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Goals
The North American Great Plains was once one of the most magnificent grasslands on the planet, containing more wildlife than any other region outside of the African continent. Today, much of that wildlife is either gone or in decline. Many scientists consider the region to be the most endangered ecosystem in North America.
Grasslands globally are the habitat with the least amount of land in protected areas; such as in parks, wildlife refuges and natural areas. Less than 2% of the Northern Great Plains is in some form of protected area and much of the region's private grazing lands are in poor condition. At the same time, many rural grassland communities are in economic decline because the livestock economy alone is no longer able to support them.
To address both the decline of grassland wildlife and rural communities in the region, we have three main conservation objectives:
- Create a system of protected grassland natural areas based on principles of conservation biology;
- Integrate grassland biodiversity protection and planning into local, state, and federal public policy;
- Increase the amount of public and private funding to create and manage protected grassland natural areas.
We believe that the ecological and economic decline of the plains region is largely the result of misguided government policy. It began with a mistaken vision of the agricultural potential of the region, the failure to set aside protected areas for wildlife, and the senseless slaughter of much of the wildlife that once roamed it.
Today misguided farm, rural development and wildlife policy at the federal and state level continue the mistakes of the past by encouraging the conversion of grassland to cropland, overgrazing, directing farm program payments to the largest operators, and by failing to provide for the creation of more parks, wildlife refuges, and natural areas.
With the will and the wisdom, there can be a different future—one that honors the past, and those pioneers who came before us, but which is based on principles of sustainability.
We believe the best conservation solutions are based on science, but designed and implemented at the community level.
The key to building a sustainable future is to find ways for rural communities to work with their urban counterparts for land use and ownership change that will benefit both wildlife and people.
By working together we hope by the year 2025, we can put aside 10-15% of our remaining grasslands in protected areas.
We are committed to a public dialogue that will achieve these goals. We hope you will join with us in this discussion and support our work.