Sharing Wildlife Experiences in an Immersive Hands-on Outdoor Training Environment
The W3 Mission is to greatly expand from training future generations on how to protect our wildlife resources to the much more challenging task of how to bring others to experience what the outdoors has to offer them in a safe manner.
W3 Membership Program
In partnership with the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has established a membership program to accept donations to greatly assist us in our vision of “Sharing Wildlife Experiences in an Immersive Hands-on Outdoor Training Environment”.
This project is known as W3 (Woods★Wildlife★Water).
Join the W3 (Woods★Wildlife★Water) Mission Today
Help us to develop a passion in others for Virginia’s outdoor experiences
The Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, enables the public to show their support by contributing to the W3 Mission.
If you’d like to donate, please contact the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation or visit their website.
Funding raised through donations will be used to enable W3 Training Programs.
Prefer to donate by mail? Send donations, with “W3 Fund” noted, to the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, PO Box 519, Halifax, VA 24558.
Individual Membership Amounts (Donation)
As a special thank you for joining the W3 Mission, we include a special gift in your membership welcome packet, based on your donation amount:
$25 – Supporter: Conservation Police / DWR Challenge Coin
$100 – Protector Sponsor: Conservation Police Unit Citation Coin
$150 – Guardian Sponsor: W3 Natural Resources Training Academy Coin
$250 or more – Legacy Sponsor: Complete Set of all Three Coins
Additional Information on this Unique W3 Initiative
W3 Goals
- Continue to offer an exceptional Law Enforcement Basic Academy and In-service Training to Virginia Conservation Police within the Department of Wildlife Resources
- Expand our comprehensive instructional learning to Virginia Marine Police within the Marine Resources Commission and to other state and local first responders
- Offer additional opportunities for K9 and Tracking Schools with partner agencies to enhance emergency outdoor response capabilities
- Establish a “Champions for the Wild” Program using graduates of the newly created W3 Natural Resources Civilian Academy who can then lead others to the outdoors through shared experiences
W3 Objectives
- Objective 1: Develop community partnerships in support of W3
- Include community partners in the development of W3. There are opportunities for corporations and individuals to directly contribute to its development through donations of services, goods, or financial support.
- Objective 2: Develop natural resource-based programs that support DWR’s mission
- Develop immersive training experiences that create connections to the outdoors. Programs would focus on sharing information and building outdoor skills.
- Attracting these new users will create advocates for natural spaces and wildlife, as well as broaden DWR’s reach in communities across Virginia.
- Regional and national studies have indicated a need for state natural resource agencies to expand their outdoor capabilities to meet the needs of the public. Recent accompanying surveys have shown that we are expected to make the public feel safe in the outdoors and we need to be ready with search and rescue capabilities.