Appalachians

Securing a continental-scale network of connected lands is critical to sustaining biodiversity into the future.

• We protect and connect vital stretches of intact native habitat to create pathways for species to move and adapt. 

• The Resilient and Connected Appalachians (RCA) Grant Program supports partners, including land trusts, Tribal Nations, and municipalities to conserve lands and waters in priority locations. 

• We support transportation agencies and local partners to improve connected habitat for wildlife at critical road crossings and prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions.

Appalachian rivers are home to remarkable biodiversity, hosting more than half of all North American aquatic species. They provide refuge for cold-water fish, supply the drinking water for tens of millions of people, and are culturally and economically important to many Indigenous and local communities. 

• We remove dams that have become obsolete, opening miles of new freshwater habitat and reducing flood risk. 

• We make roads and communities safer by improving how streams are connected. Culvert and bridge improvements allow aquatic species, including eastern brook trout and trispot darter, to return to their traditional spawning ground. 

We improve the health and vitality of our forests by restoring and reforesting degraded lands, applying prescribed fire, and incentivizing sustainable, climate-adapted forest management. 

• Together with local communities, we restore forests on once degraded land, including former mined lands, providing additional protection from flood, drought, and wildfire while ensuring native plants and wildlife can thrive.

• We’re building a sustainable workforce by investing in the next generation of fire practitioners and working with Indigenous communities to incorporate cultural burning practices.  

• We partner with local, state, and federal agencies and support private landowners to improve the resiliency, health, and biodiversity of Appalachian forest lands, both public and private.

TNC leads federal and state advocacy efforts that consistently deliver innovations in public policy and funding.

We also lead and support effective multi-state and multi-sector partnerships and projects that deliver benefits to nature and communities across the Appalachians.    

• We create and support the enabling conditions necessary to drive policy action for the environment by bringing expertise and proofs of concept that strengthen political will within the U.S. Congress and State legislative bodies. 

• We advocate for federal appropriations and bedrock environmental legislation critical to achieving conservation impact in the Appalachians.

• We work with federal and state public agencies to catalyze effective funding investments and program implementation. 

• We aim to diversify TNC’s cross-sector partnerships and collaborations.