“In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.”
— Baba Dioum, 1968
Although these powerful words were first spoken nearly a half-century ago, today, they are considered some of the foundational principles that guide wildlife viewing and environmental education the world over. To that end, AZGFD’s Wildlife Viewing Program (WVP) continues to pioneer opportunities that engage all constituencies—both traditional and non-traditional alike—in an effort to educate people about the intrinsic value of wildlife and the vital role that the AZGFD plays in protecting and conserving these species in perpetuity. By creating a more keenly aware populace, the WVP endeavors to foster a passion for the diverse wildlife of Arizona and garner the support of all constituents for the AZGFD’s mission.
The WVP engages members of the community in various ways: Multiple streaming wildlife cameras—from a sandhill crane cam to a desert pupfish cam—bring the secret lives of animals to life over the internet. A regular wildlife lecture series recruits AZGFD biologists and other experts to deliver fascinating talks about Arizona wildlife and our conservation work. Meanwhile, throughout the year, thrilling wildlife viewing events take groups into the wild. The public can be part of a bat netting event, tour Canyon Lake to photograph Desert Bighorn Sheep, view Bison at the Raymond Wildlife Area, or take a guided night hike to learn about Arizona’s nocturnal critters, just to name a few exciting excursions. The WVP has even launched popular wildlife trivia games over different social media outlets.
Through these and many other public engagement events, the WVP works to educate people about Arizona’s wildlife as well as AZGFD’s conservation work. Over the past decade, the WVP has grown in popularity and scope and continues to pioneer new ways to further engage the public. The WVP partners with multiple other municipal, county, state and federal agencies as well as NGOs and nonprofits in order to serve the entire constituency.
By the Numbers:
To date, our streaming wildlife cams have been viewed by more than 2.6 million individual viewers from more than 40 states and 38 countries.
In total, highly conservative estimates place our total community engagement at more than 4.1 million people through all forms of outreach by the WVP.
On average, the WVP gives up to five wildlife lectures per month, reaching, educating, and impassioning hundreds of constituents each year.
During the season when wildlife is most active (May through October) the WVP offers more than 30 events, mist netting bats to bird walks. These events frequently sellout and have full waitlists due to their popularity and public demand.