This update of the Izaak Walton League’s conservation policy booklet incorporates policy resolutions passed between 2001 and 2005. The process was a joint effort of members at the local and state levels and League staff. Special thanks go to members of the Resolutions Committee: Lee Barthel, Jim Caliguiri, John Dickel, Jack Hackney, Joe Hyland, Roy Overton, Rick Graham, Wendy Reid, and Jim Sweeney for their time spent in reviewing drafts and overseeing the work of their committees. Members of the League’s eight Resource Committees generously gave their time in conference calls and meetings to review policy and incorporate resolution language into this summary format. As always, the League staff was available for technical and administrative guidance during the entire process. Thanks to Jim Baird, Steve Kline, and Jason McGarvey, as well as the staff liaisons assigned to the different committees. We would also like to give an extra special thanks to the family of Tim and Wendy Reid, the Chicago #1 Chapter, and the Des Moines Chapter for donations to help pay for the indexing and production of this edition. This level of collaboration and commitment to the League’s democratic process reflects the very foundation of the organization and its special place in the conservation community.
Garrit S. Struck Chair,
IWLA Resolutions Committee
This booklet summarizes official positions developed by the Izaak Walton League of America over more than 80 years of work on conservation issues. These positions have been adopted formally as resolutions by League members at annual national conventions. They reflect the spirit of League concerns and actions at community and state levels in response to specific problems and they guide the work of League staff, chapters, and divisions as new issues emerge.
The Izaak Walton League has one major goal: That America’s natural resources should be protected, managed, and used to assure long-term quality of life. This booklet expands upon that goal and gives it meaning in various issues.
Although the booklet is divided into sections, the reader should remember the natural world is indivisible and none of its parts can be considered independent from the whole. Accordingly, no section of this booklet should be read by itself alone. All sections should be examined for policy statements that apply to a specific issue.
The resolutions process is about more than setting the League’s policy—it is a function that unites us in our mission. Each year, members draft resolutions outlining the steps they would like the organization to take in addressing serious natural resource problems. Resolutions that are formally adopted become official policy and, together with the body of policies developed in the past, provide guidance to League staff and officers. In addition to the policy-making feature of resolutions, the process serves to educate members about critical natural resource issues and provides valuable guidance and support to divisions and chapters as they seek solutions at the state and local level.
Each draft resolution submitted is considered by the League’s national president. A separate resolution committee, consisting of the chair of each resource committee, makes the final recommendations on resolutions before they are presented to delegates for the vote at the League’s annual national convention. To allow time for review, members are required by League bylaws to submit resolution proposals and supporting materials two weeks in advance of the national convention.
Here are a few pointers to aid in submitting a resolution proposal:
Proposals for consideration by the national convention should be sent to:
IWLA Conservation Staff
Attn: Resolutions
707 Conservation Lane
Gaithersburg, MD 20878-2983
For more information about the resolutions process, visit the League’s Web site, www.iwla.org.