Canadian Wildlife Federation - History and Mission

History and Mission

The Canadian Wildlife Federation was founded in 1961 and chartered in 1962. Membership was restricted to the ten provincial wildlife federations until the early 1970s when the CWF allowed individual Canadians to become members and supporters.

In 1977, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created, which produced the first list of endangered species at risk and is still being updated today.

The Canadian Wildlife Federation is devoted to teaching others to appreciate the natural world in order to ensure a lasting legacy of healthy wildlife and a stress-free habitat.

To meet these goals, the Canadian Wildlife Federation:

• Informs and educates other Canadians on wildlife and natural habitats;
• Promotes responsible human actions and conservation; and
• Represents wildlife on conservation issues.

The Canadian Wildlife Federation aims to inform Canadians about wildlife by spreading the word using media such as posters, magazines, newsletters, WebPages and community events. By doing this, CWF hopes to inspire other Canadians to donate and support the organization in order to run the programs that teach Canadians about wildlife. Finally, CWF aims to educate and increase awareness on problems concerning Canadian wildlife and how Canadians can aid in the preservation of natural environments and animal welfare.

In 2011, the CWF took steps to reduce the organization’s carbon footprint including, weighing their mail to avoid over-mailing, less travel and more centralized meetings, installing solar units and recycling. The purpose of this was to assess their carbon footprint, to raise additional money with less investment and to reduce the foundation’s environmental impact.