The Santa Fe River, in northern Florida, is a 75-mile stretch of mostly slow-moving current interspersed with freshwater springs. Located in an area of sparse human population, it’s a biologically diverse watershed for wildlife and flora. Among many other species, bears, Florida panthers, manatees, and turtles rely on this watershed. The Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT)…
In 1965, the Camp Fire organization built the Kwoneesum Dam at the confluence of three creeks in the Washougal River watershed. The purpose of the dam was to create a recreational lake for a girls’ camp—yet when the camp closed in the late 1980s, the dam remained. The dam prevents Coho salmon and steelhead from…
Downeast Lakes Land Trust, in partnership with the Downeast community, the Trust for Public Land, and the Forest Society of Maine, has recently added 2,015 acres to the Downeast Lakes Community Forest. This community forest protects one of the last remaining tracts of developable land along Sysladobsis Lake and contains old growth forest, wetlands, and…
The National Wildlife Federation, working closely with Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and the Outdoors (HECHO) and others, successfully included 278,000 acres of Special Management Areas in the United States Forest Service management plans for the Carson and Sante Fe National Forests in New Mexico. The plans include multiple forest-wide components that support wildlife connectivity. Elk,…
What do the Alps, Galápagos Islands, and a coastal rainforest have in common? These words are all used to describe the uniqueness of a recently-acquired landscape on the Oregon Coast, called the Rainforest Reserve. The North Coast Land Conservancy raised $11.8 million dollars in five years through individual donations and grants to purchase the 3,500-acre…
In March 2021, we awarded a grant to the Open Space Institute (OSI) to acquire and permanently protect 1,277 acres along the Black River in South Carolina. This tract of land serves as a linchpin in an effort to create a conservation and outdoor recreation corridor along a 75-mile stretch of river—and establish the Black…
The Thumb and Needle spires in Estes Park, Colorado, offer iconic granite rock where legendary climbers have been training and developing routes for decades. In addition to its 50 climbing routes and high-quality bouldering, the area is known for hiking, trail running, and dog walking—with views of Longs Peak, Mount Meeker, and Twin Sisters along…
The San Miguel surf break in Baja California is the first wave ever surfed in Mexico—and now it’s Baja California’s first state park. It’s the local surfing spot for nearly half a million residents of Ensenada, and it supports a surf tourism economy that attracts visitors from across Mexico and around the world. The San…
With tremendous support from its local community, including many individual donors, Green Mountain Conservancy added 626 acres to the 913-acre Deer Run Nature Preserve in Vermont. The preserve spans both sides of the Putney Mountain Ridge and includes 2.5 miles of undeveloped shoreline along the West River. It also contains substantial grasslands managed for both…
Skookum Creek is the largest cold-water tributary to the South Fork of the Nooksack River in northern Washington. Its cold, clear water provides salmon habitat, water for agriculture, and the riparian habitat surrounding Skookum Creek prevents sediment flow into the creek and keeps its water clean for both human and wildlife use. In 2020, we…
