That's right, the Fund has saved land along critical migration routes for birds, pronghorn, caribou, salmon and many other animals. Your support makes it possible for us to restore and protect the habitat that supports America's wildlife.
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Millions of birds migrate along the route known as the Mississippi Flyway, which runs the length of the United States generally mirroring the path of the Mississippi River. The route narrows as it winds down to the Gulf Coast, making habitat in states like Louisiana critical. During the fall and winter, these habitats flood, setting the table for wintering waterfowl looking to plump up. In late summer, the water recedes within open-water wetland pools, creating mudflats for migrating shorebirds. But here's the thing: Over the past century, the landscape has changed. Louisiana’s once lush forests and waterways have been cleared, dammed, and leveed leaving less habitat for our partners in flight. Our Go Zero program is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to restore forests on key tracks of land. Find out more about our successful reforestation projects along the Mississippi Flyway.
Swimming from the ocean to freshwater to reach their spawning grounds—upstream, no less— salmon have one of the most dramatic and arduous migrations of any animal. Southwest Alaska is perhaps best known as the world's greatest stronghold of wild salmon, with all five Pacific salmon species abundant and widespread. But Southwest Alaska is at a crossroads as the region starts to face the same issues that have devastated wild salmon elsewhere in the world. In order to safeguard this fragile ecosystem, we launched, with our partners, the Southwest Alaska Salmon Habitat Initiative—a 10-year, multimillion dollar program to protect wild salmon and their habitat.
For the manatee, it's not a question of preferring warm water—they need it. You wouldn't think it to look at them but manatees have very little body fat and require water temperatures to be at least 68 degrees to survive. They migrate to find warm waters as temperatures change throughout the year. We saved a critical winter haven for this endangered species, known as Three Sisters Springs, one of Florida's last remaining urban springs. Learn more about this project. >>
The pronghorn has the longest land migration in the lower 48 states—traversing a 150-mile route across Wyoming, appropriately known as the “Path of the Pronghorn. In 2008 this routebecame the first designated wildlife migration corridor in the nation. The pronghorn also is one of the fastest animals, with a top running speed of at least 55 miles per hour—surpassed on land only by the cheetah. Learn more about our efforts to save land along the Path of the Pronghorn.
Twice a year all types of wildlife—from birds to bears—embark on migrations to their seasonal habitats. Take our quiz to find out what you know about American wildlife migration routes.
A) Elk
B) Pronghorn
C) Grizzly bear
A) They need warm water to live.
B) They move in search of food.
C) The sea cow gets bored easily.
A) April
B) June
C) July
A) Gulf Coast Bird Migration Route
B) SxSW
A) Path of the Pronghorn in Wyoming.
B) Caribou and salmon migration routes in Alaska.
C) Migratory bird routes across the U.S.
Ask a Floridian what their state animal is and they’ll proudly tell you it’s the Florida panther, the only cougar species found east of the Mississippi River. Though you’ll see the Florida panther on everything from license plates to the state hockey team’s jersey, this elusive cat was one of the first animals added to the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1967, and is one of the most endangered mammals in the world, with current population numbers hovering around 100 adult cats.
The Seminole tribe of Florida calls it coo-wah-chobee, or “big cat.” A naturalist will say puma concolor coryi. A 16th century European explorer may have referred to it as a devil cat.
So what is the Florida panther, exactly?
North America has been home to big cats since the Pleistocene era, now classified under the genus name puma. The Florida panther is a distinct subspecies of this American puma—discovered in 1896 by naturalist Charles Barney Cory—and is genetically habituated to the forests and swamps of southern Florida.
The biggest challenge for the Florida panther? Habitat loss. Between 1935 and 1990 the human population of Florida grew by 4.7 million. That’s an average of 1700 people a week.
A male panther has a territory of about 200 square miles—the equivalent of roughly 100,000 football fields—and, like most felines, won't share his territory with other males. The average female panther requires about 80 square miles of territory but will share with other females as well as males.
With numbers like these, it’s easy to understand why so few panthers remain and why so many—around 15 to 18 a year—are struck by motorists as they search for new territory.
For the Florida panther to breed and hunt successfully in an increasingly developed landscape, corporations, private citizens and public agencies must work together to save Florida's natural areas. That's just what happened when, in 2011, we completed a multi-year effort to save nearly 650 acres of prime panther habitat. Located outside of Naples near the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, what makes conservation of these acres especially exciting is that they're considered Priority 1 panther habitat by the Florida Panther Interagency Committee (the committee is made up of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). The project was also made possible because of the support of a local landowner. Now the Florida panther is ensured more room to roam.
When you donate to the Fund, your gift makes a real impact in saving natural areas for wildlife across America, including the Florida panther.
