Teaming with Wildlife Coalition Hits Record 4,600 Members

It was a rainy week one year ago when, high up in the mountains of the Shenandoah National Park, 70 people from 36 states came together to discuss the rejuvenation of the Teaming with Wildlife Coalition. The goal: galvanize support for new and greater funding for the state wildlife action plans by reengaging our existing coalitions and adding 100 new coalition members in every state. The result? This month, exactly one year later, Teaming with Wildlife has reached a record high of more than 4,600 member organizations , becoming the largest coalition in conservation history. But we're only getting started!

The annual Teaming with Wildlife Fly-In has been scheduled for February 27 to March 1, and a renewed national list of over 5,000 organizations will be the centerpiece of our visits on the Hill and of media outreach surrounding the final wildlife action plan approvals, expected in January 2007. With the coalition growing by leaps and bounds, this national goal of 5,000 groups is well within reach, but recommitting to the goal of 100 groups per state may provide more of a challenge. To help states achieve this goal, the Association will be offering monthly conference calls on various coalition building topics and making new outreach materials, including displays, brochures, and fact sheets available.

Beyond coalition growth, an important part of the next year will be strengthening the new partnerships created by the coalition. Gathering partners together to celebrate a newly approved wildlife action plan and decide on next steps is a great way to gain support for plan implementation and coalition efforts to secure funding. A Wildlife Summit (or Congress) can mean many things, from a large gathering of stakeholders to set priorities, to a much broader event introducing a wildlife action plan to the public . Those states that have already hosted a wildlife summit have found them to be very effective and valuable. We hope all states over the next year will host similar events and bring everyone together to help them prevent wildlife from becoming endangered!

Teaming with Wildlife is now ready to speak with a strong unified voice on the need for funding for our state fish and wildlife agencies. The coming year will be an important one for making the case to Congress: Lets leave our children and grandchildren a land worth inheriting, where fish and wildlife thrive.

For more about Teaming with Wildlife, visit www.teaming.com