NWF: A Vital Voice for Wildlife, 90 Years In

At 90, NWF is still proving conservation can bring Americans together to find common ground, says NWF President and CEO Collin O’Mara

By Collin O’Mara
NWF News
Jun 24, 2026

Throughout the 20th century, NWF created a variety of stamps benefiting wildlife conservation. Learn more.

THE HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION is the history of the modern conservation movement.

Our seminal gathering in February 1936 brought together hunters, anglers, hikers, birders and outdoor advocates of every stripe to highlight America’s wildlife crisis. That convening in Washington, D.C., showed what’s possible when people speak with one voice for wildlife.

Even amid the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, conservationists and advocates motivated Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt to codify into law that wildlife and their habitats should be conserved and restored for the public and not owned and managed only for the fortunate few. These victories laid the foundation for what we today call the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and were the first of many landmark wins that our One Federation has championed through the years.

NWF at 90, by the numbers:

7 million members & supporters

52 state & territorial affiliates

4,000+ partner organizations

332,000 Certified Wildlife Habitats^® worldwide

For nine decades, NWF has been in the room working on and negotiating every major modern conservation law, from the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act to the Great American Outdoors Act and today’s push to pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. We’ve done this by building bridges and welcoming all into the conservation movement.

Despite these victories, the immense and interconnected challenges wildlife and people face are growing. More than one-third of U.S. wildlife species are at heightened risk of extinction due to habitat loss, invasive species, disease and other factors including climate change, which is fueling unprecedented unnatural fires, floods, hurricanes and severe storms. Environmental injustices threaten the lives and livelihoods of communities across the United States.

At a time when our country feels increasingly defined by its divisions, the National Wildlife Federation’s approach is more essential now than ever. We are proving that conservation still can bring Americans together to find common ground.

We saw this recently at a public lands rally, perfectly captured by a handwritten sign, “Rednecks & Tree Huggers United!” We see it every time communities come together to clean up a river or restore a park, moments when we view each other not as political opponents but as neighbors. This focus on finding common ground—rooted in a deep patriotism of place and our enduring love of nature—is not only how we save wildlife but how we save ourselves.