April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
President Theodore Roosevelt established America’s National Parks to protect lands with outstanding scenic and natural beauty, unique geological features, and unusual ecosystems, Since 1985, we’ve helped the National Park Service conserve more than 325,000 acres at our National Parks, which now offer vital educational, inspirational and recreational opportunities to all Americans.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
America’s National Forests provide recreational opportunities, watershed protection, timber products and protection for important wildlife habitats. We’ve helped the U.S. Forest Service protect and add more than 161,000 acres to our National Forests since 1985.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
In partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), we’ve protected more than 1.25 million acres of land and water resources out West. From sprawling ranches to the narrowest hiking trail, our goal is to protect the best of the West—advancing BLM’s top conservation priorities and responsible economic development at the same time.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
We believe that forest conservation can be both economically viable and ecologically sustainable, but like all other necessary parts of our national infrastructure, they need to be invested in and maintained. That's why, since 1985, we've protected more than two million forest acres across America.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
Through our cultural conservation efforts of protecting historic and culturally significant sites, we are able to broaden our knowledge of the past. Being able to experience the landscapes that shaped our country gives us a greater understanding of the struggles and achievements that formed our national identity.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
At the Conservation Fund, we advance our conservation policy mission by engaging with federal and state agencies, the U.S. Congress, and our numerous partners to pursue innovative and meaningful policy approaches and funding for today’s conservation challenges.
Year after year, the
federal budget process strongly influences our nation’s conservation legacy. We work closely with the Executive Branch and the U.S. Congress to ensure strong funding levels for critical conservation programs, such as:
Land and Water Conservation Fund , which includes the land acquisition programs of the BLM, FWS, NPS, and USFS; the State and Local Assistance/“State-Side” Grant Program, the Forest Legacy Program, the American Battlefield Protection Grant Program, and the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act),North American Wetlands Conservation Act ,Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program ,Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
Agricultural Research Service ’s extramural research,Community Forest and Open Space Program , and others.
Additionally,
federal policy —established in various public lands bills, the Farm bill, the Transportation bill, and the Water Resources Development Act, and numerous other individual bills—is an important focus for the advancement of The Conservation Fund’s solution-oriented mission. We encourage you to follow these links to learn more about several key programs and related policy initiatives in the 115th Congress:
We encourage you to follow these links to learn more about several key programs and related policy initiatives in the 115th Congress:
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
For nearly three decades, the Freshwater Institute has specialized in aquaculture technology known as recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). RAS makes it possible to raise fish on land in a sustainable way—for food production, recreational fishing or habitat restoration—that filters and recycles water and repurposes waste to support both environmental and economic vitality.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
Our aquaculture technology efforts with the Freshwater Institute specialize in the technology and design of aquaculture systems, as well as solutions to the water quality constraints and impacts presented by our farms and communities.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
Our efforts to conserve ecologically sensitive wetlands and watersheds help protect freshwater quality and wildlife habitat while safeguarding clean, sustainable drinking water. By planting trees and developing key strategies for their preservation and restoration, we help protect these fragile ecosystems, ensuring they remain a vibrant and healthy part of every community.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
Protecting the quality of drinking water supplies remains the oldest motivation for land conservation. In many parts of the country, water quality — especially obtaining clean drinking water — is a major problem. Communities across the country face challenges to both water quantity and water quality; for many, an epic flood or drought has transformed their water supply. We are now using a landscape-scale approach to help communities find solutions to the complex issues raised by surface water and groundwater quality.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
Capturing a view of an animal in the wild is nothing short of thrilling; whether you're at a national park, a wildlife preserve, visiting a migratory pathway, or even just in your own backyard. The Conservation Fund's wildlife protection efforts help ensure that wild animals have a safe place to live, rest, breed and travel. Discover a few of the spots we've preserved that help species to thrive in the wild.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) are lands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to protect habitat for wildlife. There are over 560 NWRs across America providing habitat for more than 700 bird species, 220 species of mammals, 250 reptile and amphibian species, and over 1,000 fish species. Of those, more than 380 are threatened or endangered. These NWRs are part of a larger system, which serves as both a habitat network and a nature experience for the people visiting these places. By partnering with FWS and private landowners wishing to sell their land, we acquire lands to help complete and protect our nation’s NWRs.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
Our mitigation projects provide assistance when infrastructure development for energy or transportation threatens fish and wildlife habitat. We provide mitigation assistance for the conservation of areas that offset, or compensate for, the expected adverse impacts to similar nearby ecosystems. We embrace the fierce urgency of now, achieving permanent conservation by protecting lands and waters critical to our future and those who follow us, such as high-priority wildlife habitat.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
Our endangerd species protection efforts help scientists determine if an animal or plant becomes endangered or is likely to become extinct. With more than 500 animals and 700 plant species now listed as endangered in the United States, the Fund protects lands and waters that enable these fragile wildlife populations to survive and, in some cases, to thrive.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
Our Conservation Loans program offers flexible financing and long-term, expert technical assistance to land trusts and other organizations to help them protect key properties in their communities. Since our first loan in 1993, our conservation lending programs have provided more than $180 million in 300-plus loans to nearly 200 partners.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
Conservation easements can be a cost-effective way to protect land while keeping it in private ownership. We work with private landowners, nonprofit conservation organizations and/or government agencies to conserve forests, farms, ranches and other lands. An additional benefit is that lands conserved via easements stay on the tax rolls, supporting local economies.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
Natural Capital Investment Fund finances and advises “triple-bottom-line” small- to mid-sized enterprises that conserve local natural resources and provide vital community services. NCIF works primarily in rural and underserved communities across a nine-state region. We lend and provide targeted technical assistance to innovative entrepreneurs, so they can build locally-owned enterprises, create lasting jobs, increase community prosperity, and support The Conservation Fund’s conservation and economic development goals.
April 12, 2017| By Ross Feldman
The Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIFund) provides loans to small enterprises—for-profit and non-profit alike—that innovate and create jobs in economically underserved areas. Loan capital is critical for growth but hard to come by for young companies, especially those breaking new ground in green and natural resource-based sectors.
NCIFund specializes in providing the equity-like capital that traditional lenders either can't or won't; we use our familiarity with the often unfamiliar green sectors to make loans to entrepreneurs with tenacity and a determination to build environmentally responsible businesses.
