National Wildlife Week’s 70th Anniversary

National Wildlife Federation – March 14, 2008

Take the time to connect with nature and enjoy wildlife in your community this spring by participating in the National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Wildlife Watch, part of the National Wildlife Week celebration from April 19-27.

This year’s annual event marks the 70th anniversary of National Wildlife Week. It provides an opportunity for people of all ages to get outside and observe the wonders of nature by joining in the Nature Quest Wildlife Watch. Taking part is easy and it’s free. Just visit www.nwf.org/watch to download a wildlife watch list for your state. The lists include plants and animals. When you are finished, you can share your sightings online with Wildlife Watchers from around the country and chat about your discoveries.

If you don’t know where the best watching sites are, there is even a link on the web site to NatureFind, where you can identify green places and spaces in your area where wildlife is likely to be found. Who knows, you might be lucky enough to spot a bald eagle, a red fox with her kits, an elusive spring peeper frog which you often can hear but rarely actually see, a tiger swallowtail butterfly, or the brilliantly colored scarlet kingsnake.

“Spending time outdoors offers so many physical and mental benefits and leaves one with a true appreciation for the natural world. Watching for wildlife is simple, fun and builds conservation stewardship,” says Eliza Russell, Director of Education for National Wildlife Federation.

National Wildlife Week, NWF’s longest running education program, was first observed in 1938 under the name “National Wildlife Restoration Week”. It was President Franklin Roosevelt who declared the first National Wildlife Week and from the very beginning its goal has been to educate children and adults about the mysteries and wonders of wildlife, from which a conservation ethic grows. Past honorary chairs of National Wildlife Week include Walt Disney, Shirley Temple, Robert Redford and Hopalong Cassidy.

Disney summed up his feelings about wildlife when he said, “Landscapes of great wonder and beauty lie under our feet and all around us. They are discovered in tunnels in the ground, the heart of flowers, the hollows of trees, fresh-water ponds, seaweed jungles between tides, and even drops of water. Life in these hidden worlds is more startling in reality than anything we can imagine. How could this earth of ours, which is only a speck in the heavens, have so much variety of life, so many curious and exciting creatures?”

If you enjoy Wildlife Watch, consider participating in a variety of other wildlife watching programs offered by the National Wildlife Federation including Nature Quest FrogWatch USA.

Founded in 1936, National Wildlife Federations’s mission is to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future. The organization creates programs to counteract nature deficit disorder in children by encouraging parents and other care givers to get their kids to spend more time outdoors everyday.

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