Untitled Document

The Georgia Wildlife Federation has put its heart, soul and dollars into building a program called the Camo Coalition to effectively represent the hunters and fishermen of Georgia. As our state becomes increasingly populated and more urbanized, the number of hunters and anglers is declining. Our hunting and fishing heritage is not being passed on to the next generation. The legislative power base is shifting from rural areas to cities and suburbs, and every year laws are introduced that threaten our natural resources and outdoor heritage.

The Camo Coalition was formed to protect Georgia's wildlife resources and hunting and fishing heritage. It approaches conservation issues from a scientific viewpoint, guided by research, experience and sound management principles. The Coalition has made a commitment to arm its members with facts so they can do their part to direct the future of Georgia's natural resources. And it is working amazingly well.

The Camo Coalition's email-based communication system has been in place for three years and has an excellent track record of successes to prove its effectiveness. It played a key role in the overwhelming passage of the Constitutional Amendment on the Right to Hunt and Fish in the November election of 2006 Camo members provided input that led to protecting fishing rights on the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. It has provided input to several federal Wildlife Refuges that insured the continuation of hunting on these areas. It provided input from members that led to opening several state parks to hunting. Camo members helped save funding in the 2007 legislative session for Go Fish Georgia and land conservation. It encouraged our Congressional delegation to support the conservation provisions in the Farm Bill. In the 2008 General Assembly session it was instrumental in passing dog fighting legislation that did not impact hunting dogs and many more great conservation victories too numerous to mention. For more information on successes of the Camo Coalition go to the Camo website, www.camocoalition.org.

We advertise that the Camo Coalition is free. No dues or membership fees are required. It is true that it is free to be a member but it is not free to operate. The program costs approximately $300,000 a year to operate. This includes funds to host, maintain and support the email based system. The monthly fee based is on the number of members — over 25,000 — and an annual renewal fee for legislative data license. Several Georgia Wildlife Federation (GWF) staff members are involved in the day-to-day activities. It requires a technical staff person to operate the system and manage the website. The GWF has staff at the Capitol during the legislative session, monitoring legislation and educating General Assembly members on views of the sportsmen of Georgia. Sometimes that requires Camo alerts informing you, the Camo Coalition members, so you can reinforce the staff's work with the legislative members. When elected officials hear from constituents who put them in office it tends to get their attention and support much better than a GWF staff member trying to explain the sportsmen's positions on issues. The GWF staff also monitors legislation in Congress and makes several trips a year to educate the Georgia congressional delegation on issues that concern Georgia sportsmen.

Do you know where these funds come from? Funding is derived in several ways. One of the early sources of funds came from successful businessmen who enjoy hunting and fishing and held small fundraising events. They made five-year pledges of varying amounts to support the Camo Coalition. These individual sportsmen/businessmen have played a significant role in operating the Coalition. Other funders have taken notice and contributed as well.

Partial funding for the Camo Coalition comes from the three annual trade shows run by the Georgia Wildlife Federation. These are the Great Outdoors Show in Perry, the Atlanta Buckarama and the Perry Buckarama. Some funds come from the general membership of the GWF. Another new program being launched by GWF to help pay for conservation in Georgia is called "Thousand Friends of Georgia." This is a program designed for sportsmen who are willing to donate a thousand dollars a year for conservation. Our goal is to recruit a thousand such sportsmen willing to donate a thousand dollars annually to protect their sporting heritage. This will generate a million dollars a year to support conservation programs for Georgia sportsmen like the Camo Coalition and other GWF programs which include numerous conservation and wildlife education programs, water quality monitoring, nature centers, training for educators, and responses to thousands of requests for information about wildlife each year.

Countless hours are spent by Camo Coalition staff protecting the wildlife resources and rights of sportsmen in this state. Please get involved. We need your support in two ways. We need you to get engaged on conservation issues. The easy way to do that is to join the Camo Coalition by going to www.camocoalition.org. This provides a simple and easy way to get involved. Secondly, we need your financial support, great or small, for wildlife conservation and to protect the tradition of hunting and fishing. How? Join the Georgia Wildlife Federation by going to www.gwf.org. There are several membership opportunities ranging from $35 to $1000. Host a Camo Coalition fundraiser or become a Thousand Friends of Georgia supporter. The future of wildlife conservation and our hunting and fishing heritage is in your hands. Don't count on someone else doing it. Get involved in some way. We all need to help.