wildlife can be viewed easily and with little effort. In fact, over 600 species of reptiles, mammals, fishes, birds, and amphibians call the state their home.

Although Utah’s wildlife is observable in the wild, however, the best places to view it in a safe and controlled manner is to head to one of its famed wildlife sites. Let’s take a look at the best of these sites.

The Best Places to View Utah Wildlife

The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge – This refuge, located west of Brigham City in Box Elder County, is a fantastic place to view the birds of Northern Utah. If you visit the refuge in Fall (which is the best time to go, although Summer and Spring are also good times), you’re likely to get a decent glimpse of species such as the White-faced Ibis, Long-billed Curlew, Snowy Plover, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Marbled Godwit, not to mention thousands of waterfowl and tundra swans. The refuge contains a Continue Reading »

RSPB

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a British charity that promotes the conservation and preservation and birds through petitions, public awareness campaigns, and the operation of wildlife reserves in the UK. According to recent statistics, the society has over 2,000 official employees, approximately 18,000 active volunteers, at least a million registered members (of whom 15% are young members), and over 200 nature reserves, which makes it the biggest conservation-based society in Europe.

The History of the RSPB

Established in 1889 by Manchester-born Emily Williamson to protest against the then-fashionable female practice of wearing the feathers of exotic birds in hats or fur in clothing, the charity – which began under the name ‘The Plumage League’ – snowballed in popularity from the outset and soon merged with another popular charity of its time, the London-based Fur and Feather League. When combined, the two charities became known as the RSPB, a name that has remained unchanged since.

Over time, the charity began to draw the attention of women who actually belonged to the upper classes that first made it fashionable to wear fur and feathered hats. This influential audience, coupled with the hard work of its original founders, led to the charity enjoying a significant increase in Continue Reading »

Wildlife WayStation

The Wildlife WayStation is a non-profit, 160-acre animal sanctuary in Los Angeles whose mission is to rescue and rehabilitate exotic and wild animals. Located on the outskirts of Angeles National Forest, north of San Fernando Valley, the refuge was founded in 1976 by an American animal activist and wildlife expert named Martine Colette, who remains the director of the organization to this day. Since its inception, the sanctuary has provided shelter to over 75,000 animals from all over the world, and remains a 24-hour, 7 day-a-week operation. According to Colette, it was established due to a significant lack of animal support facilities in Los Angeles County.

What Animals Does the Wildlife WayStation Hold?

The Wildlife WayStation freely admits that it never turns down an abused animal; for this reason, the kinds of animals it embraces are varied. Indeed, not all of its animals are native to the local area or even North America.

American black bears – Despite their name, these bears come in a variety of colors and are not exclusively black. When brown colored, the American black bear is often mistaken for a grizzly bear, but the former is actually much smaller and lacks the latter’s trademark large claws.

Grizzly bears – The infamous grizzly bear is a huge and fearsome beast, and a large male can weigh up to 700 pounds. A little-known fact is that Continue Reading »

Oklahoma Wildlife Department

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), or just the Oklahoma Wildlife Department, is the official Department of Wildlife for Oklahoma state. Specifically, it is the state agency responsible for the professional management of wildlife and fish. Because the Department receives no tax appropriations for its work, its income is hugely reliant upon hunting and fishing license fees, special taxes earned via the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (a national conservation program headquartered in Washington D.C.), and the purchasing of motorboat fuel by anglers and hunters.

The Mission Statement of the Oklahoma Wildlife Department

In essence, the Oklahoma Wildlife Department aims to manage, protect, and improve the wildlife resources of Oklahoma for the scientific, economic, aesthetic, and educational benefit of the state’s current and future citizens. In other words, the department wants to look after the wildlife of Oklahoma through established means. A lot of people believe that it is contradictory for a department to claim to protect wildlife and yet offer hunting licenses as a matter of routine, but of course, the gentle and monitored culling of overpopulated species (or species that risk becoming overpopulated) is a necessary method of Continue Reading »

Texas Wildlife Association

While there are dozens of government programs in place to work on environmental conservation, there are also many non-profit organizations around the country with the same goal in mind. One such organization is the Texas Wildlife Association, which is made up of private Texas landowners looking to reduce their impact on the environment. This association focuses on hunting and conservation education for both youths and adults, with the goal of making members become aware of their effect on their natural surroundings.

