National Wildlife Federation

The National Wildlife Federation is a prominent American conservation organization, with over 4 million members and supporters and 46 state affiliate organizations; its annual budget is over $80 million.

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NWF was founded in 1936 by editorial cartoonist Jay Norwood Darling (a.k.a. "Ding" Darling) when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt convened the first North American Wildlife Conference.

Related Topics:
1936 - Jay Norwood Darling - Franklin Delano Roosevelt

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Among other endeavors the organization publishes a variety of wildlife magazines including: Wild Animal Baby, Your Big Backyard, Ranger Rick and National Wildlife.

Related Topics:
Wild Animal Baby - Your Big Backyard - Ranger Rick - National Wildlife

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NWF also produced a number of IMAX films, including Coral Reef Adventure, , Bears and Dolphins.

Related Topics:
Coral Reef Adventure - Bears - Dolphins

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In the 1980s, Jay Hair, formerly a special assistant to Secretary of Interior Cecil Andrus in the Carter Administration, transformed the organization, doubling its membership and tripling its budget. He did so by closely allying himself with big business, creating the Corporate Conservation Council with what critics call "some of the world's most toxic organizations": ARCO, Ciba-Geigy, Dow Chemical, DuPont, Exxon, General Electric, General Motors, IBM, Mobil Oil, Monsanto, Penzoil, USX, Waste Management and Weyerhauser. NWF grants them the prestige of being associated with the country's largest environmental group in exchange for millions in corporate grants.

Related Topics:
Jay Hair - Secretary of Interior - Cecil Andrus - Carter Administration - Corporate Conservation Council - ARCO - Ciba-Geigy - Dow Chemical - DuPont - Exxon - General Electric - General Motors - IBM - Mobil Oil - Monsanto - Penzoil - USX - Waste Management - Weyerhauser

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In 1986, the Federation took 357 acre (1.4 km²) tract of forest donated by member Claude Moore to be managed as a wildlife sanctuary and sold it to a developer for $8.5 million. The resulting cash was used to pay for the construction of the Federation's new seven-story office building in DC. Moore sued the organization for breaching its contract to manage the land as a nature preserve but lost.

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After moving from the building located in modern day Dupont Circle in 2001, the current headquarters building is Reston, Virginia at 11100 Wildlife Center Drive.

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