Midwest

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Illinois	Indiana
Iowa	Michigan
Minnesota	Missouri
Nebraska	North and South Dakota
Ohio	Oklahoma
Wisconsin

Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota

At the Fund, we work to protect America’s favorite places and in 2011 we protected more than 5,500 acres at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. Considered a sacred place by the Lakota, Wind Cave is one of the world's longest and most complex caves and is home to one of America’s most ecologically-significant bison herds. The park now features more than 30,000 acres of mixed-grass prairie and ponderosa pine forest that provides important habitat and an amazing outdoor experience for visitors.

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Regional Highlights

Fish Creek Natural Area Greenway Adds 70 Acres In Maplewood
As part of a long-time effort to preserve and enhance the Fish Creek Natural Area Greenway, the City of Maplewood in Minnesota and the Fund added a key 70-acre, two-parcel property in the southern part of the City. Surrounded on three sides by county-owned open space, this acquisition preserves one of the largest undeveloped open spaces in the area and will expand the Fish Creek Open Space section of the Greenway by 50 percent.
Helping The YMCA Of Duluth Save Camp Miller
We helped the YMCA of Duluth permanently protect nearly 300 acres at Camp Miller, which supports outdoor opportunities for more than 2,000 youth each year. It also protects valuable land that has been a top priority for Minnesota DNR's Aquatic Management Area Acquisition Program.
Tackling Food Deserts In Michigan
With a $400,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Fund is alleviating food deserts in rural Michigan by helping minority farmers increase production and get their goods to farmers' markets while also providing grants to community groups for outreach to educate families about eathing healthier.
It’s a Wind - Win Situation
In the Midwest, alternative energy is a booming business. The Fund is preparing a Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan that covers 27 million acres and 30 federally listed species that may be impacted by future wind energy projects across the Midwest region.
Missouri River Recovery Program
As part of this effort to enhance the Missouri River and restore critical wildlife habitat, the Fund joined forces with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect 2,400 acres—and nearly seven miles of river frontage—in Cedar County, Nebraska. The property was identified as the highest priority for the program.
Upper Mississippi Forest Project
The Upper Mississippi Forest project keeps nearly 188,000 acres of Minnesota’s North Woods open for enjoyment by all and permanently protects forest habitats, creating a legacy that will live forever.
Great Lakes Revolving Loan Fund
A generous lead grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has enabled the Fund and its partners to protect nearly 20,000 acres, valued at nearly $56 million, within the Great Lakes Basin, the nation's most significant freshwater ecosystem.
Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network (WIN)
The Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network is a collaborative effort of communities, conservationists, foundations and businesses to enhance the natural resources of the Saginaw Bay Watershed and create a more sustainable future for all its inhabitants.

Ongoing Initiatives

Upper Midwest Conservation Initiative

Two boys playing on rocks by a river. This iconic region has long sustained both wildlife and thriving communities but sprawl and land sales increasingly threaten this rare landscape. The Fund has, since 1985, joined with public agencies, private land trusts and landowners to safeguard nearly 360,000 acres of recreation areas, wetlands, working forests and wilderness in the Upper Midwest. Read more about the initiative's accomplishments and learn about the revolving funds that make projects possible.

Greenseams

Yellow flowers against a blue sky Since 2001, we’ve helped the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District fight flooding by managing “Greenseams,” a program that has protected more than 2,000 acres of key lands containing water-absorbent (hydric) soils. More than a million people live and work in the Milwaukee metro area—many in flood prone neighborhoods. As a long-term approach to flood management, Greenseams is an innovative program that uses land conservation as a tool to safeguard the community and its water supply. Learn more.

Ann Arbor Greenbelt Initiative

Red barn and landscape at a farm in Michigan The Fund is helping to implement the Ann Arbor Greenbelt Initiative, a far-reaching project designed to protect and link city parks, natural areas and working farms throughout the city, while curbing the growth and effects of sprawl. Learn more.