1979

Project WILD (Wildlife in Learning Design) conceived at WREEC annual meeting. WREEC receives Conservation Education Award from NWF.

1980

WREEC contracted by 12 WAFWA states to develop Project WILD. WREEC receives Conservation Education Award from the Wildlife Society.

1981

Development of Project WILD begins. WREEC receives Conservation Education Award through NAAEE.

1982

Development, testing and revision of Project WILD.

1983

Project WILD premieres. Project WILD Elementary Activity Guide is distributed in the fall. 20 states are involved. Project WILD Evaluation: Final Report of Field Test. Annual conference: California.

1984

Project WILD Secondary Activity Guide released in January to 31 states and Canada. Annual conference: Nevada.

1985

35 state sponsors have adopted Project WILD. Annual conference: Washington.

1986

39 state sponsors; development of Project WILD Aquatic Education Activity Guide. Project WILD Survey of Use and Needs completed (Charles). Annual conference: Tennessee.

1987

Project WILD Aquatic Education Activity Guide released. Annual conference: Wisconsin.

1988

5 th Anniversary! 41 state sponsors actively conducting Project WILD workshops, and program is initiated in India. Annual conference: Colorado.

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1989

Project WILD grows to 47 states actively conducting the program. Annual conference: Massachusetts.

1990

Project WILD now reaching 49 sponsors; Evaluation: User and Non-user Assessment Study of Project WILD Materials (Standage Accureach, Inc.). Annual conference: Oklahoma.

1991

President's Environmental and Conservation Challenge Award received. Renew America recognition for quality in the field of environmental education. Missouri joins Project WILD to now include 50 states actively conducting the program, plus six national and five international sponsors, including Sweden. Project WILD: Report Addendum-Usage and Workshop Length, Aquatic Guide (Standage Accureach, Inc.). WREEC Office established in Houston. Annual conference: Alberta, Canada.

1992

Elementary and Secondary Guides updated and combined into one K-12 volume; Aquatic Guide updated. Renew America recognition for quality in the field of environmental education. Project WILD Action Program launched with funding from NFWF and Phillips Petroleum Company. Project WILD sponsorship expanded to Czech Republic and Iceland. Annual conference: Idaho.

1993

10 th Anniversary! WILD School Sites released. Elk Education Project conceived and developed with Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; Project WILD National Office established in Bethesda, MD; funding from NFWF and Phillips supports Action Grant and WILD in the City programs. Annual conference: Alabama.

1994

Exploring School Nature Areas (video) and WILD About Elk released. WREEC National Survey by McDonald Communications completed. Funding from NFWF and Phillips supports Action Grant and WILD in the City programs. Annual conference: Virginia.

1995

Taking Action guide, poster "Exploring and Experiencing a World of Wildlife" and new 4-color brochure released. A Needs Analysis for Project WILD's WILD in the City Initiative (Young, Thompson and Thompson) completed. WILD in the City launched with funding from NFWF and Phillips Petroleum Company; WREEC and Project WILD selected to be partners in EETAP grant managed by NAAEE; long-range plan developed; web site developed. Joint annual conference in Missouri with PLT and WET.

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1996

Summary of Research Findings 1983-1995 completed. WREEC transitions to CEE and a new National Board of Directors is established. Second year of EETAP grant. Funding from NFWF and Phillips supports Action Grant and WILD in the City programs. Annual conference: New Mexico.

1997

CEE receives National Environmental Education Achievement Award (NEETF). Project WILD National Office relocates to Gaithersburg, MD from Bethesda, MD. State grants awarded for WILD in the City program sponsored by Phillips Petroleum Company; third year EETAP grant. Annual conference: West Virginia.

1998

15 th Anniversary! The Changing Face of Project WILD released. Project WILD Evaluation Design (Institute for Learning Innovation); Randi Korn & Associates evaluation initiated. Pilot testing of high school service-learning activities; fourth year EETAP grant; Survey of Wildlife Agency Directors: Measuring Effectiveness and Impact of Wildlife-Based Conservation Education Programs proposal to NFWF. Annual conference: California.

1999

Spanish Supplement of Project WILD Activities and Correlations to National Education Standards released. Project WILD poster released. Randi Korn & Associates evaluation continues. Fifth (final) year of EETAP grant. Pilot testing of Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife initiated. Project WILD sponsored in Japan, bringing the total to 50 states, and six additional countries. Annual conference: Connecticut.

