Annual Conference
In 1978, several fish and wildlife agency "planners" were searching for ways to apply various planning concepts in their agencies. These individuals were somewhat aware of one another, and thought that a forum to share their ideas, successes, and failures would be desirable. After some communications among themselves, they agreed to meet in Wichita, Kansas, in March of 1979. The group agreed that the gathering served a valid need: to "facilitate the theft of good ideas amongst friends."
In July of 1979, a steering committee met in Denver, Colorado, to develop draft objectives and bylaws. At the September 1979 meeting of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA), a petition was presented and accepted for affiliation of the Organization of Wildlife Planners (OWP). Another gathering occurred in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and a proposed constitution and bylaws were discussed and adopted, thereby officially creating the OWP.
Annual OWP meetings have been conducted since then, usually in April, May, or June. The meetings are typically hosted by an OWP member organization (usually a state or provincial fish and wildlife management agency) and have occurred throughout North America. A list of annual meetings to date, meeting programs, and attending organizations are described on the OWP History page [PDF 140KB] and the meeting proceedings are archived under Publications: Conference Proceedings. Through the years, OWP organization has grown and expanded its horizons, but maintains its commitment to continuously seek better ways to help fish and wildlife agencies improve their management effectiveness.