Nominators will be asked to provide the following information:

I. Describe the affiliate’s history of commitment to conservation. Please include examples of how the affiliate has aided in the protection of wildlife or natural resource conservation efforts.

II. Describe how the nominee has contributed positively to the Federation.

III. Describe how the affiliate has served as an inspiration to others this past year (or within recent years).

Nominators will be asked to provide the following information:

I. Describe the nominee’s volunteer work and commitment to conservation, including length of time served.

II. Describe any specific and noteworthy accomplishments during that time that have benefited the nominee’s community and supported the mission of the affiliate and of the Federation.

III. Describe how the nominee demonstrates the spirit of volunteerism and has served as an inspiration to others.

Nominators will be asked to provide the following information:

I. Describe the nominee’s history of commitment to conservation. Please include examples of how the nominee has aided in the protection of wildlife or natural resource conservation efforts.

II. Describe how the nominee has contributed positively to the Federation.

III. Describe how the nominee has served as an inspiration to others.

Nominators will be asked to provide the following information:

I. Describe the nominee’s conservation work, and include examples of how the nominee has aided in the protection of wildlife or natural resource conservation efforts.

II. Describe the nominee’s connection to the Federation and the ways they’ve contributed positively to the Federation.

III. Describe how the nominee has worked to inspire change.

Nominators will be asked to provide the following information:

I. Describe the nominee’s leadership and commitment to science and/or Indigenous knowledges and furthering the goals of conservation. 

II. Describe the nominee’s connection and contributions to the Federation. 

An award is made in each of two categories:

1. A volunteer or staff member from an affiliate organization
2. A staff member of the National Wildlife Federation

Nominators will be asked to provide the following information:

I. Describe how the nominee has contributed to the success of an affiliate organization and the National Wildlife Federation, and the shared conservation goals of the Federation.

II. Describe how the nominee has contributed to stronger Federation relationships and demonstrated appreciation for the value and power of the NWF-affiliate partnership. Please include ways in which the nominee has reached out to organizations other than the nominee’s own and fosters collaboration.

III. Describe any other ways the nominee has added to positive change within the conservation space and One Federation as a whole.

Charles Raymond Shaw, born July 15, 1932, developed his lifelong passion for wildlife and conservation at an early age. Raised at Overhills, the Harnett County, NC estate of the Rockefeller family, Charlie grew up surrounded by the natural landscapes and wildlife that would shape his life and work. His appreciation for the outdoors became much more than a personal passion. It became a lifelong commitment to protecting wildlife, habitat, and the places that connect people to the natural world.

In 1964, Charlie helped found the Wake County Wildlife Club of North Carolina and remained a charter member. He served as the club’s president in 1968, beginning a long record of leadership within North Carolina’s conservation community. In 1973, he was elected president of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) and later that same year became its executive vice president. His leadership at NCWF reflected both his deep knowledge of conservation and his belief that lasting progress depended on bringing people together around a common purpose.

Charlie was an innovator as well as an advocate. Recognizing the important role that boaters and anglers could play as stewards of North Carolina’s waterways, he led NCWF in establishing a series of “environmental” fishing tournaments. Participants were challenged not only to catch a big bass, but also to clean up the lakes and rivers they loved. A bag of trash collected along a shoreline was every bit as important as a successful catch. In a simple but powerful way, Charlie connected recreation, stewardship, and conservation, helping people see that enjoying the outdoors also carried a responsibility to protect it.

He brought that same determination to the protection of North Carolina’s streams and rivers. Charlie led NCWF’s efforts to oppose the destructive practice of stream channelization, which altered natural waterways and damaged wildlife habitat. His efforts helped initiate a lawsuit that resulted in a landmark decision against channelization. This was an important victory for North Carolina’s waterways and a lasting example of the impact that a determined conservation organization could have.

Charlie’s leadership eventually extended beyond North Carolina. In 1981, he became Southeastern Regional Executive of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), where he continued to champion wildlife and conservation while working closely with NWF’s state affiliates. Whether serving as a businessman, entrepreneur, fundraiser, executive director, or Regional Executive, Charlie understood that conservation success depended on people working together.

Charlie loved the National Wildlife Federation. He did not see the Federation simply as a partnership or a collection of relationships between the national organization and its individual affiliates. He understood it as one big family – many people and organizations with different perspectives, personalities, and approaches, but united by a shared commitment to protecting wildlife and habitat. To Charlie, the strength of the Federation came from those connections and from the willingness of its members to work together toward a common goal.

He understood, too, that strong conservation organizations required strong relationships. Charlie believed deeply in the role that NWF staff and affiliate leaders play in advancing conservation initiatives. He knew that the teamwork and cooperation necessary to achieve victories on the ground required dedicated individuals, effective affiliate leadership, mutual trust, and an unwavering commitment to a shared mission.

Charlie was many things to many people: a dedicated employee, a teacher, a businessman, an entrepreneur, a skilled fundraiser, a bass fisherman, and a steadfast friend of wildlife and all those who cared about conservation. But perhaps his most enduring role was that of mentor. He coached, shared, encouraged, and led. He invested in people and helped them become better leaders, better partners, and more effective advocates for conservation.

In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, Charlie was inducted into the North Carolina Conservation Hall of Fame in 1988. His peers established this award in 1991 to honor and recognize individuals who embody the spirit of Charlie’s work as an affiliate executive director and NWF staff member.