For more 75 years, The Wildlife Society (TWS) has sought to promote the future of wildlife for the benefit of all people.

The organizations mission is To inspire, empower, and enable wildlife professionals to sustain wildlife populations and habitats through science-based management and conservation. The Vision is TWS is a strong and effective voice in representing wildlife conservation and management, and ensuring sustainable wildlife populations in healthy ecosystems. The Wildlife Society helps member network and learn opportunities such as, career development, and provides numerous ways for them to get more involved in creating a better future for wildlife and their habitats.

TWS has Scientists, managers, educators, technicians, planners, etc. to conserve and study wildlife. It also consists of students looking to go into the field, as well as, supporters who help spread the word and take action on wildlife issues.

TWS Leadership

TWS is governed by a 13-member Council. The Council is composed of four officers, eight Section Representatives, one from each of TWS’s seven U.S. sections and one from the Canadian Section, and one Student Liaison appointed by the Student Development Working Group.Officers are elected by the full TWS membership. Section Representatives are elected by TWS members living in that particular Section. The senior staff at the organization’s headquarters in Bethesda, MD includes an Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, Director/Editor-in-Chief of Publications and Communications, and the Director of Government Affairs.

Brief History

TWS was founded in 1937, and emerged as a social and political movement in the United States, as well as, Canada. The movement was mostly led by Hunters and market hunters that were concerned for the wildlife populations. As the sports hunters organized to protect lands they came up with ethics and the concept of fair chase to enable wildlife to persist. Conservationists began appearing to continue to cut losses to wildlife. The most influential of these conservationists being Aldo Leopold who started the first studies on Wildlife management and helped to start the North American model. It is through the development of conservationists and Wildlife managers that TWS is what it is today and how it continues to grow.

The TWS website:

//wildlife.org/