Throughout
its 100-year history The Izaak Walton League’s chapters have served as the
place where kids caught their first fish, tried their hand at shooting sports
or found their own way to appreciate nature.
Nationally,
the Izaak Walton League has more than 200 chapters and thousands of members and
supporters who champion community-based conservation, outdoor traditions and
protection of the nation’s natural resources.
The
chapters have provided the backbone for many conservation achievements over the
past century, whether restoring bass populations in streams during the 1920s,
promoting ethical hunting in the 1950s or serving as recycling hubs in the
1970s. The chapters also advanced some of the most effective conservation ideas
in the nation’s history, like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, shaping the
laws and policies that protect natural resources now and for generations to
come
History of
the National Organization
In
January 1922, a group of concerned anglers and hunters gathered in Illinois to
create an organization to stop the degradation of America’s waterways and natural
areas. They named the organization after Izaak Walton, the conservationist and
author of The Compleat Angler.
During
the 1920s, industrial pollution, raw sewage and soil erosion threatened many of
the nation’s rivers. Forests and other wild areas were also suffering as road
building, development, and commercial hunting and fishing took an immense toll.
For
100 years, the League has been at the forefront of local and national efforts
to safeguard water resources and our drinking water across the U.S. – from a
push for sewage treatment in the 1930s to the landmark Clean Water Act of 1972,
which tackled pollution and protected wetlands.
The
League has also created thriving volunteer citizen science programs like Save
Our Streams and Salt Watch to monitor stream health and collect data about water
quality. By collecting and reporting data in dozens of states, these programs now
provide a wealth of information for scientists and policymakers and a basis for
taking action to protect water quality.
For
many decades, the League has also served as a leader in conserving the natural
resources on the hundreds of millions of acres of agricultural land in the U.S.
Beginning in 1937, the League began a push for a national program to conserve
soil.
In
short, no other organization has done more to shape the nation’s bedrock laws
that protect our environment and natural resources. The League has a unique
role in promoting conservation and citizen science locally while advocating for
strong state and national policies to protect our air, water and wildlife.
For
millions of people, the League has provided a pathway to outdoor recreation and
traditions.
Looking
to the future, the Izaak Walton League has ambitious goals to get more
Americans involved in local conservation, citizen science and advocacy
