Acres for America preservation program expands

By Jeff Trandahl on January 10, 2012 13 comments

Southern Sierra Partnership: Tehachapi Linkage, California

A message from Jeff Trandahl, CEO and Executive Director, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation:

Appalachian Trail Habitat Protection Project: North Carolina and Tennessee

All of us at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation are passionate about habitat and preserving our natural resources. That’s why we are so dedicated to conserving it – for wildlife, of course, and also for local economies and for people who enjoy open space and the outdoors.

We’re excited that today, we begin the latest chapter. Our conservation program, Acres for America, is extending into five more states. We will be protecting endangered species, such as the Florida panther and the California condor, and expanding recreational opportunities near urban areas. We will also conserve forests and streams along the Appalachian Trail. In all, 49,000 acres are being added to the program this year.

Acres for America started with a pledge: to protect one acre of conservation land for every acre occupied by Walmart’s U.S. facilities. Walmart made an initial $35 million commitment, and we expected to have about 138,000 acres in the program by 2015.

But we’ve far surpassed that – and we’re now at 687,000 acres. These projects have also provided vital connections to more than 7.4 million protected acres – an area larger than Maryland and Delaware combined.

Panther Crossing Protection Project: Florida

So far, Acres for America has projects in 24 states and the District of Columbia. This year, we will be adding 22,000 acres of rare blue oak habitat in California’s Sierra Foothills, nearly 1,500 acres of tallgrass prairie in Colorado, and a key migratory corridor for the endangered Florida panther. And there’s much more – so take a look at our Acres project map for the complete picture.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation supports hundreds of projects across the country to protect and restore wildlife and their habitats. This is a conservation success story, and you can learn more about us at www.nfwf.org or post your thoughts here on The Green Room. We’d love to hear from you.

Almo Tract: Fort Benning, Georgia

Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Expansion: Colorado

Jeff Trandahl
CEO and Executive Director, NFWF

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13 Comments Add your own

1. Greg Rossiter | January 10, 2012 at 4:15 pm

Thanks to Jeff and everyone at National Fish & Wildlife for your leadership and partnership to preserve these spaces — particularly the Appalachian Trail in Tennessee and Tehachapi Linkage in California, two of my family’s favorites.
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2. Micchelle Wilson | January 10, 2012 at 4:46 pm

This is so wonderful!!!! Keep up the wonderful work of conserving our beautiful land for many more generations to come. Thank you and God Bless!
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3. Alex Buntin | January 12, 2012 at 11:55 am

I’m glad to see these beautiful places preserved for everyone. Especially us photographers
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4. Deangela | January 12, 2012 at 1:00 pm

I think this is great idea keeping the environment beautiful is a healthy choice for our US citizens.
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5. Deborah McCraw | January 12, 2012 at 3:53 pm

I am glad to hear about your efforts.We all need to do our part to save the earth.
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6. Jan Parke | January 12, 2012 at 4:14 pm

So happy about the Tehachapi area used to live nearby and fish in the little streams. How about doing more in New England and esp. MA Areas of dense population need green space around them and that’s where your shoppers are!
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- 7. Walmart Green Room | January 17, 2012 at 8:47 am
  
  Thank you for your comment Jan! We’re very proud of the commitment we’ve made with Acres for America to safeguard wildlife habitats, both in rural and urban areas. In fact, this summer we donated $500,000 to help rejuvenate urban ecosystems in Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. You can learn more about it here. Thanks again for your thoughts, and please keep checking back for more posts from the Walmart Green Room!
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8. Stephani Brekka | January 13, 2012 at 6:37 am

This is wonderful. If we could get more big companies to think, act, and help like this, we could make a difference to the world, and the future for our children, grandchildren. great-grandchildren, ect.!
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- 9. Walmart Green Room | January 17, 2012 at 8:46 am
  
  Thanks for your comment, Stephani! We take great pride in our sustainability efforts. Enjoy the blog!
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10. dianne payne | January 13, 2012 at 11:54 pm

THANK YOU!
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11. arroxytiero | January 26, 2012 at 2:27 pm

Hello! Just want to say thank you for this interesting article! =) Peace, Joy.
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12. Greta | June 11, 2012 at 4:07 pm

I urge Walmart to start taking back used electronics for recycling. Many people will only do it if it is convenient, so it needs to happen at the stores that sell electronics, not just some separate place.
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13. E Jean Hershman | July 11, 2012 at 8:25 pm

Very interesting and well needed
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