ABOUT THE LEAGUE

Will Dilg, founder and first President of the Izaak Walton League.

The Izaak Walton League is a diverse group of 50,000 men and women dedicated to protecting our nation's soil, air, woods, waters and wildlife.Our strength lies in our grassroots, commonsense approach to solving local, regional and national conservation issues. Our interests span the spectrum of outdoor recreation and conservation activities, from angling and birding to stream monitoring, wildlife photography and hunting. But we all share one major goal: to protect and use sustainably America's rich resources to ensure a high quality of life for all people, now and in the future.

The Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) was founded in Chicago in 1922 to form a plan of action to combat water pollution in lakes and streams. The group named itself after Izaak Walton, the 17th century author of the literary classic The Compleat Angler.

Long before the terms biodiversity and ecosystem management became common, IWLA members were fighting to protect whole watersheds, bio regions, air and water quality, and wildlife habitat. 

The IWLA strives to look at the big environmental picture, working to protect the systems in which all creatures live.

For more information about the League see:

• IWLA History in Minnesota, by Ruth Saari, Minnesota Division Historian 
• What We've Done - IWLA Accomplishments in Minnesota, from the McCabe Chapter 
• Furtman, Michael. (Duluth McCabe Chapter member) "Izaak Walton League of America: 75 Years in Defense of the Boundary Waters."