The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

As a young man out of college I marveled at the energy that my father put into his giving. His interests were many and varied and he could never say no to those who asked. However, he had a particular passion for the outdoors that came from his passion for hunting and fishing. My father clearly had the passion for the outdoors and was blessed to have the capacity to have made a material impact on conservation in the state of Alabama and beyond.

Through my father, I was exposed to many wonderful conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited, Alabama Wildlife Federation, Cahaba River Society, to name a few. Watching my father work on the passage of the Forever Wild referendum twenty years ago, he commented that he had never been involved in such a cooperative, positive, and fulfilling project. When looking to make my own contribution, I discovered those same qualities within The Nature Conservancy. I learned that The Nature Conservancy works cooperatively with private land owners, corporations, non-profits, and government agencies. The culture is not one of anger or negativity but a positive focus on the specific goal of conservation. Their focus on biodiversity yields a broad impact. The Conservancy leverages public and private funds making for a greater conservation “bang for the buck.”

So, The Nature Conservancy has a cooperative and positive spirit that leverages resources and has a broad and substantial impact on biodiversity and conservation in the state of Alabama. Well, that worked for my father, and that works for me too.

William R. Ireland, Jr., Alabama Trustee