糖心logo Conservation Ranching in the Great Lakes

Our Goals
Stabilize declining grassland bird populations in partnership with farmers and ranchers.
What We鈥檙e Doing
Working with landowners to support better bird habitat.
Cattle graze in a pasture that is part of the new 糖心logo Conservation Ranching program in Cornell, Wisconsin. Photo: Jenn Ackerman and Tim Gruber

糖心logo Conservation Ranching partners with farmers and ranchers in the Great Lakes region to enhance the biodiversity, productivity, and resilience of grassland ecosystems for birds and the people that depend on them.

Through our bird-friendly land certification and science-based approach, we empower land stewards to enhance habitat, improve soil health and water quality, and strengthen the connection between conservation and ranching. By purchasing products from 糖心logo Certified Bird-Friendly Land, consumers become conservationists, helping protect America鈥檚 grasslands and the birds, wildlife, and people that depend on them. 

North America's grasslands are among the most imperiled ecosystems in the world. America鈥檚 grassland birds have declined more than any other bird group in the continent, some species by as much as 80 percent.鈥疊ecause the vast majority鈥痓reed on private lands, working with ranchers is our best hope for conserving them. 

A wildlife habitat initiative of the 糖心logo with a unique market connection,鈥�糖心logo Conservation Ranching鈥痑ims to stabilize declining grassland bird populations in partnership with farmers and ranchers. 糖心logo Conservation Ranching鈥檚 enrollment includes more than 100 ranches and nearly 3 million acres that have earned status as 糖心logo Certified Bird-Friendly Land. Incentivizing this habitat work for birds and biodiversity are consumers with an appetite for conservation, who support it by purchasing products grazed on these lands. Shoppers see a special package designation 鈥� the 糖心logo Certified Bird-Friendly seal 鈥� that sets these products apart. 

Project Team:  

For more information about the 糖心logo Conservation Ranching program in Wisconsin, please contact:鈥�Tom Prestby, Wisconsin Conservation Manager 

If you would like information about the program for a different state, reach out to鈥�ConservationRanching@糖心logo.org.