Letter from Our State Director, Mauricia M.M. Baca
As I recently celebrated my first anniversary with The Nature Conservancy in Nevada (TNC), I was overwhelmed with gratitude! We have a team of brilliant conservation leaders, I have visited places where our work has had a transformational impact on our beautiful state, and I have had the privilege of meeting many of the donors and community leaders who make our work possible.
2021, like the year before, brought unforeseeable challenges to all of us. But 2021 also brought tremendous hope—our field work continued to move forward, more people came to hike our preserves than ever, and our scientific endeavors continued to advance. A highlight was updating our strategic plan and creating roadmaps to the future that frame our work more effectively through three new initiatives:
Our Resilient Lands Initiative brings our efforts on both public and private lands together. We are taking a more cohesive approach as we protect our forests and deserts from wildfire, preserve environmentally important areas, and acquire new lands and conservation easements.
Our Resilient Waters Initiative is focused on protecting our limited water supply from stresses and threats, while helping decision-makers understand the complexity of ground and surface water needs.
Our Climate Action Initiative brings innovation to address climate change in Nevada and around the world.
I hope the stories shared in this 2021 annual report shed some light on the successes your investment makes possible. As we move forward in this new year, we invite you to experience our work firsthand—visit a preserve, attend one of our educational programs, and most importantly, reach out to us with your questions, concerns and ideas. Across Nevada, nature is our highest priority. Thank you for being part of our journey!
Nevada Successes
-
Resilient Lands
We received a $750,000 gift from the Bretzlaff Foundation to greatly expand our scientific forecasting of fuels management, which will help TNC and partners predict changes to at-risk wildlife and fish habitat across the northern Sierra Nevada. Read more about how we're improving land management in Nevada and beyond
-
Resilient Waters
Using our database of indicators of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs), we are looking at the stressors and threats to these ecosystems to understand how best to ensure their long-term sustainability for people and nature. Discover Nevada's critical hidden sources of water
-
Climate Action
A sustainable future for people must include nature. In 2021, we identified places in Nevada that can help both people and nature prepare for a sustainable and resilient future. Learn more about our Climate Action Initiative
-
Innovation in our Initiatives
TNC Nevada and Utah were honored with a Sagebrush Steppe Stewardship Award from the Bureau of Land Management for our use of Landscape Conservation Forecasting, an innovative tool that finds cost-effective management solutions for large landscapes. Read more about the award and how we're working with public lands partners
Places We Protect in Nevada
Check out the map below and explore an interactive map of our preserves in Nevada and beyond.
