MOTOR VEHICLE EMMISIONS

National Wildlife Federation and Motor Vehicle Emissions

National Wildlife Federation and Motor Vehicle Emissions

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over 4 million members and supporters, and 47 state and territorial affiliated organizations. The NWF strives to remain "A national network of like-minded state and territorial groups, seeking balanced, common-sense solutions to environmental problems that work for wildlife and people." Its mission statement is "to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future."

The National Wildlife Federation unites sportsmen, outdoor enthusiasts, bird-watchers, wildlife gardeners, nature lovers, and others, bringing together a broad spectrum of people who share a passionate concern for wildlife. Affiliates from across the country have created a national network of like-minded state and local groups who seek balanced, common-sense solutions to environmental problems.

To achieve its mission, NWF offers the following services to individuals, organizations, and businesses: accessible conservation training, leadership training, educational curricula, information outreach, and networking opportunities. NWF frequently partners with other conservation organizations and corporations to achieve its goals.

NWF seeks to educate people of all ages by publishing a variety of wildlife magazines, including Wild Animal Baby, Your Big Backyard, Ranger Rick, and National Wildlife Magazine, and by the Backyard Habitat series on Discovery's Animal Planet along with IMAX films, such as Coral Reef Adventure, India: Kingdom of the Tiger, Bears, Wolves, and Dolphins. It maintains an on-line field guide of flora and fauna called Enature.com. Additionally, the NWF offers hands-on training and support for habitat restoration through its Backyard Wildlife Habitat and Schoolyard Habitat programs.

NWF also created Conservation Summits (a harbinger of eco-tourism and green living trends) with the first Summit on July 20-25, 1970 at the YMCA of the Rockies, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. There have been 109 Summits since 1970, with notable environmental educators, naturalists, authors, and artists such as Robert Michael Pyle, Jim Halfpenny, Roger Tory Peterson, Clare Walker Leslie, Annie Tiberio Cameron, and NWF 33-year employee and Chief Naturalist Craig Tufts (1946-2009) all on faculty at many Summits. Week-long Summits have been held most frequently in Colorado, North Carolina, and New York, but also in Wisconsin, California, Maine, Washington, Wyoming, Utah, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, and other locations. The NWF changed the name to Family Summits in 2000. In 2006, several longtime Summiteers formed a non-profit corporation, Family Summits, Inc., to take over the project; they continue the tradition under the name Family Nature Summits.

NWF has developed a new Green Hour program aimed at Reversing Nature Deficit in children brought on by their spending an average of six daily hours indoors watching TV, playing video games or chatting online.

Some of NWF's specific conservation priorities include: seeking solutions to global warming; reducing mercury pollution; strengthening the Endangered Species Act; combating invasive species; saving the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling; restoring America's waterways; reforming the Army Corps of Engineers; and educating future environmental stewards.

Sharp increases in air and water pollution, land degradation, droughts and wildlife losses are facing ...