MADISON, Wis. – Sand County Foundation is among six nonprofit organizations nationally to receive the first round of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s “Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative funding.” The initiative will help cattle ranchers enhance wildlife habitat, conserve water resources, and improve soil health across the nation’s grasslands.

Sand County Foundation will support ranchers in 14 states, including North Dakota.

A nonprofit conservation organization, Sand County Foundation was awarded the multi-year, $7.8 million grant to accelerate regenerative grazing practices, habitat restoration and conservation of wildlife and water on working ranches across the nation.

“Sand County Foundation’s team looks forward to providing technical assistance for land managers who want to improve ecological and economic resilience across their grazed land,” said Dr. Heidi Peterson, Sand County Foundation’s vice president of Agricultural Conservation and Research.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation initiative’s initial six grantees are expected to work with more than 750 private cattle ranch operations across 26 states to implement conservation activities, including developing and implementing improved grazing management plans, installing grazing infrastructure such as wildlife-friendly fencing and watering systems, restoring grasslands through reseeding of native plants, prescribed burning and removal of invasive vegetation, conserving water and recharging aquifers by improving water control structures and restoring wet meadows and streambanks.