What is CWD and how do we celebrate it? 

This event was established to honor, preserve, restore and celebrate the wonders and diversity of California wildlife.

THE STORY OF CALIFORNIA WILDLIFE DAY…

by Beverly Eyre, Creator and Co-Founder of CWD!

CWD! began as a tribute to a husband - a neighbor and friend to others, who passed away suddenly a few years ago....

He was a lover and student of Nature and the Wild.  He inspired us with his powerful insistent message that our Garden of Eden - California - and the rest of the world, was in big trouble.  He championed the role of our watersheds and served to draw attention to the loss of biodiversity, the plight of our soil, air and water, the pollution and desecration of our environment, and the rapid decline and extinction of species who make up this fragile extraordinary Web of Life that we are all a part of and depend on.

We created a petition to get the word out. We decided not to use the Internet initially, to not use any of the online technology.  We passed them out by hand and others joined our effort to ask the California legislature to pass a resolution making CWD! an official date on the State's calendar.  Many exclaimed they couldn't believe we didn't already have one!

By a stroke of good fortune, California Senator Monning was presented with our petition and he agreed to sponsor it with Assemblyman Mark Stone. The resolution was passed unanimously, uniting Republicans and Democrats in a rare mutual embrace. We are forever grateful to them and their staff who made this all possible.

We are not an organized entity, just a group of friends who decided to commit ourselves to help support the many groups that are already working hard in our local communities to rescue and rehabilitate the needy, the sick and injured wildlife, forests, deserts and watersheds. And we are focused on our wonderful young people who want to learn what they can do to help in this work and offer their own invaluable thoughts and ideas.

There is no one way to "do" CWD! It is up to each community and every individual to do what is meaningful for them and their own surrounding circumstances.

We would like this day to be a joyous one, inspired by the love we all share for this special place we all call home ~ California!