Alberta Wildlife Federation’s new president aims to lead the organization into a new era of relevance

The Alberta Wildlife Federation’s new president, Paul Short, applauds the efforts of his predecessors while aiming to lead the organization into a new era of relevance and influence in the province.

A long-time outdoorsman with experience hunting and fishing across Canada and around the world, Short joined the AWF three years ago and quickly became involved in the organization’s governance. He’s served as both first and second vice-president, and is now at the start of his two-year term as president.

Going forward, Short says there are four primary areas the AWF plans to focus on, starting with the federation’s relevancy to its members. As one of the principal authors of the AWF’s new mission, vision and values statements, he says he wants to prioritize regular and open communication with the membership. “We have to be transparent,” he says.

Short also thinks the AWF should be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to issues affecting Alberta’s anglers and hunters. “We need to be in front of issues, not only responding,” he says. At the same time, he would like to help increase the federation’s influence. “We have 12,000 members in 61 clubs,” Short says. “We need to bring a strong advocacy awareness to the decision-makers in the province regarding resources.”

Finally, he says the AWF is looking to build partnerships with other conservation agencies and NGOs in order to maximize its reach and ability to advocate on behalf of the province’s anglers and hunters.

In 2007, Short retired as a senior manager in the Alberta government, where he worked for 33 years, with experience in integrated resource planning and forestry industry development. He also spent eight years as president of the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association. He says his experience at the provincial, national and international level in resource management—including legislative, policy and research work—is part of the value he brings to his new role as president.

Learn more about the AWF’s programs and positions at www.albertawildlifefederation.ca.