Photos: Connie Bransilver (top) / David Shindle, Conservancy of Southwest Florida (bottom)
Out West, few animals are as famous as the pronghorn antelope. First celebrated by explorers Lewis and Clark, the pronghorn is graceful and swift, with a top running speed of about 55 miles per hour—surpassed on land only by the cheetah. And this western icon is a marathoner, making an annual migration that is one of the longest—and now toughest—ever.
In Wyoming, as winter sets in, the watched-for herd sets out from the state's northwest corner, headed south along the “Path of the Pronghorn”: a 150-mile route that will take them from the area around Grand Teton National Park to their winter haven in the Upper Green River Valley.
But this journey grows tougher all the time.
This is the longest land migration in the lower 48 states and in 2008 it became the first designated wildlife migration corridor in the nation. However, not all of land along the route is publicly owned. In addition to scaling heights and crossing water, pronghorn today must cross subdivisions and highways as well as private ranchland.
Perhaps most challenging, the herd must navigate three major bottlenecks—areas where natural terrain changes and development squeeze the pronghorn's route, narrowing the passable land.
The Fund has protected one of those three bottlenecks to prevent it from narrowing even further. The 2,400-acre swath of land is on the Carney Ranch and is the only bottleneck occurring on private lands—and the most vulnerable.
Working with a dedicated group of partners, we helped the Carney family purchase a conservation agreement for their property, so they can both protect the bottleneck and continue ranching as they have for nearly 50 years. "The Carney Ranch and the entire Upper Green River Valley boast some of the highest quality habitat and open space in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The Carney family made a significant donation to make this possible; we applaud the three generations of family members for their major commitment to conservation," said Luke Lynch, Wyoming state director for the Fund.
The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is often referred to as the "Everglades of the North." Why? Located in the Chesapeake Bay region, on Maryland’s scenic Eastern Shore, the 27,000-acre wildlife refuge includes one-third of Maryland’s tidal wetlands and some of the most important habitat for birds along the critical migration highway called the Atlantic Flyway.
The rich tidal marshes, freshwater ponds and mixed woodlands are habitat to some of the largest concentrations of canvasback and redhead ducks in the Chesapeake Bay. And they provide winter roosting and feeding habitat for wood ducks, black ducks, mallards, northern pintails and blue-winged teal. Blackwater also contains the largest breeding population of American bald eagles on the East Coast north of Florida and shelters many other species, including Sitka deer and the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel.
Tourists also flock to this wildlife refuge. Each year nearly 180,000 outdoor enthusiasts visit to take advantage of the land and paddling trails, educational programs, birdwatching and hunting, fishing and crabbing opportunities. The refuge supports more than 600 jobs and provides approximately $6 million in state and local tax revenues.
We've been working for more than a decade to help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) acquire lands for Blackwater. To date, we've saved nearly 8,000 acres at the refuge.
But conservation at Blackwater is about more than just saving land.
Among the many threats to fish and wildlife habitat within the refuge, rising sea levels resulting from climate change is the most profound. According to the USFWS, Blackwater has lost approximately 8,000 acres of wetlands to erosion and sea level rise and loses more than 300 acres of marsh each year. As higher tides push saltwater into the coastal marshes, the natural soils become salty, killing native plants and trees. Habitat loss is not the only problem: This is bad news for the wildlife—and people—that depend on these areas for clean, safe water.
The USFWS says that "with the predicted increases in sea level rise, Blackwater Refuge will not survive without a major restoration effort." Blackwater's Comprehensive Conservation Plan calls for restoring the Refuge's wetlands to the same condition that existed in the 1930s.
While it’s difficult to slow sea level rise, it’s possible to save coastal wetlands, restore native forest habitat and add land to the refuge that will not be impacted by future water rise. The Fund's conservation approach at Blackwater accomplishes all these goals.
Our 2011 projects have added more than 1600 acres to the refuge. This includes the purchase of the 825-acre Tideland parcel along the Nanticoke River, the first purchase of land within the Nanticoke Unit of the refuge boundary and conserves two tracts of land, one along a section of the Nanticoke River near Vienna, MD and another to the north on the Marshyhope Creek near Brookview, MD. We also protected more than 400 acres that will support present and future wildlife habitat. On a high ridge near the southern end of the refuge boundary, the land features both wetlands and dry forested habitats perfect for various migratory bird species including bald eagles, osprey, wood and black ducks, marsh birds and waterbirds. As sea levels rise, this upland property will eventually transition into emergent marsh habitat, enabling the migration and adaption of crucial wetland habitats essential for the seasonal wildfowl.
