The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive.

The Nature Conservancy was founded in the U.S. through grassroots action in 1951. Its mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. To achieve this, we must boldly address the biodiversity and climate crises over the next decade. By maximizing our ability to affect change between now and 2030, we can shape a brighter future for people and our planet.

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Projects

National FWS Programs They Work With

A lone bison stands atop a grassy hilltop
Once spanning more than 580 million acres across Indigenous Lands, Canada, the United States, and Mexico, the Central Grasslands, also known as the Great Plains, are the world’s most imperiled and least conserved ecosystem. One of the last intact temperate grassland landscapes in the world, these...
Program
Close up of a California condor. Its pink featherless head contrasts with its black feathers.
We provide national leadership in the recovery and conservation of our nation's imperiled plant and animal species, working with experts in the scientific community to identify species on the verge of extinction and to build the road to recovery to bring them back. We work with a range of public...
Program
Baileys Crossroads,VA

Related Stories

A forest of pine trees.
Take A Walk On The Wild(life) Side
Learn about the burgeoning wildlife corridor that stretches from Atlanta’s western suburbs to the Talladega National Forest in Alabama.
Story
Wildlife Management
A cinnamon-brown bird with bright blue wings and tail sits on a branch. It has a long, heavy bill.
Sihek Released on Palmyra Atoll
Six sihek (Guam kingfisher) are now officially living in the wild, in the tropical forests of Palmyra Atoll. This release marks the first time since the 1980s these beautiful birds will reside in the wild.
Story
Wildlife Management
a design rendering showing students walking among trees and green spaces
Grant grows green schoolyards in Philadelphia
Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will transform asphalt schoolyards in Philadelphia into learning environments that mitigate climate change’s impacts.
Story
Our Partners
A sihek stand on a branch in a cage. It is cinnamon orange with metallic blue wings and tail. It's beak is large and black and it has a metallic blue stripe retreating from its eye like mascara.
Extinct in the Wild Sihek Arrive at Palmyra Atoll
In 1988 the last sihek (Guam kingfisher) was seen in the wild on the island of Guam; however, on August 28, 2024, almost 36 years since the last sihek was seen in the wild, nine newly hatched sihek will get a chance to start a new life in the wild on the remote Pacific island of Palmyra.
Story
Wildlife Management
A river passes through a partially deconstructed dam
The rewards of restoring a river
The High Street Dam stood as the first barrier to migratory fish on the Town River in Bridgewater. Thanks to efforts by many partners, the dam is gone, and the upstream bridge has been replaced. The work benefits not only fish but also the community and was partially funded by the Bipartisan...
Story
Habitat Restoration
The orange arm of a construction excavator reaches into a river to break apart a dam
Of herring and humans
Taunton residents lived with the specter of dam failures for decades, as structures that once harnessed the Mill River’s power fell into disrepair. A wake-up call in the early 2000s led to a restored waterway that not only increases public safety but also offers river herring and other migratory...
Story
Habitat Restoration
A grass-like pool surrounded by rock.
Between a Rock and an Endangered Place
Habitat enhancement? Playing God? Johnny Appleseed-ing? Guerilla botany? No matter what it's called, the rare plants atop a stone mountain need all the help they can get.
Story
Habitat Restoration
Two people smile at each other
What we can learn from Ash Meadows
“Nature unites us,” Dave Livermore, former Utah State Director for The Nature Conservancy, told a crowd gathered in the Amargosa desert on a warm Saturday. “It’s something that draws us together, just like we’re drawn together here at Ash Meadows.”
Story
Our Partners
Image of North Park phacelia, a small plant in muddy soil with purple flowers and green leaves
North Park phacelia thrives due to conservation measures, proposed for delisting
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is announcing the proposed removal of the North Park phacelia (Phacelia formosula) from the list of threatened and endangered species due to advancements in recovery for this species. This action follows a thorough Species Status Assessment and a five-year review...
Press Release
Fall foliage in Canaan Valley
Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge adds nearly 2,000 acres
Big Cove — the heart of one of the most intact landscape corridors and biodiversity hotspots in West Virginia — is now conserved in perpetuity for the benefit of wildlife and people as part of Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
Press Release
Salt marsh with stream
Saving the Salt Marsh
The South Atlantic's iconic salt marshes are disappearing. A slew of federal, state, and nonprofit partners are trying to reverse the climate-fueled trend.
Story
Habitat Restoration
Brown and black spotted lizard in grassy area.
West Texas Lizard Will Not Be Listed Under ESA
Recent research confirms several thriving populations of the Plateau spot-tailed earless lizard across its historical range in the Edwards Plateau region of Central and West Texas.
Press Release
A metal structure dams a ditch and prevents water from flowing out.
Water: The lifeblood of a swamp
Water control structures at Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge are improving the swamp’s hydrology and increasing resilience against natural disasters made more likely by climate change.
Story
Habitat Restoration
A black bear stands on its hind legs, facing camera.
Donation to Refuge Benefits Community
Community members in five eastern North Carolina counties can enjoy more benefits of pocosin conservation and outdoor recreation opportunities, thanks to a land donation to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Nature Conservancy recently gave more than 1,700 acres to Pocosin Lakes National...
Story
Land Management
a close up photo of the relict darter
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Reclassifies Fish Native to Western Kentucky
Following a review of the best available science, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is downlisting the relict darter, a small fish native to the Bayou de Chien stream system in western Kentucky, from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service is also implementing...
Press Release
Jennifer Koches
A man sitting alongside a creek.
Mussel Man
ESA 50th Anniversary: More Important than Ever The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is the nation’s most important, and successful, tool to protect animals and plants at risk of extinction. The act currently covers 1,683 U.S. species and 646 foreign species. It serves as the emergency room for fish...
