CAW NEWS

“

”

If all the beasts

were gone, men would

die from a great loneli-

ness of spirit, for what-

ever happens to the

beasts also happens to

the man. All things are

connected. Whatever

befalls the Earth befalls

the sons of the Earth.

- Chief Seattle of the

Suquamish Tribe, letter to

President Franklin Pierce

In This Issue

Welcome

Mission, Vision & Goals

How CAW Came to Be

Did You Know . . .

CAW’s Activities

Upcoming Events

Welcome The Community Alliance for Wildlife (CAW) is a Charlotte, NC

chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF). Our

membership consists of environmentally-minded residents of Char-

lotte. We are working to make a difference in the quality of life for

our families, the environment and wildlife in North Carolina.

We are helping to transform Charlotte by working with the NCWF’s

Butterfly Highway program, a statewide conservation initiative that

aims to restore native pollinator habitats to areas impacted by ur-

banization, land-use change and agriculture, and working to estab-

lish new wildlife habitats throughout our community as a part of

NCWF’s Certified Wildlife Habitat program. In addition, CAW is

creating opportunities for community capacity-building, environ-

mental education and job training.

Please join us in helping to make our neighborhoods better places

to live for people and wildlife. The Community Alliance for Wildlife

welcomes you.

— William Hughes, Interim President

Quarterly Newsletter Fall 2016

July 26, 2016 CAW leadership meeting at UNC — Center City.

2 CAW NEWS Fall 2016 ● www.cawcharlotte.org

How CAW Came To Be The seed that grew to become the Community Alliance for Wildlife

(CAW) began with the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF), the

state affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). One of the sig-

nature programs of the NWF is the Certified Wildlife Habitat program.

This program certifies residential yards, schools, businesses and places

of worship as being wildlife friendly if they commit to following sustain-

able gardening practices and provide each of these components: food,

water, cover and a place for wildlife to raise their young.

The national program has two primary activities:

1. To improve wildlife habitats in urban, public and private spaces.

2. To use the habitats as a way to create opportunities for commu-

nity capacity building, environmental education and job train-

ing.

There are communities in Charlotte, NC that are underserved and un-

der-represented in biodiversity and conservation initiatives. Through

involvement with the NCWF’s Butterfly Highway program, residents

from these neighborhoods have seen the potential good in participating

in the Certified Wildlife Habitat program as well.

To launch such an initiative, members from historically black neighbor-

hoods such as Northwood Estates, University Park, Oaklawn Park,

Druid Hills and others came together to form a new environmental coa-

lition with the intention of becoming a chartered chapter of NCWF.

The initial meeting was held in the spring of 2016 where the name

Community Alliance for Wildlife (CAW) was chosen. Since that meet-

ing, CAW has become one of the newest chapters of NCWF.

Our Mission

CAW’s mission is to

protect, conserve and

restore wildlife and

habitat in Charlotte,

NC.

Our Vision

CAW’s stewardship will

result in Charlotte com-

munities with bountiful

and diverse wildlife,

including all species of

wild flora and fauna,

that are sustainably

managed and valued

by its citizens and elect-

ed officials.

Our Goals

CAW will:

Sponsor and sup-

port programs for

the enjoyment and

conservation of

wildlife and habitat,

including ethical

and sustainable

outdoor recreation

pursuits.

Enhance and ex-

pand opportunities

for youth and adults

that foster aware-

ness and apprecia-

tion of the im-

portant role healthy

habitat plays in sus-

taining wildlife and

humanity.

CAW Activities To attain our goals (see sidebar page 2), CAW will continue working

in partnership with NCWF’s Butterfly Highway project to increase

the number of Butterfly Highway Pollinator Pit Stops in Charlotte.

We are gearing up to implement NWF’s Certified Wildlife Habitat

program locally. The process will take approximately a year and a

half and involves the following steps:

1. Recruit Wildlife Habitat stewards (adults & youth).

2. Train selected stewards.

3. Recruit Wildlife Habitat program participants.

4. Conduct workshops for program participants.

5. Establish & certify wildlife habitats.

6. Complete certification process.

7. Finalize project details & celebrate the community’s efforts.

In addition, CAW will offer a speaker series starting in October 2016.

Environmental professionals will speak on various conservation top-

ics at our general/community meetings. Meetings are free and open

to the public.

www.cawcharlotte.org ● CAW NEWS Fall 2016 3

Did You Know . . .

A habitat is an area

occupied by many

species. Source:

factmonster.com

A home is a place

within a habitat

where a particular

animal species can

protect itself and its

young from the

weather and preda-

tors. Source: fact-

monster.com

The spread of hu-

man activity threat-

ens 1/4 of the

world’s mammals

with extinction.

Source: nhptv.org

For migrant bird

populations, a de-

cline of close to

40% is directly

linked to habitat

destruction.

Source: nhptv.org

Habitat destruction

was also a contrib-

uting factor in the

extinction of at

least 73% of fresh-

water fish in North

America and the

leading threat to

fish species consid-

ered threatened,

endangered or of

special concern.

Source: nhptv.org

Contact Us

Community Alliance

for Wildlife

1346 St. Julien Street

Charlotte, NC 28205

(704) 332-5696

info@cawcharlotte.org

www.cawcharlotte.org

www.facebook.com/

cawcharlotte

Chapter of the

North Carolina Wildlife

Federation

www.ncwf.org

Copyright © 2016 Community

Alliance for Wildlife.

All rights reserved.

PLACE STAMP HERE

1346 St. Julien Street

Charlotte, NC 28205 www.cawcharlotte.org

Upcoming Events Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - CAW Com -

munity Meeting, Dorothy Cowser Yancy

Hall, Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte,

NC, 7:00 pm — 8:00 pm. Free/open to public.

Sunday, October 23, 2016 - CAW in the

Green Zone at Open Streets 704: A Day Of

Car (e) Free Streets, Charlotte, NC, 1:00 pm

— 5:00 pm. www.openstreets704.com.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - CAW

Community Meeting. Dorothy Cowser

Yancy Hall, Johnson C. Smith University,

7:00 pm — 8:00 pm. Free/open to public.

Saturday, November 19, 2016 - Give

Thanks for Wildlife Fundraising Benefit:

A Fundraiser Benefiting North Carolina

Wildlife Federation, Bank of America, Urban

Garden, Charlotte, NC, 6:30 pm — 9:30 pm.

www.ncwf.org & Give Thanks for Wildlife

page on Facebook.

Creating

Healthy

Habitats

for

People

and

Wildlife Together, we

can take our

neighborhoods

to new heights