Saving the Sandhills
Prescribed Fire Coordinator Chad Bladow celebrates his 25th year with The Nature Conservancy. Bladow reflects on his impressive career and current strategies to protect the Sandhill prairies.
12-Million Acres: Protecting Nebraska's Sandhills
Building a healthy future for grasslands and the life they support
The Nebraska Sandhills: A Prime Opportunity
Grasslands enrich our lives with habitat for wildlife that inspires us, food and water that nourish us and time-honored ways of life that shape us. Across the globe, grasslands remain the least protected and most threatened terrestrial biome. North American prairies are no exception, with about 75% of habitat lost due to agricultural conversion, incompatible development, invasive species and overgrowth of trees and shrubs.
According to a 2022 Conservation Science and Practice study, few intact grasslands remain worldwide. The Nebraska Sandhills are among the largest intact temperate grasslands on earth, covering over 12 million acres of prairie. The Sandhills represent a critical body of healthy grasslands that promote biodiversity and provide food, clean water, carbon sequestration and play an essential role in supporting the livelihoods of ranchers, landowners and communities through the landscape. Home to wildlife ranging from sharp-tailed grouse, bison and pollinators to migratory birds that stop along North America’s Central Flyway, the Nebraska Sandhills are critical to conserving the legacy of life and supported by these lands.
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Global Grasslands
Conserving grasslands is critical to achieving TNC’s ambitious 2030 goals. TNC aims to conserve 1.6 billion acres of land through restoration and improved management. Additionally, TNC will seek to reduce or store 3 gigatons of CO2 emissions annually through the power of nature and the strength of policy to reduce emissions and support renewable energy.
TNC is working to conserve grasslands on a global scale—But no one organization can do this alone. In Nebraska, TNC partners with Tribal communities, landowners, conservation organizations, public agencies and policymakers to guarantee lasting impact. With your help, we are working to protect the grasslands on which all life depends. By 2026, TNC in Nebraska will aim to increase our acres protected by 25%, or 22,356 acres, contributing to our goal of conserving 9.5 million acres and to improve management on 86 million acres of Great Plains grasslands. We will improve management on 1.5 million acres of land in the Sandhills through the continued expansion of prescribed fire and our Resilient Ranching Initiative.
Northern Great Plains Initiative
TNC launched the Northern Great Plains Initiative to conserve grasslands across Nebraska in addition to North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and parts of Canada—to ensure our region’s most important grasslands remain protected, resilient and connected. We are committed to work as One Conservancy to accelerate tangible and lasting conservation outcomes across North America.
Nature Needs You!
Here in Nebraska and beyond, we need support from conservationists like you to protect grasslands and the biodiversity that depends on them.
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