Story
Endangered Species Act
A river passes through a partially deconstructed dam
High Street Dam Removal
Construction crews have removed Bridgewater’s High Street Dam, which stood across the Town River for more than 100 years.
Story
Climate Change
A stream through the mountains.
An Endangered River Worth Saving
ESA 50th Anniversary: More Important than Ever The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is the nation’s most important, and successful, tool to protect animals and plants at risk of extinction. The act currently covers 1,683 U.S. species and 646 foreign species. It serves as the emergency room for fish...
Story
Endangered Species Act
A closeup portrait of a female eastern indigo snake shows the iridescent black scales with a coral hue tinting her jaw and nose.
Eastern Indigo Snake
This large, docile nonvenomous snake nearly disappeared along with the sprawling longleaf forests of the Southeast. After falling under the protection of the Endangered Species Act in 1978 a multitude of agencies have labored to reestablish this iconic species.
Story
Endangered Species Act
A frog on the edge of a pond with a person standing out-of-focus in the background.
Working Toward Recovery for the Chiricahua Leopard Frog
When people think about the southwestern United States, most picture arid deserts and mountainous areas, however southwestern states including Arizona and New Mexico also contain riparian woodlands and wetlands that many species rely on. One of those species is the Chiricahua leopard frog.
Story
Green shrubs in the foreground are backed by golden wetland plants in the middle distance and red-leaved trees in the back, all under a partly cloudy sky
Maine refuge stores tons of carbon
Tucked in the Maine woods, this unassuming, little-known unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System has been quietly providing high-quality wildlife habitat and recreation while moonlighting as a climate superhero.
Story
Climate Change
McNeill-Peach Creek Unit at San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge
Texas National Wildlife Refuges Grow by Nearly 6,000 Acres in 2022
In 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added nearly 6,000 acres of public land to the National Wildlife Refuge System in Texas. This brings the total number of Service-managed lands in the state to nearly 700,000 acres at 21 National Wildlife Refuges and three National Fish Hatcheries.
Press Release
A Dakota skipper butterfly on a pink flower
The Butterfly Effect: A Small Voice with a Big Story
When we think about landscape conservation, we tend to think big – big problems that require big solutions. But sometimes, it’s the little things that have the greatest impacts. The beating wings of a small butterfly might just be what is needed to save our nation’s grasslands. The butterfly is...
Story
Our Partners
Saltmarsh Sparrow mother and chicks huddled in nest in salt marsh
The sparrow that speaks for the marsh
Saltmarsh sparrows are among the species most imperiled by climate change, especially as sea level rise degrades their marsh home. But, as researchers track changes in the marsh in order to protect the birds, the birds are also teaching researchers about how to bolster the entire marsh system from...
Story
Climate Change
A sihek stand on a branch in a cage. It is cinnamon orange with metallic blue wings and tail. It's beak is large and black and it has a metallic blue stripe retreating from its eye like mascara.
Experimental Population of Sihek at Palmyra Atoll
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing the experimental population of sihek (Guam kingfisher) at The Nature Conservancy’s Palmyra Atoll Preserve. Captive bred sihek would be released on Palmyra Atoll as an experimental population under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act, which...
Press Release
A wide view of the river with a field of Cahaba lilies.
Refuge grows, and blooms, in Alabama
Coal mining left a legacy of habitat destruction and polluted waters. The refuge must be cleaned up before it welcomes legions of outdoor enthusiasts. Today, 20 years after the refuge was created, it has the money, partners, and drive to do just that.
Story
Recreation
Secretary Haaland Applauds Return of Traditional Homelands to Onondaga Nation
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland today celebrated a unique settlement agreement as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) Program that will return more than 1,000 acres of ancestral land to the Onondaga Nation, one of the largest returns of land to an Indigenous...
Press Release
A Florida wildlife refuge fights back against climate change
The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is under the climate gun as Mother Nature unleashes all manner of temperature, precipitation, and storm havoc on the popular preserve along the Gulf Coast. Sadly, the animals that once depended upon steady weather and predictable tides suffer the brunt of the...
Story
Climate Change
Looking up from the inside of a cave, the entrance is a window-view of a green forest.
The Forests Hold Carbon, and Cash
Paint Rock, Alabama – Feast your eyes upon the beauty and biodiversity of the Sharp-Bingham Mountain Preserve in northeast Alabama. Waterfalls cascade over limestone ledges. Sixty caves offer miles of subterranean adventure. Second and third-generation hardwoods -- hickories, elms, maples, and even...
Story
Climate Change
Texas pimpleback mussel held by river
Imperiled Central Texas Mussels Bring Conservation Focus to the San Saba River
A team of researchers from Texas A&M AgriLife Research and The Nature Conservancy are working on a project funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Ecological Services and Science Applications programs to study how the extreme low and high flows that plague Texas rivers impact populations...
Story
Climate Change
Snow covering a charred landscape with snow capped mountains in the background.
Using local seeds to save the sage
The idea of using local, native seeds in restoration is taking off, just like the wildfires they are designed to follow, as ecologists and botanists in Nevada embark on research to test the use of these seeds in helping burned areas recover and become resilient.
Story
Habitat Restoration

Partner Category

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Non-Governmental Organizations

Here we partner with a wider variety of other organizations on projects to meet shared conservation goals.

The Nature Conservancy

Other Partners

Here are just a few of our National Partners. You can view the full list of FWS partners, along with the regions and areas of focus our work together entails.

View Full Partner List

Partnership Services

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Through our partnerships we are able to expand our capabilities through the inclusion of services in areas such as:

  • Grant opportunities
  • Sponsorship of grants
  • Cooperative Agreements

To find out more about how our partner provides services view our partner services below.

View Partner Services