CWA has created the Conservation Connecticut Fund that accepts donations to fund wetland conservation projects to enhance wetlands to better benefit waterfowl, other wildlife and waterfowl hunters.
CWA's Conservation Connecticut Fund provides an opportunity to make tax deductible donations whereby 100% of the funds are used for only wetlands conservation in Connecticut.
The Connecticut Waterfowl Association’s (CWA) mission is to conserve wetlands and waterfowl in Connecticut, and only in Connecticut. In CWA’s case, membership dues and funds raised from our annual banquet have been largely successful in accomplishing this mission. Since its inception in 1967, CWA has spent thousands of dollars and conserved hundreds of acres of wetland habitat benefiting waterfowl and many other wildlife species.
There is more work to be done. Therefore, CWA has developed a program called “ CWA’s Conservation Connecticut.” The goal of this initiative is to raise more money to protect and enhance more wetlands to better benefit waterfowl, other wildlife and waterfowl hunters. CWA members or non-members can make tax-deductible donations to the CWA’s Conservation Connecticut Fund (CCF).
CWA has been very efficient in using its existing funds for wetland conservation. However, we do have administrative costs (e.g., mail-outs, website maintenance, the scholarship fund, insurance and purchasing items for the banquet raffles). These costs can absorb up to 20 percent of members’ annual dues.
When you donate to the CCF, all those monies will be kept in a separate account and will be used only for habitat conservation management activities such as wetland restoration, enhancement or acquisition. There will be total transparency and accountability of these funds.
While these monies could be used for any wetland conservation project, the primary focus will providing funds to support the habitat work of The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) Wildlife Division. The Wildlife Division has been hugely successful in obtaining Federal grants for wetland conservation, but these funds have to be matched by state or private funds. Currently, the availability of state funds is minimal. Recent Federal grants have been matched by State Duck Stamp funds and by CWA and other conservation partners. Future projects could include Phragmites (common reed) control, creation of shallow ponds/pannes(water retaining depressions) in tidal marshes, replacement or enhancement of water control structures and other efforts. The CCF Program will further enhance CWA’s excellent long-running partnership with the DEEP’s Wildlife Division.
The need has never been greater! We have fewer waterfowl hunters to support the resource and the State of Connecticut has less funds and less people for conservation work. CWA is stepping up to the plate to do our best to fill this void and conserve habitat and the cherished traditions of waterfowl hunting, but it costs money to do this.
Every dollar you donate will be matched by federal grants. If 200 members donated $50 annually that would amount to $10,000, then double that with the matching grant making for $20,000 per year going to benefit waterfowl conservation here in Connecticut.
CWA greatly appreciates the phenomenal support our members have shown to the organization and the resource over the years. While CWA understands the importance of the great work being done by other national waterfowl groups to benefit waterfowl on the northern and mid-continent breeding grounds, we need quality habitats in Connecticut for migrant and wintering birds to use when they get here.
Please help us succeed with whatever you can afford to donate. Think about all you spend on waterfowl hunting every year. Your donation will be money well spent!
Convenient Ways to Contribute
Donate using PayPal or a Major Credit Card
PayPal Giving Fund
PayPal helps your gifts do more good. We work to ensure charities are in good standing. We verify that receiving charities have tax-exempt status with the IRS and are not on recognized economic sanctions lists. All fees are on us when you donate through PayPal Giving Fund.
After you donate, you’ll get your PayPal Giving Fund tax receipt by email. Click below to go to the CWA PayPal Giving Fund page.
To Donate by Mail Please send checks to: CWA 29 Bower Hill Road Oxford, CT 06478 Please write “CCF” on the memo line.