Federal Conservation Partnerships

The Conservation Fund appreciates how American conservation began with a federal commitment that ultimately led to four primary land management agencies: the National Park Service; the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; the U.S. Forest Service; and the Bureau of Land Management. Through our federal conservation partnerships, we help each of these agencies – and many others, from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to the U.S. Department of Defense – conserve and restore our American landscape, including wild areas, popular parks, working forests and more.

Additionally, partnerships with federal agencies like USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA Agricultural Research Service, and the Appalachian Regional Commission, help advance our community development, small business financing, and food system efforts that align social, environmental and economic returns for a "triple bottom line.”

Much of our work for critical conservation programs is made possible thanks to critical bipartisan support from U.S. Congressional leaders. To date, we have completed more than 900 conservation projects with our federal partners, saving U.S. taxpayers more than $350 million.

Milwaukee River Watershed Conservation Partnership

The Milwaukee River—a major tributary to Lake Michigan—provides clean drinking water for more than one million people. But excessive...

Headwaters of the San Juan & Navajo Rivers

The upper reaches of the Navajo and San Juan Rivers contain some of the wildest land in Colorado, combined...

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

A rugged landscape that attracts hikers and campers who like a challenge, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park...

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument

Rising up from the desert soil and hidden in the canyon walls of the Canyons of the Ancients National...

Grand Lake Federal Lands Livability Initiative

What makes a community livable? Most agree it’s the quality of transportation options, range of affordable housing choices, potential...

Development of Sustainable Land-Based Aquaculture Production Systems

A Cooperative Agreement funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Downloadable case study — PDF Challenge U.S. consumers...

Zion National Park

For three decades, Dallen and Karen Spendlove and their four children have been excellent stewards for their 2,400-acre ranch...

Washoe Valley

To date, the Fund has conserved more than 2,000 acres of open space and 3,200 acre-feet of surface and...

Wind Cave National Park

Considered a sacred place by the Lakota, Wind Cave is one of the longest and most complex caves in...

Strategic Mitigation for Wind Energy In the Midwest

As concerns mount over the high costs and long-term environmental impacts of fossil fuels, wind has become an increasingly...

Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge

Louisiana’s Ouachita River starts just 20 miles north of Monroe and stretches more than 42,500 acres north over the...

Strategic Mitigation for Pipelines: NiSource Gas

NiSource Inc. (NiSource), a Fortune 500 natural gas transmission and storage company, operates a 15,500 linear mile network of...

Tongass National Forest

Though Alaska is a state of great expanse, small places matter. As the critical first project of The Conservation...

Tonto National Forest

Cave Creek, only 25 miles north of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, is one of the few perennial streams...

Sodalis Nature Preserve

Mark Twain put Hannibal, Missouri, on the map. The tranquil landscapes of his boyhood town on the Mississippi River...

Freedom Riders National Monument

Nonviolent protests and acts of civil disobedience powered the civil rights movement, making activists out of ordinary people wanting...

State Game Lands 93

September 11, 2001 is one of the most tragic days in our nation’s history. Nearly 3,000 people died as...

Stehekin At Lake Chelan National Recreation Area

Stehekin is a small, remote settlement within the 62,000-acre Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. Permanent residents number less than 100, but...

Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge

The Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge is the gateway to the Great Lakes and contains one of the largest and...

Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge

The Fund helps communities save their favorite outdoor places. This was the case in 2011 when a local land...

Snead Farm

In 2011, we helped with a land preservation agreement that permanently protects the 290-acres of Emmett Snead III’s pick-your-own...

San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge

Our passion for conservation means we’re dedicated to saving land—no matter how complex the project. That’s why, over the...

San Juan Island National Historical Park

Located in the waters between Vancouver Island to the west and Washington State to the east – and just a short...

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site

The Sand Creek Massacre is one of the most tragic events in America’s history, and marked a major turning...

Ouachita National Forest

The Ouachita National Forest covers 1.8 million acres across Oklahoma and Arkansas. This beautiful forest has mountains, lakes, rivers and trails open...