interstitialRedirectModalTitle

interstitialRedirectModalMessage

Stories in the Great Lakes

Stories of Hope: Conservation Success in the Midwest

Positive achievements for nature and people can—and are—happening right in your backyard.

Three baby piping plovers walking on a beach.
Baby Piping Plovers TNC has been working towards protecting and bolstering people and nature in the Midwest for decades. © Dottie Dowling

How Can You Help?

The challenges ahead can feel overwhelming at times. At TNC, we know that we can make a difference in tackling the twin threats of climate change and biodiversity loss because we have a long history of success in helping nature and people thrive.

Below are several examples of how TNC and our partners are making a difference in the Midwest and beyond—and providing hope for the future. 

To be clear, hope is not denial. It can be a motivating force. We must move fast—employing proven strategies—to address rising temperatures and dramatic declines in birds, mammals and other wildlife.

Quote: Elizabeth Koehler

I see hope as a useful practice that we must cultivate and nurture to be good people who accomplish good in the world.

Elizabeth Koehler State Director, Wisconsin

A Boost for Wildlife: 90,000+ Acres Protected Since 2000

Two river otters snuggling.
© Dmitry Azovtsev

River otters ... regal fritillary butterflies ... bald eagles ... bobcats ... timber rattlesnakes. Decades ago, all of these amazing creatures were endangered or declining in the Midwest. Some, like the Hine’s emerald dragonfly, were even thought extinct.

Toward this end, TNC has protected more than 90,000 acres of land, lakes and wetlands, as well as over 200 miles of river systems, across five Midwest states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin) over the past 4½ years. 

Today, these and other animals are either thriving or on the verge of a comeback. Activism and policy actions played a major role. Another key strategy: maintaining high-quality habitats for wildlife as well as people. 

Kayakers on the Great Lakes under an arched rock formation.
Kayaking the Keweenaw Decades of community-driven land conservation on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula have resulted in tens of thousands of acres of publicly accessible land. © Michael George

Collaborating with Communities in the Keweenaw

Recognizing how land and waters provide for people as well as wildlife, TNC uses a community-centered approach to land protection. For example, TNC’s acquisition of more than 32,000 acres of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula began with the community. Before purchasing the land, known as the Keweenaw Heartlands, TNC surveyed residents, interviewed leaders and hosted public meetings to better understand the perspectives of interested parties.

“By listening to our needs and concerns, TNC has helped us achieve a major milestone—securing the lands,” said Don Piche, Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners Chair.

Two people hiking in a forest in autumn.
Looking Up at History Gazing up at old growth white pines in the Keweenaw Peninsula. © Jason Whalen/Big Foot Media

TNC acquired the Heartlands in 2022 as an interim owner with the support of local partners, Keweenaw community leaders and the State of Michigan—preventing the Heartlands from being fragmented and privately developed. Since then, community members and TNC have been hard at work developing the future community governance and management plan for a large portion of the Heartlands’ forest.

Many other land and water protection efforts are under way in the Midwest, including the Patoka River Protection Project in Indiana and the Sunshine Corridor effort in Ohio. 

Our Amazing Midwest Wetlands

A spring peeper frog.
© Shutterstock

Wetlands are incredibly hard-working habitats. They do everything from filtering pollutants from water to providing shelter and food for frogs, birds and other wildlife.

Last year was a rough year for these vital habitats. The Supreme Court stripped federal protections from countless wetlands with its decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), leaving these critical ecosystems exposed to development and destruction. 

Speak Up for Nature

At this critical moment, everything in nature is is depending on us to speak up.

Learn how to advocate for nature

Without wetlands, it costs more for communities to treat their drinking water. Also wetlands can help prevent flooding. A single acre of wetland one foot deep can hold 330,000 gallons of water, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. That’s enough water to fill 44 average-sized basements with a foot of water. 

TNC is working to both restore wetlands and protect them from harm. “If we focus on rebuilding our wetlands and other natural infrastructure,” said Nick Miller, TNC science director, “we will protect our communities, provide habitat for wildlife and save money.”

