New York, NY (August 8, 2024) — The National Audubon Society is proud to announce that the organization has received a $2.5 million Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This significant funding will help Audubon’s Grazing along the bar project, an initiative to improve protection of meadow birds on cattle and dairy farms in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Audubon’s Grazing along the bar project is one of 53 innovative initiatives to receive a CIG this year, part of a $90 million investment by the USDA to develop new tools, approaches, practices and technologies that advance natural resource conservation on private lands. This year’s grants benefited from increased funding made available through the Inflation Reduction Act, which funds CIG projects that address climate change.

Audubon’s award is one of several On-Farm projects funded through the CIG program. With this support, Audubon will expand its ability to explore the unique approach of annual bird stocking payments, which directly reward producers for their bird-friendly management decisions that support high-priority bird species. For example, producers whose habitats support grasshopper sparrows, short-eared owls and upland sandpipers—all species with special conservation status in the tri-state project area—would be eligible for bird stocking payments.

“We’re excited to expand our partnerships with farmers and ranchers in the Upper Midwest to protect grassland birds and their habitats while supporting producer profitability,” said Sarah Hewitt, senior conservation manager for Audubon Upper Mississippi River, the organization’s regional office that oversees Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri. “We’re eager to build on Audubon’s tradition of innovation, in this case, creating incentives and value for bird-friendly practices,” Hewitt said.

In partnership with beef producers, Audubon will expand another of its growing bird conservation solutions, Audubon Conservation Ranching (also a previous CIG grantee), which it recently launched in Minnesota and Wisconsin. “By working with beef and bison ranchers through our Conservation Ranching program, we can provide financial and technical assistance to implement best practices like grassland planting, prescribed burning and brush management. These practices not only improve habitat, but also help ranchers achieve our unmatched bird-friendly certification,” Hewitt said.

Building on the Audubon partnership established in Vermont, Audubon will expand its collaboration with Organic Valley, a Wisconsin-based farmer-owned cooperative known for its high standards in organic dairy production. Together, they will assess how organic dairies support pastured birds while providing technical assistance to participating landowners. Audubon’s science and conservation team will monitor bird populations at each project site and develop regenerative, bird-friendly grazing best practices to benefit pastured birds.

“Bird monitoring and assessment are critical components of our approach to bird conservation,” said Tom Prestby, conservation manager for Audubon Great Lakes, Audubon’s regional office that oversees Wisconsin. “As a science-based organization, we rely on robust data and analysis to demonstrate the success of our conservation efforts.” Prestby said the insights gained from these on-farm trials can help the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service develop new conservation assistance programs or refine existing practices to maximize their ecological, financial and social impact.

Additional project evaluations include soil carbon mapping to support the implementation of conservation practices to mitigate climate change. A social survey is also being conducted to evaluate why producers have chosen to participate in the Audubon Conservation Ranching program and take advantage of the extensive financial assistance available.

Other valuable partners include the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Golden Sands Resource Conservation and Development, and Virginia Tech.

About the National Audubon Society

The National Audubon Society is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects birds and the places they need today and tomorrow. Birds serve as early warning systems for the health of our environment, telling us that our planet is in trouble. As a longtime leader in the conservation movement, Audubon is rising to meet the urgency of this moment. Like the birds we love, Audubon’s work spans the Americas—from Boreal Canada to coastal Chile. In communities across the hemisphere, Audubon is addressing climate change, protecting and restoring important places for birds and people, and fostering a community where the joy of birds ignites action for our planet.