The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

McCarran Ranch on the Truckee River The Nature Conservancy/Spencer B. Gross, Inc.

Help protect Nevada's freshwater systems for nature and people.

Thank you for your interest in The Nature Conservancy in Nevada.  The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working across Nevada and around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.

This is what you can make happen with a grant of $1,000 to $10,000.

As of March 2011, our current funding priorities are:

1.     You can help Nevada’s freshwater systems stay healthy for nature and people.

a.     Truckee River: The Nature Conservancy is revitalizing this degraded river system into a sanctuary for birds and wildlife as well as providing an important recreational resource for the community.  The lower Truckee River has lost approximately 90 percent of its forest and as much as 70 percent of its bird population from 1900 levels. The native fish have nearly disappeared.  The Nature Conservancy is reshaping the river to allow the system to recover and function more naturally.

b.    Carson River:  River Fork Ranch permanently protects more than 800 acres of crucial floodplain at the confluence of the East and West Forks of the Carson River. Floodplains that are free of development provide many benefits to people including storing floodwaters, recharging aquifers and naturally purifying water. Undeveloped floodplains also benefit nature by providing wildlife with critical meadow, wetland and riparian habitat.

c.      Amargosa River:  The Nature Conservancy finds the diverse habitats in and around the Amargosa River to be high-priority, biologically rich, but threatened lands in need of long-term protection. All combined, these lands are home to nearly 50 unique species found nowhere else in the world .

d.     Independence Lake: The lake is part of the drinking water supply for the cities of Reno and Sparks.  It is also home to one of only two remaining wild, self-sustaining lake populations of Lahontan cutthroat trout in the world and still supports all seven of its native fish species.  

2.     You can help provide land managers with the tools they need to make the best conservation decisions for the least amount of money.  Working with both public land management agencies (which control more than 85% of Nevada’s lands), as well as private landowners, we help develop strategies to restore our state’s expansive, irreplaceable landscapes to a healthier condition for people and for wildlife.

3.     You can be a global citizen by supporting conservation around the world – if we are to secure our Earth’s lands and waters for nature and people, we must be active  in Nevada and around the world.  Our conservation strategies are the same whether we are working in Nevada or Namibia:  we seek collaborative solutions, are grounded in a non-confrontational approach, and are results-oriented.   Support from people like you helps catalyze conservation actions at the local, regional, national and international levels.  Our presence locally and globally (The Nature Conservancy is active in more than 30 countries) makes us uniquely positioned to address the conservation challenges our world is facing today. 

Call Nancy Light at 775.322.4990, extension 17 to talk with her about these exciting grant opportunities. To make a grant from your Community Foundation Donor Advised Fund, call Tracy Turner at 775-333-5499 or go to www.nevadafund.org.