Common Ground - January 2010

This One's For The Birds

Each fall, migrating birds seek shelter in Louisiana to escape the North’s freezing temperatures, plump up on quality grub and select mates for spring breeding. Over the past century, however, these avian travelers have faced increasing peril, as the state’s once-lush forests and waterways have been cleared, dammed and otherwise altered, destroying habitat.

That’s why we’re thrilled to kick off the New Year with a gift of 245,000 native trees to Grande Cote and Lake Ophelia national wildlife refuges in Central Louisiana.  With the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners, our voluntary carbon offset program, Go Zero®, is restoring 814 acres of native oaks and cypresses. Over time, this canopy will welcome migrating birds like mallards and green-winged teal, attract local wildlife including bald eagles and the Louisiana black bear, and also clean the air by trapping carbon dioxide.

Corporate, foundation and individual donors – including U-Haul, Gaiam, Travelocity and Dell – make this gift possible.

Click here to find out more.

CONSERVATION SUCCESS

Greater Prairie-Chicken Grooves

It’s not the tango, but the mating dance of the male Greater Prairie-Chicken does have a rare charm. And one that’s getting rarer all the time: As open prairie has given way to farms and other land uses, the Greater Prairie-Chicken population has declined to near extinction. In Wisconsin, for instance, the birds are now found in just six counties.

Striking an upbeat note, we and our partners have protected some of that key Greater Prairie-Chicken habitat: two tracts of prime grassland, totaling 883 acres, that lie adjacent to the Buena Vista Wildlife Area in Portage County. By doing so, we connect a broader swath of habitat, giving the prairie-chicken a more landscape-level haven, which provides better shelter and safe room to mate.

A team of public and private partners made this conservation success possible, including the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Dane County Conservation League, Golden Sands Resource Conservation & Development Council and Portage County Land Preservation Fund.

Check out the dance and our deal here.

ACROSS AMERICA

Backpacker Magazine Goes Wild in Alaska

Backpacker magazine Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Dorn flew deep into Alaska's backcountry with our Alaska State Director, Glenn Elison, for the “adventure of a lifetime." Their goal: experience the adventure of wild salmon habitat first-hand. You can join them – without even getting a toe wet – by watching this video.

Click here to view.

Also in 1985, a small group of determined conservationists launched The Conservation Fund. Patrick Noonan, who had just won a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant for his conservation ideas, and a few colleagues envisioned a new model of land conservation: an organization chartered not only for environmental preservation, but also economic development. They wanted to partner with community, government and business to achieve land conservation across America – moving swiftly and smartly.

And so we do.  We’ve worked in all 50 states, protecting more than 6 million acres. We've changed communities in ways big and small – from saving iconic landscapes to helping individuals keep family farms. 

Join us throughout 2010, as we look back – and look ahead at our next generation of conservation.