A heron mid-flight.
© Ariana Lindquist

Wetland Restoration

Erie Marsh is one of the largest marshes, a type of wetland, on Lake Erie. Here, some of Michigan’s few remaining colonies of American lotus and swamp rose-mallow thrive, and birdwatchers are drawn year-round to enjoy bald eagles, purple martins, trumpeter swans, herons, ospreys and more. 

After a 12-year, $7.5 million habitat restoration project led by TNC, which included repairing degraded levees and engineering a new water management system, the marsh is fully reconnected to Lake Erie for the first time in more than 60 years. This has given fish access to key spawning areas, brought more birds to the area, and improved the overall quality of the wetland. 

Another example of wetland restoration is the Ohio Mitigation Program. The program is founded on federal and state laws that require developers to avoid and minimize harm to wetlands and streams during construction and other projects. If these impacts are unavoidable, the developers must mitigate the harms by restoring or preserving nearby wetlands or streams. Since 2014, the program has restored 155 acres of wetlands and over 7 miles of streams. 

Working with Nature to Lessen the Impacts of Climate Change

a large calm lake with evergreens surrounding it.
© Erika Furtado/TNC Photo Contest 2021

Did you know that the soil and vegetation in forests, prairies, cities, farms and other lands around the world store more than 2.5 times as much carbon as the atmosphere does? Lakes, wetlands and other bodies of water also act as carbon sinks.

All of these habitats could potentially store even more carbon—helping to mitigate global warming—with the use of nature-based solutions, such as planting trees, restoring natural areas and encouraging cover crops on farms.

A person hiking in the Northwoods.
Northwoods Forests and water are interconnected in the Northwoods. © Ian Shive

The Northwoods: A Massive Carbon Sink

Spanning over 60 million acres of forests and wetlands in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, the Northwoods are home to moose, gray wolves, pine marten, black bears and over 200 species of migratory and resident birds. 

The Northwoods are also a key landscape for climate mitigation, soaking up carbon on a globally significant scale. TNC owns or works with our partners to manage large swaths of the Northwoods. We are using and sharing climate-smart forestry practices, such as planting climate-resilient trees and performing selective harvesting, to increase the Northwood’s potential to capture and store carbon.

A rain garden in an urban area.
Rain gardens Rain gardens are one of many solutions that can help reduce the risk of flooding in urban areas. © Hannah Letinich/ TNC

Sponge Cities

In Midwest cities, such as ChicagoDetroit and Milwaukee, green infrastructure—or the installation of plants, trees and permeable surfaces—are helping to combat the flooding and sewer overflows that have become increasingly more common as temperatures rise and heavy rain events become more frequent. 

Less costly than traditional stormwater infrastructure, natural solutions reduce the burden on cities’ sewer systems, decreasing street and basement flooding and, ultimately, reducing the amount of pollutants entering waterways. Further, trees and other plants help clean pollution from the air, lower temperatures in so-called heat islands and provide habitat for wildlife and green spaces for recreation.

Windmills in a field at dusk.
Clean Energy in the Midwest A new TNC report shows that five Midwestern states—Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin—have been rising to the challenge of reducing their carbon footprints. © Fauna Creative

Renewable Energy

Climate change cannot be tackled by natural solutions alone. To keep rising temperatures in check, states in the Midwest and across the country need to significantly increase the amount of electricity generated from solar, wind and other renewable sources. 

The momentum for change is here. A TNC report found that 54% of large Midwest businesses and employers—in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin—have ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets. However, they are challenged to meet these targets because there are not enough local renewable sources. 

One possible solution? TNC’s Mining the Sun report recommends siting clean energy infrastructure on degraded lands—such as mining sites, landfills and brownfields. This would be a win-win solution for climate, conservation and communities. For example, the Starfire Coal Mine will be Kentucky’s largest renewable power project, able to power over 500,000 households per year.

Stories of Hope from The Nature Conservancy (3:25) Featuring bison, bats, bugs, and more, these TNC videos will transport you across the sprawling prairies, through the lush forests, and down the winding rivers that make Indiana such a fascinating place to enjoy the outdoors.