Big Wins in Land Conservation in 2024

Land Between the Rivers

Acres: 8,000

Known as the Mobile Delta’s Land Between the Rivers, this is a nearly 8,000-acre tract where the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers join. Alabama’s creeks, rivers, ponds, and oxbow lakes are home to the greatest number of freshwater species in the U.S. This tract is a critical piece of Alabama’s mosaic, and one of the most ecologically diverse places on the planet. These lands in the Mobile Delta now anchor a continuous corridor of protected lands stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Appalachian Mountains. Over the last three decades, TNC has worked with partners to protect nearly 100,000 acres of the 200,000-acre Mobile-Tensaw Delta a priority for establishing connected landscapes across the region. With proper protection and management, the forests of this critical landscape will also continue to capture and store carbon, becoming part of Earth's natural solutions to fight climate change.  

Follensby Pond

Acres: 14,600

Through two conservation easements and a research consortium initiative between The Nature Conservancy and New York State, more than 14,600 acres of ecologically rare and culturally significant lands and water in the Adirondacks are now protected in perpetuity. Follensby Pond is situated in Haudenosaunee and Abenaki homelands and served as the base of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s ‘Philosophers’ Camp,’ an experience that influenced a new conservation movement. It is also among the most climate-resilient trout lakes in the Northeast thanks to its deep and highly oxygenated waters, and healthy surrounding forest. Through this agreement, The Nature Conservancy retains ownership of the property, and the conservation easements establish a first-of-its-kind freshwater research preserve, provide new public access for recreation and create unique access for Indigenous Peoples’ cultural practices.

Proctor Valley

Acres: 1,291

The Nature Conservancy collaborated with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), California Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) and United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to protect this amazing property in southwestern San Diego County. Nearly 70% of the Proctor Valley was targeted for development but now property’s rare habitats—home to numerous threatened and endangered species—are saved as a natural treasure. Proctor Valley sits at the heart of more than 60,000 protected acres, connecting the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve and the Otay Mountain Wilderness Area. Thanks to this protection, Wildlife will now have room to roam throughout the region.

Acres: 1 million!

The Nature Conservancy accomplished a huge milestone in 2024, when we surpassed protecting more than 1 million acres in Texas. In a state where more than 95% of land is privately owned, that's a big deal. The million acres includes 37 nature preserves and properties, sizeable portions of 34 Texas state and national parks, and nearly a half-million acres of family farms and ranches. They span many of the places cherished by Texans for generations, from the Davis Mountains of West Texas to the limestone caves of the Hill Country to the towering pineywoods in the East.  Together, we’re ensuring that our treasured landscapes, rivers, wildlife and ways of life don’t fade into Texas lore and legend.

Buck Ridge Ranch

Acres: 1,430

The 1,430-acre Buck Ridge Ranch, together with the 2022 acquisition of the adjacent Bartlett Mesa Ranch, will protect biodiversity and wildlife corridors. These lands also contribute to The Nature Conservancy’s goal of protecting 2 million acres of intact grasslands across New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The Buck Ridge property is critical habitat for numerous species of grassland birds and animals, including a seasonal herd of elk that occupies the Colorado-New Mexico cross-border region.  Healthy, connected grasslands like these not only sustain an incredible array of wildlife, but they also secure water supplies for communities and store carbon to fight climate change.

 Mary Macdonald Preserve at Ho

Acres: 24

The Keweenaw Peninsula, located along the shores of Lake Superior, is one of the most intact ecosystems in the central U.S. The Nature Conservancy has purchased more than 32,000 acres here, which doubled the amount of protected lands on the peninsula.  This latest acquisition is now part of Mary Macdonald Preserve at Horseshoe Harbor, connecting the east and west sides of our most popular preserve in Michigan to protect five continuous miles of Lake Superior shoreline. An area rich in biodiversity and home to numerous threatened or endangered plants, this is a unique landscape of volcanic bedrock lakeshore. This tract also allows us to create routes for public visitor access to nearby Bare Bluff and the Montreal Falls after several years without recreational access.  To date, The Nature Conservancy and its partners have protected 19 miles, or 64%, of the nearly 30 miles of protected Keweenaw County mainland shoreline.