Forever site to streamline site management and reduce costs. Our new web site technology will also help us add new modules down the road such as an online bulletin board and polling.

TELEVISION: Produced with the help of the North American Media Group and our many other partners, the "world premiere" of the Wildlife Forever television show Silent Invaders occurred in early December on the Versus Network. Silent Invaders is part of the invasive species Threat Campaign. It is entertaining, engaging but also educational. Each of the four episodes puts you on the front lines with the men and women fighting the spread of non-native species. All four episodes can be found on the Wildlife Forever YouTube site. We also uploaded many other new videos to YouTube. I hope you will enjoy them all.

FRIENDS OF WILDLIFE FOREVER: This new group was formed in late December by several Minnesota members to help raise funds for conservation. Their first fundraiser was a well attended banquet that included both a live and silent auction. Everything up for sales was donated. Better than $40,000 was raised in support of the Threat Campaign and the State-Fish Art Contest. You can learn more about the nights festivities here. Could you start a friends group for your area?

ANOTHER AWARD: Wildlife Forever's efforts in stopping the spread of invasive species received additional recognition in mid-January with the 2010 National Forest Service Invasive Species Management Award. This is one of several awards received in 2010 recognizing this critical work. Learn more about the Threat Campaign awards.

AUDIT: Each year, Wildlife Forever is audited by an independent accounting firm. While not annually required, we feel this transparency helps build confidence in our members and donors. As in the past, Wildlife Forever "passed" with flying colors. The results of the 2010 audit are posted to the web site.

STATE-FISH ART CONTEST ENTRIES: The deadline for entries is coming up fast and we've received a great many entries already. This is an exciting time of the year to see all the hard work that has gone into the kids' artwork and essays. The judging will take place on April 20th with the winners announced on our new web site. There will also be an opportunity for you and the rest of the world to vote for your favorite artwork. Check out last year's winning art.

Aerator Restores Wisconsin Lake

A degraded central Wisconsin impoundment has been restored to fish-producing status, thanks in part to Wildlife Forever.

Created with flood control and fishing in mind, 240-acre Sportsmen's Lake once held fishable populations of bass and pike until a hard winter decimated predator numbers. This left yellow perch, bullheads, and little else to fish for. Local residents complained that after the die-off, mosquitoes were the only things the lake produced.

Members of the Abbotsford Sportsmen's Club provided the legwork to install the new aerator.

A nearby air pump helps keep the lake open and well oxygenated during the winter.

New Kits For Woodduck Boxes, Bat Boxes and Bluebird Houses

For many years, Wildlife Forever offered inexpensive woodduck, bluebird and bat box kits. They were great fun for parents and kids to work on together and thousands were sold.  About a year back, our vendor was no longer able to provide critter box kits and so the search was on to find someone who could provide quality made kits at a reasonable price. The search is over and we recently posted them in the online store.

Made from long lasting cedar, each kit can be assembled with just a hammer and phillips screwdriver. Now is the time to get your critter boxes up for the year. Take a look at all the critter box options.

Annual Bear Campaign Kicks Off

Bears are the stuff of legends . . . synonymous with the wilderness. Bears require a large area in which to roam and this is their modern downfall. As civilization continues to encroach into undeveloped areas, bears lose their habitat. Bears cannot exist in today's world without our help. This is one of the reasons Wildlife Forever frequently commits funds is support of bears.

Check out the special array of thank you gifts when you support America's great bears.

Bear and Salmon Habitat Saved From Development

Wildlife Forever and other partners joined together in support of the Southwest Alaska Conservation Coalition's efforts to conserve and secure public access to the nation's largest state park, Wood-Tikchik State Park in southwest Alaska.

The partners provided $20,000 to acquire three parcels totaling 241 acres. The three properties are situated along the Agulowak River and Lake Nerka, linking lands previously conserved within the park. This purchase will provide critical floatplane, boat and raft access for all visitors.

A strategic purchase has helped connect and protect some of the
most valuable bear and salmon habitat in the world while ensuring public access.

"Wildlife Forever members want us to find exceptional areas to conserve and we're thrilled to support this three-parcel land acquisition," said Douglas Grann, president and CEO of Wildlife Forever. "We like to target our funds for projects that conserve exceptional natural resources, thereby investing in the lands and waters our members and all Americans can use and enjoy forever. We bought the parcels to prevent development in these strategic sites and to ensure all recreational users have access."