The Time is Now
Protecting Wildlife, People, and Our Planet
Letter from Collin O’Mara
President and CEO
National Wildlife Federation
As the adage goes, we do not inherit the land, water, and wildlife from our parents, we borrow them from our children…
Wildlife
Restore & Recover
With one-third of all U.S. wildlife species at-risk or vulnerable to extinction, our wildlife is feeling the impacts of habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, and emerging diseases…
Education & Engagement
An Early Start for a Brighter Future
Connecting today’s youth to nature is fundamental to protecting our environment and benefits both people and wildlife…
Tomorrow
Partnerships
Forging Alliances for Good
The National Wildlife Federation’s work conserving wildlife around the world relies upon our close partnerships with allies to reach larger audiences, advocate for sustainability, and achieve aligned and measurable actions that encourage agricultural and forestry practices to protect forests and other important ecosystems…
Equity & Environmental Justice
Relationship Building & Engagement
After years of ongoing efforts, the National Wildlife Federation has a dedicated team of professionals leading us toward truly becoming an anti-racist organization, institutionalizing principles of equity and justice throughout our organization and among our staff…
Climate
Transitioning to a Clean Economy
From native grasslands to coastal wetlands to bottomland hardwood forests, nature plays a vital role in sequestering carbon and shielding communities from the effects of severe climate-fueled fires, floods, hurricanes, and storms…
addressing climate
change in national
parks
Land & Water
A Source of Inspiration and Wonder
Stewardship and caring for the land and water is at the crux of why the National Wildlife Federation is invested in conservation policy work…
Making a Difference
Making a Difference
Oregon Fish Eggs to Fry Program
This vast partnership is a classroom salmon and trout rearing program and has provided resources for the 150+ participating classrooms. The program also delivers eggs, technical aquarium expertise, educator professional development, classroom presentations, field trip assistance, and more.
Winter Storm Uri Legislative
Winter storm Uri’s record-breaking polar vortex crippled cities and wildlife across Texas. The Federation’s Texas Coast and Water Program issued a detailed policy brief for state decision-makers outlining the legislative interventions needed to address the state’s long-running water infrastructure challenges laid bare by the storm.
Meatpackers Commit to Removing Deforestation
Through a partnership, the Federation developed an innovative tool that enables meatpackers to trace the cattle they buy and monitor for deforestation. National and international media coverage succeeded in raising awareness of this challenge with key beef and leather buyers and brands.
The RiSC Youth Resilience Ambassador Corp
RiSC is an eight-week summer program introducing students to climate change and resilience concepts. The students designed a Coastal Community Vulnerability Assessment that will be deployed by student teams in the Spring. A short film, “It’s Our Future,” was accepted into six film festivals in 2021: from New York to Australia!
Tribal Buffalo Vision
More acres for buffalo were secured on the Wind River Reservation, Tribal partners were engaged to elevate their values, expertise, and goals, and the Federation has continued to serve as a national leader on seeking both cultural and ecological resources for Tribes on their ancestral lands.
Children Thrive Outside
The National Wildlife Federation’s Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) team expanded nationally in 2021 to work closely with communities in Michigan, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nebraska, as well as convening a national dialogue on the importance of outdoor quality in America’s overburdened childcare system. These efforts led to greater emphasis of outdoor spaces in America’s Head Start system and paved the way to build a new generation of healthy, engaged conservation stewards.
Transforming Vacant Lots into Climate Resilient Pollinator Habitat
We piloted a project to explore how cities with vacant lots can restore these sites to provide climate-resilient wildlife habitat, green stormwater infrastructure, equitable access to nearby nature, and create economic/job training opportunities. Included, the Federation installed 50 pollinator gardens on 26 different vacant lots.
Critical Environmental Flows Legislation
With partners in Texas, the Federation’s Texas Coast and Water Program helped push a critical Texas bill which directs the state to take an active role in expanding the use of the state’s water trust to preserve instream flows in Texas rivers and freshwater inflows to our productive coastal bays and estuaries.
Fifth Annual EcoCareers Conference
Our fifth annual conference welcomed 900 people to learn about careers in conservation and sustainability. Four career sectors were selected based on their renewed importance in light of the pandemic: sustainability in healthcare; environmental justice; journalism; and green technology and infrastructure.
Sustainable Agriculture Outreach
Eight farmer Conservation Champion teams were supported through small grants, coaching, and virtual messaging and communications training. These Champions conducted peer-to-peer outreach on sustainable agriculture practices that resulted in the planting of an estimated 46,000 new acres into cover crops across six states.
Oyster Retrofit Technique
Oyster castle breakwaters were installed and studied in the Choptank River. A complex model has been produced to evaluate the effects of this installation on the shoreline over time. With an idea budding from the initial installation, the Federation is developing a novel restoration technique, the Oyster Retrofit, to green grey infrastructure.
Clean Economy Coalition of Color
An alliance of Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander leaders and advocates of color was launched in 2021 to guide clean energy economy policies and implementation. The solutions they propose will help address environmental injustices, improve climate resilience, and reduce carbon emissions.
Teach4Climate Summer Institute
A three-day summer institute for Philadelphia teachers around local climate science, communications, and how to facilitate student action. In August, the partnership explored climate change as an environmental justice issue and focused specifically on urban heat islands and solutions to heat vulnerability.