History of Wildlife Management Education Fund:

The entire program was conceived and developed by a coalition of hunters, anglers and conservationists working together with livestock and agriculture organizations and the DOW almost twenty years ago.

Since the first council was created in 1998, members have worked to develop the educational campaign. A professional marketing firm was retained through the state’s bid process in 2006 to work directly with the council to help create the educational programming and conduct the media purchasing.

The council’s initial research indicated that the public had very little understanding and knowledge about wildlife management, hunting and fishing in the state. Most of the public, including some hunters and anglers, did not even know that wildlife management is funded primarily by the sale of licenses.

The message and how it is presented has evolved over the years since 1998 but the main idea has not. The original plan for the council and fund was to help all Colorado citizens understand how the wildlife of Colorado, that is so important to us all, is managed and how that management in funded in a large way by Anglers and Hunters instead of tax dollars.