Factsheets
-
About Us
The Izaak Walton League of America works at the local, regional,
and national levels to advocate for sensible solutions to the most pressing challenges facing America’s natural resources.
-
Advancing Renewable Energy
To reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil and better protect the environment, the League works to identify and promote new sources of renewable energy that are on the cutting edge of current technology.
-
Agriculture
The League advocates for farming practices that sustain both natural resources and people.
-
Cleaning the Air
The League's recent work focused on cleaning up coal-fired power plants—a major source of air pollutants that contribute to smog, acid rain, mercury pollution, and global warming.
-
Clean Water
The Izaak Walton League is committed to improving the health of America’s waterways through local action and national advocacy.
-
Conserving Farmland
More than half of America’s land is used for agriculture. It’s critical that these lands, which provide food for our tables and habitat for wildlife, are managed in a way that balances production with conservation.
-
Conserving Wetlands
Wetlands provide habitat for countless birds, amphibians, fish, insects, and other species. They also act as natural filters, cleansing pollutants from runoff. Protecting wetlands is vital to safeguarding clean water.
-
Energy
How we obtain and use energy has far-reaching implications for human health, fish and wildlife, and the Earth’s climate. The Izaak Walton League works to reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants, prevent global warming, promote energy efficiency, and foster the use of renewable energy.
-
Managing the Missouri River
Manmade changes of the Missouri River’s natural flows for navigation have degraded habitat for fish and wildlife. Agricultural pollution is also a threat. The League is working to restore and protect the river for future generations.
-
Managing Public Lands
The League believes that outstanding lands should be set aside for special management as parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas. These lands provide some of the best wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation opportunities in the country. When these resources are threatened, League members step forward to protect them.
-
Managing the Upper Mississippi River
The Upper Mississippi River is one of the most complex ecosystems on Earth. The Izaak Walton League led the fight to create the Upper
Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge in 1924. Today, our efforts focus on reforming the river’s lock-and-dam navigation system and reducing polluted runoff from farms.
-
Monitoring and Restoring Streams
The League has trained thousands of citizen stream monitors and empowered them to achieve watershed conservation and restoration goals using their monitoring data.
-
Outdoor Ethics/Shooting Sports
The Izaak Walton League inspires outdoor enthusiasts to take personal
responsibility for protecting the outdoors and conserving fish and wildlife for future generations.
-
Preserving Wilderness Areas
Despite federal protection, wilderness areas face threats from unmanaged or improperly managed recreation, poor stewardship by understaffed agencies, and local political pressures to open up these areas for logging, drilling, and other uses. The League works to head off these threats.
-
Promoting Energy Efficiency
For almost two decades, the League has worked to lay the building blocks for a more energy efficient economy. Working with citizen activists, government decision makers, and utilities, we craft solutions that make economic sense and protect our environment.
-
Promoting Sustainable Communities
Across the nation and around the world, communities face the same challenge: How do we grow economically while still conserving our natural resources? The League works to raise awareness of how local communities can create a more sustainable future.
-
Stopping the Spread of Invasive Species
Invasive species such as zebra mussels and Eurasian milfoil have
infested America’s waterways, crowding out native species and causing billions of dollars in damage to marinas, recreational fisheries, and other facilities. The League is working to stop the spread of invasive species by educating recreationists and advocating for better regulation of ballast water.
-
Sustainability Education
The Izaak Walton League believes it is possible to live a quality life today without sacrificing the natural resources left for future generations. Our Sustainability Education Program aims to identify practical ways we can all work together to create a sustainable future—one that meets the basic needs of all people today without compromising the Earth’s ability to meet the needs of future generations.
-
Understanding Population and the Environment
Many of the conservation challenges we face today are, at their root, caused by the staggering number of people using the Earth’s natural resources. We have nearly 7 billion people on the planet already and are adding nearly 80 million each year. That’s a lot of people tapping into resources like fresh water, fossil fuels, forests, and fisheries. The League promotes sensible solutions to the complex and difficult challenges presented by population growth.
-
Wilderness and Public Lands
The Izaak Walton League has always been a staunch advocate of
wilderness and has striven to improve the management of our forests, rangelands, national parks, and wildlife refuges. Protection of our nation’s public lands remains a major focal point of the League’s conservation efforts.
Izaak Walton League of America
707 Conservation Lane
· Gaithersburg, MD 20878
(301) 548-0150 (main)
· info@iwla.org
Copyright 2013, All rights reserved.
