Missouri Action and Impact

You’ve probably heard us talk about our mission at The Nature Conservancy to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends and to create a world where people and nature thrive.

There’s some tension in that last part—where people and nature thrive. The needs of humans routinely compete with those of wildlife and landscapes.

Whether it’s freshwater, food supply chains, forests or any of the other complex issues TNC works on, striking the right balance is not always obvious. People and nature can thrive. We know that. But it still takes a lot of smart, dedicated people working every day to find the sweet spot where we’re using our natural resources in ways that sustain and support nature.

In this edition of our Missouri Action and Impact report, we decided to focus not only on those solutions but also on the people who make them happen. We’ve asked a handful of TNC staff, partners and supporters to tell us why they do the work they do.

I hope you’ll read their essays in the following pages. Our mission not only benefits from all these voices and perspectives, but it relies on them. And because it only seems fair that I take on the assignment, too, I’ve spent some time thinking about my own answer to that question.

My mind cycles through my life as a dad, hunter and someone who loves being outside, and it jumps to friends I’ve made with colleagues in places like Tanzania and the responsibility we all have in protecting the health of this planet. There are hundreds of reasons I am drawn to this work, drawn to conservation. Central to each of those reasons, however, is a belief that one individual can make a difference. In conservation, that difference feels meaningful, lasting and reciprocal.

Meaningful to me, meaningful to my family, to my colleagues, to my community and to the lands and waters that bring so much joy to my life.

Adam McLane
Missouri State Director