NFWF awards $22.8 million for conservation in Northern Great Plains
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has announced 27 grants totaling $22.8 million to protect vital grassland habitat in the Northern Great Plains and to strengthen ranching operations and communities.
Grants were awarded through the Northern Great Plains Program, a public-private partnership between NFWF, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bezos Earth Fund, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, Burger King, Capri Holdings Ltd, Cargill, Marathon Oil, Nestlé, Oxy, and Sysco. The program works with private landowners and local partners to conserve and restore native prairie and wildlife populations while also benefiting local ranching operations and tribal communities.
Partially bolstered by a major contribution from the Bezos Earth Fund, the largest grant slate in the program’s history will support projects in Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan and will leverage $42 million in matching contributions. Projects will tackle several conservation obstacles, including encroachment of invasive species, human development and land use conversion, poor grazing practices, and conservation capacity. Recipients include Smithsonian Institution-National Zoological Park, the Montana Land Reliance, Ducks Unlimited, Thunder Valley Community Development, Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance, and the National Audubon Society.
“Grasslands in the Northern Great Plains support a broad suite of wildlife species found nowhere else in the world,” said NFWF executive director and CEO Jeff Trandahl. “These systems are threatened by conversion to other land uses, development, and the spread of invasive species, but thanks to the incredible work of our partners, including Indigenous-led organizations, ranchers, state and local partners, and other nonprofits, we are working to preserve these iconic landscapes.”
For a complete list of grant recipients, see the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation website.
(Photo credit: Getty Images/Kristen Pineda)
