Walmart and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced a 10-year, $34.5 million renewal of the Acres for America conservation program late last month. Acres for America began in 2005, when Walmart U.S. made its first commitment to the effort, which is designed to conserve one acre of wildlife habitat for every acre developed in the United States. Over its 20-year history the program has surpassed its goal and has now protected more than 2 million acres of wildlife habitat—a landmass larger than the combined size of Rhode Island and Delaware.
Acres for America has supported projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The landscape-scale projects have benefited countless wildlife species, conserved natural habitats vital to community resilience and quality of life, and opened new lands to public recreation. The program funds a variety of efforts, many of them ensuring the future of renewable wildlife resources and the management tool of hunting.
Among the grants awarded by the program this year, for example, is one going toward a project in Nevada that will establish 21,449 acres on a working ranch as a conservation easement. It will protect important sagebrush steppe, wet meadow and native grassland habitat essential for mule deer, elk and pronghorn, as well as ensuring public access for activities including hunting, hiking, fishing and birding.
“Acres for America was a simple idea in the beginning, a way for Walmart to play a part in preserving key natural habitats across the U.S.,” said Hunter Hart, senior vice president of Walmart Realty. “What we’ve achieved since then has gone far beyond what was first imagined, and we’re excited to continue this commitment and working alongside NFWF.”
The new commitment from Walmart—which comes to more than $100 million when combined with previous contributions—represents the largest corporate donation to NFWF, which was created by Congress in 1984. Through voluntary conservation easements and acquisitions connecting already-protected lands, such as national parks and state wildlife areas, Acres for America has played a critical role in conserving more than 10-million acres.
“Walmart’s sustained commitment to conservation is as inspirational as it is significant,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “The company has helped make more than 125 projects a reality from Maine to California and everywhere in between. Thousands of species of our native wildlife are dependent on the habitats protected and connected by Acres for America projects. This focus on conserving the best places in America is something meaningful that will benefit our wildlife and local communities for generations to come.”
The program holds a competitive grant process [PDF] each year to identify the highest quality projects from across America. To date, the program has leveraged Walmart’s more than $70 million philanthropic investment with significant federal, state and local community funding from other entities to generate more than $1.2 billion in matching contributions.
