Values

Who We are

At COWL, we stand out from many other groups by leading with true inclusion. While it is known to be easier for our species to associate with those who think like us, at COWL we are leaders in making everyone feel welcome - regardless of partisan status or non-status. This of course applies to every other group as well. We observe the Golden Rule as best we can - treat others how we would like to be treated. None of this means that we need to seek out people who are different, specifically - just that it will never be a hurdle. The wildlife depends on us to put aside differences and unite in our cause, with a commitment to kindness and preventing any seeds of anger from taking root in our hearts.

Our mission is different from other groups because we are municipality-focused. This means our city, village, or township is our primary focus. We seek to foster collaboration among our chapters, to share advice and techniques to be more effective with master plans, government boards, elected officials, community events, and private partnerships.

Our mission is to protect high-quality greenspaces. We enact this by supporting native ecology, ensuring there is adequate land for these plants and animals to endure in perpetuity. We call this kind of high-quality greenspace "ecospace." 

We must always represent COWL in a way that implies no support or opposition to election candidates. Our tax-exempt status relies on this. The COWL Facebook Group is not a property or function of the non-profit, but we still do our best to maintain professionalism online, as non-profit members.

Our Google technology infrastructure (email, chat, cloud storage, website, etc.) is a powerful opportunity for all of our members to take advantage of modern communication for free, due to our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Please reach out to our leadership if you would like a free account! It works on Apple, Android, and Microsoft products, so everyone is included.

Members in good standing are encouraged to: 

• actively vote for COWL board candidates at our annual meetings, and 

• review our calendar for opportunities to join events (which helps make them a success!)

-Steve Klein, President 11/5/2025