Mission, Vision & Values
Mission: To protect the future of waterfowl conservation and hunting in California through advocacy, education and habitat stewardship.
Vision: A California with abundant waterfowl, vibrant wetlands and thriving hunting communities.
Values:
- Stewardship
- Integrity
- Passion
- Community
Why This Plan Matters (2025‑2030)
Over 90% of the state’s historic wetlands have been lost, significantly impacting waterfowl migration and breeding. Prolonged droughts and competing demands for water further threaten the availability of quality wetland habitat, while urban expansion continues to reduce critical areas for waterfowl. At the same time, conservation funding and management efforts must keep pace with these growing threats to ensure the long-term health of waterfowl populations and the ecosystems that support them. Addressing these challenges requires a coordinated effort from conservation organizations, policymakers and the hunting community to protect and restore wetlands, secure sustainable water supplies and advocate for policies that support both waterfowl and the broader ecological benefits of healthy wetland habitats.
California hunters play a vital role in serving the public good through their significant financial and other contributions to conservation. Waterfowl hunters have traditionally been the staunchest advocates of wetland habitats, which are critical to sustaining biodiversity, clean drinking water, f lood management and more. This community puts action and resources behind their convictions. About two-thirds of the few historic wetlands that remain are privately owned and maintained at substantial annual expense. Waterfowl hunters in California contribute tens of millions of dollars annually to conservation through charitable gifts, investments in habitat management, the purchase of hunting licenses, duck stamps and associated validations and payment of Pittman Robertson excise taxes on sporting arms and munitions.
Simply put, the health of California’s wetlands is dependent on the continued existence, growth and engagement of the waterfowl hunting community.
Unfortunately, waterfowl hunting faces considerable headwinds in the state of California. California political attitudes are often indifferent or even outright hostile to hunting and the use of firearms, with negative impacts to hunter access and opportunity. Additionally, the state increasingly imposes water restrictions, financial costs and other regulations that make it difficult to maintain sufficient quality habitat for waterfowl.
Looking ahead to the next five years and beyond, California Waterfowl is optimally situated to address these challenges to hunting and conservation. As the nation’s largest state-based waterfowl organization, CWA has 80 years’ experience addressing the many obstacles and opportunities of the Golden State. CWA stands out as having unique expertise in California politics and conservation, combined with an unapologetic commitment to hunters.
Our Six Strategies
1 · Expand Waterfowl & Wetland Conservation
Conservation remains at the heart of what we do and is inextricably linked to our goals of creating more opportunities for hunters. Our conservation work is essential to build of waterfowl impacted by our biologist-led programs. Additionally, we are uniquely positioned to engage with California universities to contribute to the body of scientific research regarding waterfowl population management. Our goals are to:
- Continue our campaign to restore the Klamath Refuges as the heart of the Pacific Flyway. Secure additional permanent water rights, timely water deliveries and water infrastructure for the Refuges’ wetlands. Restore and enhance additional habitat in the region and support waterfowl-friendly agriculture.
- Advance conservation science through grant-funded studies and university research partnerships.
- Increase the number of wetland acres restored, enhanced, protected and managed. This includes expanding Land Trust holdings and habitat under management.
- Expand funding opportunities and water supplies for managed wetlands and other waterfowl habitat, including for state wildlife areas and national wildlife refuges.
- Expand and coordinate nesting, brood-rearing and molting habitat programs, including reverse cycle wetlands, molting ponds and key initiatives including the Wood Duck and Egg Salvage programs to produce more ducks and sustain waterfowl populations.
- Monitor and evaluate waterfowl populations using new technology and traditional methods such as banding, aerial and ground surveys and scientific research.
- Partner with agriculture to maximize benefits to waterfowl, especially improving nesting habitat, via programs such as delayed crop harvest, walking wetlands and crop rotations.
- Protect and expand the footprint of rice cultivation through easements and other programs, which will ensure the continued availability of seasonally flooded lands that support the dietary and habitat requirements of millions of waterfowl.
2 · Improve Hunter Opportunities, Access & Success
Many conservation benefits are dependent on the success of the hunting community. Additionally, it’s important to note that hunting is an inherently valuable activity on its own, creating unforgettable experiences with nature, family and friends. With that in mind, CWA is committed to helping hunters spend more time in the field. Accessing high-quality hunting opportunities is a continual challenge for California waterfowl hunters. Hunters often face low draw probabilities when applying for hunts and endure hours of waiting in lottery and “sweat” lines in hopes of securing access. For the waterfowling community to thrive in California and to satisfy the needs of our members, we must work to provide new and expanded hunting opportunities. CWA is unique in that we take a handson approach to this challenge, managing our own properties, enhancing public lands and working with private landowners. Looking ahead, CWA will double down on its efforts to create additional hunting opportunities. Our goals are to:
- Expand the CWA Hunt Program to get more hunters into the field on high-quality hunts, including youth, family, veteran, mobility-impaired and women’s hunts.
- Acquire additional land and leases to expand the program.
- Make capital improvements on existing CWA properties to support more hunts and better habitat on those properties.