In addition to adding land to Blackwater, we're also restoring lands. In 2011 we helped restore 40 acres of high-priority land for the USFWS by planting 10,000 trees across 7.5 acres within the refuge's Longfield area. By planting these trees, we're restoring it to its native, natural state. We partnered with CSX, a transportation company, which donated willow oak, white oak, pin oak and sycamore trees in celebration of Earth Day 2011. As the trees mature, they will protect the marshes and other wetlands that migratory birds and forest-dwelling wildlife depend on for clean, safe water. To learn more about CSX's donation and our restoration efforts, click here.
We will continue to partner with the USFWS in order to help the agency meet its conservation goals at Blackwater. There is much to be done to save this landscape, but with smart conservation, we'll ensure it remains a viable wildlife refuge into the future.
Photos: Blackwater NWR (top) / USFWS; Bare trees at Blackwater (bottom) / ThrowingBull, Flickr
The Appalachian Trail is one of America's great success stories and an amazing outdoor legacy. The 2,179-mile trail runs the length of the country, from Georgia to Maine, crossing through some of the country's most scenic landscapes—from mountains to forests to untouched wilderness. Conceived and created by private citizens, the trail is a privately managed part of the national park system and is still maintained by volunteers.
The Conservation Fund has worked to conserve land in several states to protect public access to the trail and to ensure that future generations will be able to experience the trail as we do today.
The Fund helped the National Park Service acquire more than 600 acres near the Killington Section of the Appalachian Trail in Vermont. Located in the heart of a large undeveloped forested area known as Chateauguay-No Town, the acquired tract creates a protective buffer against development along a one mile stretch of the Trail. The property also connects state-owned Les Newell Wildlife Management Area with several privately-owned conservation lands to create a core area of protected lands encompassing more than 9,000 acres.
An estimated 1,500 hikers currently use this section of the Appalachian Trail each year, including approximately 500 thru-hikers.
In Vermont, the Appalachian Trail joins the historic Long Trail as it follows the ridgelines through the Green Mountain National Forest. In the central part of the state, the trail leaves the National Forest, separates from the historic Long Trail at Killington and bears east in a narrow corridor through the Green Mountains and the Chateauguay-No Town toward the New Hampshire border.
The Mahoosuc Mountains spread across New Hampshire and Maine, offering a rich forestland as well as some of the most picturesque and rugged sections of the Appalachian Trail.
In 2010, we assisted the National Park Service in conserving 4,777 acres of forestland in Success Township. The property was added to the Mahoosuc Mountain Range section of the Appalachian Trail, linking previously conserved properties and ensuring continued public access through historic side trails.
Some of the Appalachian Trail’s most rugged passages can be found in this area including the section referred to as the “toughest mile.” This famed corridor is now protected for six miles along the crest of Mahoosucs. Also protected are two prominent peaks, Bald Cap and North Bald Cap, and the famous Outlook, known for its stunning views. The property will be managed by the White Mountain National Forest, maintaining public access, including traditional uses of hunting and fishing.
This addition to the Appalachian Trail continues our work from 2008 when we partnered with local communities, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Appalachian Mountain Club and the National Park Service to purchase Bald Cap Peak, 1,200 acres of forests and scenic lands bordering the trail. These acres are now are protected with a conservation easement.
Photos: North Bald Cap Mountain (bottom) courtesy Bill Duffy.
Known as "The Valley Beautiful," Unicoi County includes a 10,000-acre property known as Rocky Fork—a mountain haven of forests and streams with more than a mile of Appalachian Trail. The county recently was recognized as an “Appalachian Trail Community” and tourist destination by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy—the first such designation in Tennessee and one of only four along the trail.
This special recognition is a great example of how the Fund's work creates lasting results. We know that conservation solutions last when they make economic sense. We’ve been working for years to conserve Rocky Fork as a popular recreation destination for residents and visitors to enjoy. Inspired to make sustainable tourism a stronger part of the local economy, Unicoi County leaders invited our Conservation Leadership Network to conduct an on-site three-day workshop on Balancing Nature and Commerce in Communities that Neighbor Public Lands. We trained more than 60 community leaders and residents.
The workshop raised awareness of Unicoi County's natural assets, community character and quality of life. It also provided strategies to help the community’s business leaders in their efforts to grow sustainable tourism. As a result, community leaders and residents are making fast progress in attracting visitors to the county—and improving their experience once they arrive. The community has opened a farmers market, artisans are awaiting the opening of a new center for selling local wares and a design board now reviews the plans of future businesses to ensure that the character of the community stays intact.
Now Unicoi County can also call itself an Appalachian Trail Community. With an economy that increasingly is tied to tourism, the county can ensure hikers along the Appalachian Trail will experience the natural beauty of “The Valley Beautiful."
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