Mission & Guiding Principles

Our Mission

To advocate and educate for the conservation of Colorado’s fish, wildlife, and their habitats for all.

 

CWF’s Values, Guiding Principles and Advocacy Action Areas and Conflicts of Interest Policy

1. Maintaining sustainable wildlife populations in healthy, natural habitats with access to their migration corridors, that are essential  for their intrinsic value as well as for the health, enjoyment, and well-being of all people.
2. That outdoor recreational opportunity and wildlife-related policies should respect and value conservation, community diversity, equality and inclusion, ethical principles and  state and federal law in their development.
3. That an understanding of wildlife and their needs, based on valid scientific information, is an essential basis for sound public policies that will protect wildlife populations and habitats, and support the interdependent needs of people and wildlife.
4. Public policy that is specifically oriented toward wildlife and wildlife management should emphasize the welfare and perpetuation of the wildlife.  Public policies in areas such as land use, transportation, economic development, and outdoor recreation should, as far as practicable, be consistent with sound wildlife management policy.
5. Wildlife education programs that are based on scientific and ethical principles help provide a sense of place in nature for young people of all communities, which in turn will foster enlightened stewardship of natural resources.
6. The tradition of ethical hunting and fishing is a valuable part of human culture and of Colorado’s heritage.  Properly regulated hunting and fishing is consistent with sound wildlife policy and provides important physical, educational, and esthetic benefits to the participants.
7. The continued availability of public hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation opportunities will depend on the ethical behavior of participants, and on an understanding by the general public of the benefits these pursuits provide to wildlife populations, habitat preservation, and the economy of Colorado.
8. The credibility CWF derives from its reliance on objective, well-researched, ecologically-sound science and expertise, and on the diversity and integrity of its Board, staff, and policies.
9. CWF leadership needs to be adaptable and should be representative of and relevant to the communities we work with that use and enjoy wildlife and wildlife habitat.  We can best accomplish our mission by our continued commitment to collaboration.
10. CWF Board members and staff have a duty to be responsible to CWF members, to fulfill their Board responsibilities, to listen to, inform and accurately represent the Board decisions when representing CWF to the general public.

Colorado Wildlife Federation Advocacy Involvement Areas

• Responsible and sustainable funding for wildlife and fisheries management
• Protection of state and federally managed public lands
• Emphasis on recruitment of a growing diversity of youth and women to Colorado’s hunting and fishing heritage
• Adequate stream flows and water quality for Colorado cold water and warm water fish species
• Improved sportspersons access to public lands managed by USFS, BLM and Colorado State Land Board
• Science-based management of natural resources in Colorado
• Support for landowners and sportspersons working cooperatively for wildlife Encouragement of environmentally responsible outdoor recreation
• Affordability to the public of hunting and fishing
• Fair chase tenets in fishing, hunting and (all) outdoor recreation
• Protection of threatened and endangered species and “species of greatest conservation need” in the Colorado Wildlife Action Plan
• Increased application of the Land and Water Conservation Fund for wildlife and fisheries habitat enhancements, migration corridor protection, and hunting and fishing access
• Hunting, fishing and conservation organizations working together on issues impacting natural resources
• Recreational shooting ranges, especially new options and amenities on public lands
• More public access through private lands
• Public input opportunity on wildlife and fisheries management
• Focus on the resource as the highest priority in wildlife and fisheries stakeholder interests

CWF Conflicts of Interest Policy

Article I: Purpose

This conflict of interest policy is designed to foster public confidence in the integrity of Colorado Wildlife Federation (“CWF”) and to protect CWF’s interest when it is contemplating entering a transaction that might benefit the private interest of a director, an officer, the executive director, other top management or top financial official, or a key employee.

Article II: Definitions

The following are considered insiders for the purpose of this Policy:

• Members of the CWF Board of Directors
• Executive Director and any other key employees designated in the CWF Bylaws
• Officers
• Interest means any commitment, investment, relationship, obligation, or involvement, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect, that may influence a person’s judgment, including receipt of compensation from CWF, a sale, loan, or exchange transaction with CWF.
• A conflict of interest is present when, in the judgment of the Board of Directors, an insider’s stake in the transaction is such that it reduces the likelihood that an insider’s influence can be exercised impartially in the best interests of CWF.
• Transaction means any transaction, agreement, or arrangement between an insider and CWF, or between CWF and any third party where an insider has an interest in the transaction or any party to it.

Article III:  Procedures

1. Duty to Disclose

Each insider shall disclose to the Board all material facts regarding his or her interest in the transaction, promptly upon learning of the proposed transaction.

2. Determining Whether a Conflict of Interest Exists

With regard to an insider, the Board shall determine if a conflict of interest exists. The insider(s) and any other interested person(s) involved with the transaction shall not be present during the Board’s discussion or determination of whether a conflict of interest exists, except as provided in Article IV below.

3. Procedures for Addressing a Conflict of Interest

The Board shall follow the procedures set forth in Article IV in order to decide what measures are needed to protect CWF’s interests in light of the nature and seriousness of the conflict, to decide whether to enter into the transaction and, if so, to ensure that the terms of the transaction are appropriate.

Article IV: Review of the Board

The Board may ask questions of and receive presentation(s) from the insider(s) and any other interested person(s), but shall deliberate and vote on the transaction in their absence. The Board shall ascertain that all material facts regarding the transaction and the insider’s conflict of interest have been disclosed to the Board and shall compile appropriate data, such as comparability studies, to determine fair market value for the transaction.

After exercising due diligence, which may include investigating alternatives that present no conflict, the Board shall determine whether the transaction is in the Organization’s best interest, for its own benefit, and whether it is fair and reasonable to the Organization; the majority of disinterested members of the Board then in office may approve the transaction.

Article V: Records of Proceedings

The minutes of any meeting of the Board pursuant to this policy shall contain the name of each insider who disclosed or was otherwise determined to have an interest in a transaction; the nature of the interest and whether it was determined to constitute a conflict of interest; any alternative transactions considered; the members of the Board who were present during the deliberations on the transaction, those who voted on it, and to what extent interested persons were excluded from the deliberations; any comparability data or other information obtained and relied upon by the Board and how the information was obtained; and the result of the vote.

Article VI: Annual Disclosure and Compliance Statement

Each director, each corporate officer, the top management official, the top financial official, and each key employee of CWF, shall annually sign a statement, that:

affirms that the person has received a copy of this conflict of interest policy, has read and understood the policy, and has agreed to comply with the policy; and discloses the person’s financial interests and family relationships that could   give rise to conflicts of interest.

Article VII: Violations

If the Board has reasonable cause to believe that an insider of CWF has failed to disclose actual or possible conflicts of interest, it shall inform such insider of the basis for this belief and afford the insider an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose. If, after hearing the insider’s response and making further investigation as warranted by the circumstances, the Board determines that the insider has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, the Board shall take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action.

Article VIII: Annual Reviews

To ensure that CWF operates in a manner consistent with its status as an organization exempt from federal income tax, the Board shall authorize and oversee an annual review of the administration of this conflict of interest policy. The review may be written or oral. The review shall consider the level of compliance with the policy, the continuing suitability of the policy, and whether the policy should be modified and improved.