- Partner with state and federal wildlife areas and refuges to maintain and expand huntable acreage. Work with public areas to ensure they are well funded and staffed to support habitat and hunting programs
3 · Increase Public‑Policy Impact (Local, State & Federal)
The California political environment presents both headwinds and opportunities for our mission. On the positive side, public and lawmaker interest in conservation is riding high, presenting us with financial opportunities to perform needed conservation work. We will vigorously pursue these opportunities to maximize positive impacts on wetlands and waterfowl populations. Conversely, public sentiment toward hunting often ranges from apathetic to hostile, meaning CWA will need to continue advocating strongly for hunters’ rights. Advocacy remains an essential pillar of our activities, as it helps to protect hunting in California and ensure sufficient public funding for conservation. Our goals are to:
- Support waterfowl seasons and bag limit regulations that optimize hunting opportunity and are based on sound science.
- Ensure availability of public funding to support hunting on public lands, which face budget and staffing challenges. Advocate for the opening of additional public lands to hunting access. Ensure no net loss of hunting opportunities in California and strive for net gains.
- Create and maintain government funding opportunities for our conservation work through state and federal programs like the Duck Stamp, North American Wetlands Conservation Act and Farm Bill, as well as through the recently passed Proposition 4.
- Increase the use of grassroots advocacy to mobilize CWA members on key legislation and proposed regulations.
- Ensure that gun control legislation does not significantly affect the use or possession of sporting arms and munitions.
- Protect hunting as a right in California, rather than a mere privilege.
- Continue to build relationships with state and federal lawmakers and other decision-makers to help advance our mission. Extend our partnerships with policymakers to include those at the local level to impact conservation-related decisions in key flyway regions.
- Support continued waterfowl monitoring and evaluation efforts on harvest management for sustainable populations.
4 · Educate, Engage & Activate the Next Generation
We are dedicated to nurturing a new generation of hunters who embody a deep respect for wildlife and natural habitats, ensuring they serve as positive ambassadors for hunting. Beyond this, we seek to inspire broader public engagement in conservation and environmental stewardship through education, outreach and community-building efforts. By extending our impact to non-hunting groups, including future leaders and decision-makers, we aim to forge strong partnerships that advance our mission to protect and sustain California’s natural resources and the Pacific Flyway. This will also encourage Californians to adopt a favorable perception of hunting and oppose anti-hunting political initiatives, even if they don’t engage in hunting themselves. Our goals are to:
- Provide hunter education to bring new hunters into the field who are instilled with the values of honoring nature and wildlife and who will present a positive image of hunting to the general public
- Expand youth and college camp programs to cultivate new hunters and conservationists, while demonstrating the beneficial impact of hunters on California’s natural resources.
- Expand our scholarship, internship and outreach programs to cultivate the next generation of waterfowl biologists and wetland managers.
- Lead the development and administration of the Pacific Flyway Center to inspire public interest in conserving the Pacific Flyway and California wetland habitats.
- Foster connections with key groups that may not actively participate in hunting by showcasing its vital role in conservation. This includes non-hunting youth, conservationists and policymakers.
5 · Expand & Deepen Relationships with Members, Volunteers & Partners
Our members and volunteers are the backbone of our organization, driving our programs through their time and generosity. We are committed to expanding this community of supporters while deepening their engagement with our mission. This includes effectively communicating the value of our work to inspire members, increasing volunteer retention and participation (or recruitment) in meaningful projects. Our goals are to:
- Increase the number of regional committees, especially in areas where our organization is underrepresented in the hunting community.
- Increase the number of engaged members, member retention rate and volunteer hours and donations per member.
- Refine our branding and messaging to members and prospective members to more impactfully communicate the value of our organization and increase engagement.
- Better harness the power of our volunteers. More quickly and effectively place volunteers into projects that excite and engage them. Recruit more volunteers into our key hunting, conservation and fundraising projects.
- Forge stronger bonds with corporate sponsors, vendors, contractors and agencies, to further grow our positive reputation in the greater community and do our best work together.
6 · Diversify & Grow Financial Resources
CWA has an ambitious vision for hunting and conservation in California, and to make that possible, it will require the development of new funding sources and the expansion of existing ones. Part of that funding will come through expanded and optimized grassroots efforts, but we will need to access additional resources. As California continues to urbanize, opportunities will arise to collaborate with developers in establishing land trusts to mitigate environmental impacts — an area where CWA has significant expertise. Another essential portion of funding will come through tapping into state and federal conservation program opportunities, especially following the passage of California Proposition 4, which includes significant grant funding for wetlands and waterfowl conservation efforts. Our goals are to:
- Increase the number and diversity of grassroots fundraising events. Grow traditional committees and banquets, while experimenting with new event types that appeal to a broader group of individuals.
- Strengthen our planned giving program to access intergenerational wealth transfer and build an endowment to support our ongoing mission.
- Invest heavily in growing our portfolio of Land Trust work, which mitigates environmental impacts by development. This will play an important role in creating a flywheel of growth and stability to fund our conservation and hunting programs.
- Vigorously pursue grant opportunities offered by public and private entities.
- Open up new streams of revenue via our habitat development expertise. Grow paid consulting and contracting services for public and private habitat work.
- Actively engage corporations and access additional funding by helping them meet their sustainability goals.
Join Us
Together we can secure the future of California’s wetlands, waterfowl and hunting heritage. Become a member, volunteer, or donate today to make an immediate impact.