The History and Goals of the Texas Wildlife Association

The Texas Wildlife Association was formed in 1985 by a group of like-minded hunters, wildlife managers, and ranchers with the goal of developing an ethical and sustainable relationship with nature. According to the association, over 95% of land in Texas is privately owned, which means that government programs have no authority over these people’s treatment of nature. This was realized by the founders, which is why the Association’s mission is to recruit as many private landowners as possible and to educate them on Continue Reading »

Wild Life Resources

North America is a continent filled with dozens of different habitats that are home to tens of thousands of different species. These habitats also happen to be a valuable resource for the maintenance and development of human society, which is a relationship that is not faring well for the environment. For this reason, each state contains numerous wild life resources agencies that specialize in issues pertaining to the environment. Such agencies issue hunting and fishing licenses, enforce of hunting and fishing regulations, educate people on the different local species and their native habitats, and provide safety tips to protect both humans and wildlife from harm.

Wild Life Resources for Hunting and Fishing

One of the primary functions of an agency in charge of wildlife issues is to handle matters related to hunting and fishing. This includes controlling the number of hunting and fishing licenses issued, as well as keeping number of the track of the game and fish harvested by each licensee. This allows the agency to monitor the effects of human interaction on species and to interfere if populations get too low.

Such agencies are also responsible for enforcing the regulations placed on hunters and fishers. Officers of the agency work with local law enforcement to patrol popular hunting and fishing spots to ensure everyone adheres to the rules. They also are on a constant vigil for unlicensed hunters looking to poach as much game or fish as possible, since such activity increases the likelihood of Continue Reading »

Division of Wildlife

Ever since man came out of the caves we have been exploiting wildlife for resources necessary for survival. Since there was no-one to regulate hunting and fishing thousands of years ago, some species where hunted and fished into extinction. In modern times, government agencies have been created to regulate hunting and fishing, as well as to educate citizens on various forms of wildlife. On the federal level, there is the United States Fishing and Wildlife Services, and on the state level there is the Division of Wildlife, which work together to enforce regulations that ensure that the delicate balance of wildlife ecosystems is maintained.

The Duties of the Division of Wildlife

Due to the varying types of ecosystems around the country, each state has an agency that handles nature conservation programs and regulations specific to their state. One duty of this Division is the issuing of hunting and fishing licenses. Each Division’s website will have a complete list of the rules and regulations of hunting and fishing licenses, as well as the complete process of acquiring these licenses.

This is one of the Division’s most important duties, as without hunting regulations many species and fish would already be extinct. Many coastal cities are already experiencing the adverse affects of Continue Reading »

Wildlife Act

Before 1956, there were comparatively few laws regarding wildlife management in the United States. However, as fish populations in particular began to drastically decline in certain areas, the American government felt the need to step in, and created the Fish and Wildlife Act. This was the first act to be passed with the primary intention of conserving nature. Although its main focus was on conserving and protecting certain populations of fish, it also expanded the government’s role in general wildlife conservation around the nation. The act was expanded in 1998 to allow groups of volunteers to promote organizations that benefit the national wildlife refuges. Since the passing of this act, many additional laws have been created with environmental protection as their chief concern.

Other Acts After the Original Fish and Wildlife Act

The original Fish and Wildlife Act paved the way for many other wildlife laws. One such law is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This act serves to protect certain species of migratory birds from over-hunting. It made the hunting, buying, selling, and possession of any migratory bird illegal. This extends to the bird’s feathers, eggs, nest, or anything else that endangers the safety of the birds. (Although there are exceptions to this rule; for example, migratory birds such as ducks, geese and doves can be hunted with a license during certain seasons). The fine for breaking this law is between $5000 and $10000 for misdemeanors, and $250,000 and $500,000 for Continue Reading »

Wikipedia Wildlife

In 2004, Jimmy Wales changed the face of Internet research forever when he created Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that can be edited and updated by anyone. Today, Wikipedia has thousands upon thousands of pages on a wide variety of topics. One of its many aims is to educate people using layman’s terms instead of academic vocabulary, which can be verbose and difficult to understand. The Wikipedia wildlife page is an excellent page to read, since it provides a clear definition of the somewhat general term ‘wildlife’, as well as information on which species of plants and animals are affected by human negligence. Hopefully, as more and more people become educated on humanity’s impact on wildlife, they will alter their lifestyles before our planet is irreversibly destroyed.

The Definition of Wildlife According to the Wikipedia Wildlife Page

According to the Wikipedia page on wildlife, the definition of wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants and animals. There is a common misconception that the term wildlife only refers to plants and animals in areas like the African Savannah or the jungles of the Amazon rainforest that have no contact with humans. The truth is that anything that is not domesticated by human hands is considered wildlife. For example, a stray cat with no owner is a Continue Reading »

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