100 Years of Conservation

Building on a Strong Past to Create a Stronger Future

Continuing the 100-Year Legacy of Advocacy for Scientific Fish and Wildlife Management and Cooperative Conservation in the West

Western Association of State Game Commissioners 1921 – 1929

In the 1920’s, game commissions throughout the West were just beginning to assume their responsible positions with respect to the management of game and fisheries resources. Of particular importance was a threat to state sovereignty in the matter of game management by the growing federal land management agencies. These federal agencies were similarly undergoing a period of growth and were in the process of carving out areas of responsibility which many people believed included the management of game on the vast areas of federal lands in the west. The developing states, feeling that the matter of state sovereignty was paramount, banded together for mutual assistance and protection against what was thought at that time to be a federal push leading toward the management of all wild land resources in these states.

In 1922 visionary managers formed the precursor of today’s WAFWA

In 1922, several “pioneers” from the western states’ game departments met in Salt Lake City to form the Western Association of State Game Commissioners to combat this threat. The important players in this early movement were Dave Madsen of Utah, C. A. Jakways of Montana, A. E. (Cap) Burghduff of Oregon, and Rolly Parvin of Colorado. Seven game officials from some of the western states sat around a table in Dave Madsen’s office in the State Capitol in Salt Lake City to form the first meeting of this Association. Madsen was elected President of the Association in 1922 to be followed by Jakways in 1923, Burghduff in 1924, and Parvin in 1925. The early bylaws provided that membership should consist of the game commissioners or state game wardens of the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington. In those days, fish and wildlife agencies were called “commissions”, although few had a separate commission as we know it today.

Objectives of the original organization were to promote harmony and unity among its members and members of like associations throughout the country for the purpose of exercising a combined and powerful influence in securing the enactment of laws and amendments; to present laws favoring the propagation of wildlife and fish; and to further provide for just, reasonable, and uniform laws and regulations for the protection of wildlife and fish.

“They know their wild life” Commissioner Baker, June 1934

Western Association of State Game and Fish Commissioners 1930 – 1976

1930s. During the first decade of the Western Association’s activities, the chief interest of the Association was to combat federal inroads into game management, and particularly into deer management. The battle ended when the Forest Service retrenched from its position that it was responsible for the management of big game on National Forests in the West. This clearly established the right of the states as the primary managers of resident game and fish.

Once this big issue was settled, the Western Association and the Forest Service have become working partners, rather than combatants, in the field of big game management on National Forests. Even though differences arise between state and federal policies from time to time, the Western Association, working with various federal agencies, has been able to arrive at generally satisfactory working arrangements.

1937 Delegates and officials attending the 17th annual convention of the Western Association of State Game and Fish Commissioners.

While the major role played by the Western Association throughout the years has been to serve as a strong advocate of the right of the states and provinces to retain full management control of resident game species, it also began involving other issues. In the early years, members opposed passage of the Federal Hunting License Bill on the basis that it would divert revenue from hunters which could be better utilized by the states. Strong action was also taken against a federal regulation which was considered an infringement on the states’ prerogative to solely establish seasons, bag limits, and license structure on federal land. The Western Association was one of the first organizations to support use of the excise tax on arms and ammunition to augment other funds for wildlife restoration and management.

1940s – The Western Association began to broaden its activities. In the early 1940s, as a result of growth of the state game departments in the field of scientific game management, the Western Association began to take on a completely different aspect. In addition to becoming a meeting of fish and game commissioners and game department directors, a group of technicians from the various states banded together to exchange research and management information of importance to the western departments. Federal technicians from the Forest Service and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service working in the West also began to view this gathering of technicians as a place to exchange and gain management information.

The first such meeting at which technicians formed an appreciable part took place in Wyoming in 1942. During the remainder of the war years, the Western Association held a series of minimum size meetings of top officials.

In 1946, the Western Association started a new series of meetings which involved people interested in game and fisheries management including commissioners, directors, administrators, technicians from the various states and Canadian provinces, and federal officials on the national and regional levels. Many complex problems involving the management of western wildlife resources have been brought to light and to ultimate solution since then as a result of this annual meeting.

From these early annual sessions emerged publication of the Western Proceedings, which today – 75+ years later – continues to be published and distributed nationwide to state and federal agencies, universities, libraries and other non-governmental conservation organizations.

Read About the 1930-1940s

Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

1950s. As member agencies began to alter their structure, so too did the Western Association. In 1957, the name was changed to the Western Association of State Game and Fish Commissioners to reflect the growing emphasis on fisheries programs. In 1978, the name was again altered to reflect changing times. As member agencies became “departments” rather than “commissions”, the Western Association evolved to its current name, the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA).

1970s. While these early accomplishments were significant, a series of actions undertaken by the Western Association since the late-1970s has established its reputation for innovation and leadership.

View WAFWA’s Legacy Programs

While capturing some of the highlights of the past ten decades of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, it doesn’t do justice to the hard work and issues confronted by the thousands of directors, commissioners and professional staffs of member agencies over the years. From its meager beginnings with seven member agencies in 1922, the Western Association has more than tripled in size to now include 19 states, 3 Canadian provinces and 2 Canadian Territories. Not only is it large in size, but the Western Association is larger than life in terms of accomplishments – especially over the past 25 years.

As the Western Association moves into the future, employees of all the member agencies are confident that by working together, the fish and wildlife resources of the West and the habitat upon which those resources depend will be protected and enhanced so that future generations can enjoy our natural heritage.

Developed by Larry Kruckenberg, Past WAFWA Executive Secretary