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Controlled Burns, Wild Benefits: Restoring Midwest Ecosystems with Fire
Discover how prescribed fire is restoring balance to Midwest landscapes, reviving habitats, supporting biodiversity and sparking ecological renewal.
From Small Beginnings
Many of the most impactful conservation efforts in the Midwest began small—with the actions of a single community, or even a single individual.
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Dee Hudson/The Nature Conservancy
Our Stories in the Midwest
Seed to Scale: Lasting Impact Grows from Local Action
Across the Midwest, small conservation steps have grown into transformative efforts that impact nature and people around the world.
For 75 years, The Nature Conservancy has worked to protect the Midwest’s iconic and spectacular ecosystems, like the vital Great Lakes, the 60-million-acre Northwoods and the vast Mississippi River Basin. These globally important ecosystems are essential for achieving TNC’s 2030 goals and beyond, which seek to build a future where nature and people thrive together.
While the sheer scale of these majestic places is deeply impressive, many of the most impactful conservation efforts in this region began small—with the actions of a single community, or even a single individual.
Seed Harvest
Volunteers at Nachusa Grasslands in Illinois meticulously hand-pick native seed to use in restoration projects at the preserve.
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Charles Larry
With more than 20% of the world’s freshwater and outsized contributions to food production and climate solutions, the Midwest is leading efforts that improve lives and safeguard nature, locally, regionally and globally.
Midwest Division Director, The Nature Conservancy
Together, We Find a Way
Working for a World Where People and Nature Flourish
Where Big Impact Takes Root
Some of TNC's most transformative conservation efforts began as small sparks in Midwest communities, inspiring greater efforts that protected nature for people and wildlife at a scale few imagined possible.
One Seed Grows a Forest
TNC founded its first Ohio preserve in the 1950s to protect 42 acres of prairie, which has since grown into the 20,000-acre Edge of Appalachia Preserve.
The Prairie that Grew a Movement
Collaborating to protect a single rare prairie in 1964 sparked a statewide movement, with farmers leading conservation and sustainable agriculture across Wisconsin.
The Stop That Changed Everything
It started with a moment of curiosity and a roadside stop. Today, it's one of Illinois' most inspiring, collaborative, and decades-long conservation wins.
A Watershed Moment
One study changed everything. Discover how a new look at Indiana’s rivers inspired one of the state's most far-reaching freshwater restorations.
Collaboration Builds Movements
Partnerships power major conservation wins, like Michigan’s 2005 “Big U.P. Deal,” which includes Michigan’s Two-Hearted River Reserve and is the most significant land conservation project in the state’s history.
How the Land Was ProtectedExplore Conservation in the Midwest
From the smallest beginnings to sweeping landscape restorations, discover more about our conservation work in the Midwest.
