ABOUT CALIFORNIA WILDLIFE DAY
WHAT IS CALIFORNIA WILDLIFE DAY & HOW DO WE CELEBRATE IT
This event was established to honor, preserve, restore and celebrate the wonders and diversity of California wildlife.
Nature and wilderness are a source of inspiration, education, and physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Many state and non-profit organizations work to celebrate our diverse wildlife, promote environmental awareness and stewardship, and collaborate to provide opportunities for education and service for California Wildlife Day.
HOW WE FOUNDED CWD
Senator Bill Monning (author of resolution), CWD! creator Beverly Eyre, and Lorin Letendre of CRWC celebrating the resolution that made California Wildlife Day possible.
Click here to read Beverly's speech from the 2018 inaugural CWD! event hosted by the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy.
California is a leader in environmental policy and conservation. Our state is filled with diverse and unique ecosystems, which is why California Wildlife Day! was formally established through legislation sponsored by Senator Bill Monning and passed in the California Senate in March 2017. A copy of the concurrent resolution is attached.
Nature and wilderness are a source of inspiration, education, and physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Many state and non-profit organizations work to promote environmental awareness and stewardship and will collaborate to provide opportunities for education and service for California Wildlife Day.
THE STORY OF CWD
by Beverly Eyre, Creator and Co-Founder of CWD
CWD began as a tribute to a husband - a neighbor and friend to others, who passed away suddenly a few years ago…
He was a lover and student of Nature and the Wild. He inspired us with his powerful insistent message that our Garden of Eden - California - and the rest of the world, was in big trouble. He championed the role of our watersheds and served to draw attention to the loss of biodiversity, the plight of our soil, air and water, the pollution and desecration of our environment, and the rapid decline and extinction of species who make up this fragile extraordinary Web of Life that we are all a part of and depend on.
We created a petition to get the word out. We decided not to use the Internet initially, to not use any of the online technology. We passed them out by hand and others joined our effort to ask the California legislature to pass a resolution making CWD! an official date on the State's calendar. Many exclaimed they couldn't believe we didn't already have one!
By a stroke of good fortune, California Senator Monning was presented with our petition and he agreed to sponsor it with Assemblyman Mark Stone. The resolution was passed unanimously, uniting Republicans and Democrats in a rare mutual embrace. We are forever grateful to them and their staff who made this all possible.
We are not an organized entity, just a group of friends who decided to commit ourselves to help support the many groups that are already working hard in our local communities to rescue and rehabilitate the needy, the sick and injured wildlife, forests, deserts and watersheds. And we are focused on our wonderful young people who want to learn what they can do to help in this work and offer their own invaluable thoughts and ideas.
There is no one way to "do" CWD! It is up to each community and every individual to do what is meaningful for them and their own surrounding circumstances.
We would like this day to be a joyous one, inspired by the love we all share for this special place we all call home ~ California!
THANK YOU SECRETARY JOHN LAIRD FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF CWD!
In August 2018, John Laird, Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency, wrote a letter of support to Lorin Letendre, past President and Executive Director, for the work Carmel River Watershed Conservancy does to protect the wildlife of California.
