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In 1935, sportsmen from throughout Missouri came together to form the Conservation Federation of
Missouri (CFM). They organized with the purpose of taking conservation out of politics. Their
initiative petition campaign resulted in the creation of the Missouri Department of Conservation,
a non-political conservation agency that has been a model for other states.
Since then, the Federation has undertaken many successful battles to ensure Missouri continues to
be the leading state in conservation policies and funding. In 1976, CFM spearheaded successful
passage of the conservation sales tax to create stable broadbased funding for Missouri's forests,
fauna and fish.
Today CFM is the largest and most representative conservation group in Missouri. It is a citizen's
organization with 70 clubs and 30,000 members. CFM is the Missouri affiliate of the National Wildlife
Federation.
If you are interested in more information on the history of conservation in Missouri, you might find Man
and Wildlife in Missouri by Charles Callison of interest. The book examines "how the people of Missouri
used, abused and attempted to restore and manage their wildlife and forest resources" (Callison foreword).
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