Our Work

The strength of the National Wildlife Federation has always been our ability to collaborate with diverse conservation interests and rally multiple voices toward solutions for wildlife. Our work with hunting and angling voices reflects this strength. We do this through managing and playing critical roles in large coalitions (often behind the scenes), serving on advisory roundtables, working the halls of Congress and state capitols, and conducting education and communication campaigns based on scientific research.

Artemis Sportswomen

Artemis is a unique and fast-growing initiative from the National Wildlife Federation to empower, recruit, and elevate the voices of female hunter and angler conservationists. In the midst of declining overall participation in hunting and fishing in many states, participation by women is growing. Artemis provides a resource for women to learn from each other and share outdoor skills and organize in support of conservation values.

Great Lakes Conservation Coalition

The National Wildlife Federation organizes, staffs, and serves on the steering committee for the Great Lakes Conservation Coalition, an informal affiliation of conservation groups working in the Great Lakes region and collectively representing millions of hunters and anglers. Working together, the Great Lakes Conservation Coalition help advance solutions to the conservation challenges threatening our fish, wildlife, and outdoor heritage, with an initial focus of keeping invasive carp out of the Great Lakes.

Elk in Field

Public Lands

Public lands are the backbone of the American hunting and angling experience. From pursuing white-tailed deer in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and native brook trout in Maine to stalking elk and cutthroat trout in the Rockies, the value of public lands to our sporting traditions cannot be overstated. With over 640 million acres of public lands, Americans are the envy of the world when it comes to access and opportunity. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of threats to these landscapes. From irresponsible mining and energy development to water depletion, population growth causing overuse and abuse, and a myriad other threats, it is more important than ever to stand up for our public lands, one of America’s greatest gifts. Hunters and anglers have always stepped up to the plate to protect public lands and wildlife when they got the call. We understand that with our immense privilege of millions of acres of public lands and wild, healthy wildlife populations, there also comes the obligation and duty to protect and serve these valuable assets. That means we need to vehemently protect our public lands. We have and will continue to accept this calling.

Lead-Free Landscapes

The Lead-Free Landscapes campaign works with hunters and anglers to promote the voluntary switch to lead-free ammunition and tackle through in-person events, innovative collaborations, a full communications suite, and outdoor media, to increase the numbers of hunters and anglers using lead-free alternatives and reduce the negative impacts of lead on wildlife.

Texas Living Waters

The National Wildlife Federation is a partner in and provides staff support to the Texas Living Waters Project. The Texas Living Waters Project is a collaboration of conservation groups working to transform the way we manage water so there will be enough for our wildlife, our economy, and our kids. Forever.

Vanishing Paradise

Vanishing Paradise was launched as joint initiative between the National Wildlife Federation and Ducks Unlimited in 2009 to restore and conserve Gulf Coast wetlands, which are being lost at the rate of a football field a day. This critical habitat supports waterfowl throughout North America, from the Great Lakes to the Great Plains and into Canada, as well as inshore, offshore, and freshwater fish from redfish to bass. Vanishing Paradise is staffed and supported by the National Wildlife Federation.

Wildlife Conflict Resolution

The National Wildlife Federation uses a collaborative and market-based approach to retire grazing allotments on public lands experiencing conflicts between livestock and wildlife like bighorn sheep, bison, wolves, and bears. Working with federal land managers, the National Wildlife Federation negotiates with willing ranchers to compensate them for their grazing leases so they can secure grazing elsewhere with fewer conflicts and more security.

Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters

The National Wildlife Federation is a supporting member of the Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters. Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters is a coalition of hunters, anglers, businesses, and organizations working to defend the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from proposed sulfide-ore copper mining.

Hunter Angler Working Group (HAWG)

The Hunter Angler Working Group is an internal Federation working group of all the hook-and-bullet oriented affiliates and National Wildlife Federation hunting and angling staff. We meet on a monthly basis to discuss hunting and angling issues and policies from around the country. This group fosters collaboration and learning from experiences and issues around the country and makes the federation unique in its expertise and scope. The HAWG also uses these meetings to develop and promote hunting- and angling-centric policy within the federation.

Hunters for Bison

National Wildlife Federation and Montana Wildlife Federation are working together to empower hunters, who have play a key role as conservationists and have achieved tremendous success in restoring America’s native wildlife. This is especially true of bison. Yet there is much work to be done and restoring wild, free-roaming bison to suitable habitat on public land could be the crowning success of the hunter-conservationist.

Sportsmen and hunter-conservationists are proud of our leading role in America’s long, successful push to restore wildlife. Together, we can continue to lead the way toward restoration of wild bison to appropriate habitat in the Northern Plains.