2000

Updates of WILD and Aquatic WILD including 25 new activities and new learning framework released. Project WILD Evaluation Impact Studies I & II: Findings from Questionnaires, Observations and Interviews (Randi Korn & Associates) released. Pilot testing of Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife continues. States order over 59,000 K-12 and Aquatic guides for use in training workshops. Annual conference: Georgia.

2001

Student Learning from Project WILD (OSU) disseminated. Project WILD National Office relocates to Houston, TX. Pilot testing of Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife continues. Three year grant from USFWS/ Division of Federal Aid awarded for curriculum printing, Coordinator training and state seed grants for Science and Civics program. Annual conference: Wyoming.

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2002

Partnership initiated with National Wildlife Federation (NWF) for distribution of Science and Civics: Sustaining Wildlife. Publication/production of Project WILD: Awareness to Action video, Correlations to National Science Standards and Correlations to the NAAEE Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning. Science and Civics guide printed. New WILD evaluation instrument developed by Ohio State University, piloted in seven states and provided for all states to utilize. Nine seed grants disseminated to states for Science and Civics through Federal Aid grant. Annual conference: Ontario, Canada.

2003

20 th Anniversary! Since 1983, over 900,000 educators and 48 million youth have participated in Project WILD programming. Fifty state sponsors plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico; additional countries including Canada, Czech Republic, Iceland, India, Japan and Sweden sponsor the program.

Six grants disseminated to states for Science and Civics through second year of Federal Aid grant; eight additional grants to be disseminated for third year of Federal Aid grant. A total of 21 states currently utilize the Science and Civics materials. Long-range planning process begins at WILD Annual Conference in Florida.

2004

Project WILD develops and releases Project WILD: Connecting with No Child Left Behind, a booklet illustrating how Project WILD helps teachers to meet NCLB requirements. Project WILD develops and releases WILD About Reading! --an engaging poster that encourages ;iteracy related to wildlife. Project WILD pilots a distance learning course with 10 WILD States from FL to AK. Student pages are now available electronically for WILD Educators. Four grants disseminated to states for Science and Civics through third and final year of Federal Aid grant. Science and Civics is now available in 25 states. Flying WILD: An Educator's Guide to Celebrating Birds is released. Annual Conference: Indiana.

2005

CEE becomes a national partner for the third phase of the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP). Through EETAP funds, CEE launches the Growing WILD program that provides pass through funding to strengthen state Project WILD programs.  Funds are also provided to states to develop or update correlations between Project WILD activities and state education standards.

Through a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Junior Duck Stamp program, Project WILD and Flying WILD sample activities are published as part of the Junior Duck Stamp poster.

2006

The Project WILD program reaches the one million mark for educators trained since 1983. During this time, over 53 million youth participated in Project WILD activities. CEE launches the One Million Educators Gone WILD! campaign, providing a promotional kit for state agencies.

Project WILD pilots a distance learning course and publsihes a Science and Civics brochure. Through a partnership with Project WILD, The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation creates a new set of Elk Trunks for purchase by state sponsoring agencies.

With input from Project WILD Coordinators and the Program Committee, CEE creates a Project WILD State Self-assessment Tool. The instrument provides an option for state WILD coordinators to measure their output as compared to a model state Project WILD program.

CEE, Wet in the City, and Project Wild produce Fishable Waters: An Urban Fishing Activity for Middle School and High School Students which helps students evaluate how healthy fish populations are by exploring the connection between water quality, habitat and "fishable and swimmable" waters.

Our goals include increasing the involvement of urban audiences in Project WILD activities; additional programming to meet the needs of early childhood educators and students; increasing the use of Project WILD in pre-service teacher training; and the development of new partnerships and program opportunities.

In 2008, Project WILD will be wrapping up production of an early childhood guide, Growing Up WILD, which will premier in 2009.

The future looks WILD!

WILD is hosting its annual Coordinators Conference in Cannon Beach, Oregon, April 26th- May 1st.  Coordinator Committee were formed to further aid in the advancement of Project WILD programming and development.

Growing Up WILD: Exploring Nature with Young Children Ages 3-7, Project WILD's new early childhood guide, becomes available Summer 2009!