Sand County Foundation

Sand County Foundation is a non-profit private land conservation organization located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1965, its work is inspired by world-renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold’s land ethic.

Mission

To advance the use of ethical and scientifically sound land management practices and partnerships for the benefit of people and their rural landscapes.[1]

Programs

Leopold Conservation Award

The Leopold Conservation Award of $10,000 and a crystal award recognizes private landowners who practice responsible land stewardship and management.[2] Started in 2003, this program has expanded to 24 states as of 2022 [2] including California,[3] Colorado,[4] Kansas,[5] Kentucky,[6] Missouri,[7] Nebraska,[8] North Dakota,[9] Oklahoma,[10] South Dakota,[11] Texas,[12] Utah,[13] Wisconsin,[14] and Wyoming[15]

Agricultural Conservation

The Agricultural Incentives Program is composed of various projects throughout the midwest focused on reducing nutrient runoff associated with agriculture. The program emphasizes watershed-scale projects and works with the agricultural community on research based solutions to address nutrient runoff.

Previous Projects

Examples of projects the Foundation has undertaken:

• The Coastal Louisiana Restoration received the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Gulf Guardian Award in the Civic/Non-profit category.[16]
• Beginning in 1999, Sand County Foundation became involved in the restoration of Wisconsin's Baraboo River. The restoration project removed dams to restore the flow of the river.[17]^[full citation needed][18]
• The Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative began in 2006 and concluded in 2013.[19] The project united western land users to conserve and restore the sagebrush ecosystem across portions of 11 western states.

References

1. "About". Sand County Foundation. 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
2. "Leopold Conservation Award Program". Retrieved March 31, 2019.
3. "Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company Named California Leopold Conservation Award Recipient". AgWeb - The Home Page of Agriculture. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
4. "2018 Colorado Leopold Conservation Award® Recipient Announced : The Prowers Journal". Retrieved 2019-03-31.
5. San Isabel Ranch honored for conservation efforts Archived 2007-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
6. "Nominations are open for a farmer or forester for the 2019 Kentucky Leopold Conservation Award | NKyTribune". Retrieved 2019-03-31.
7. "Scherder Farms receives Missouri Leopold Conservation Award". AgUpdate. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
8. "Gov. Ricketts Announces 2018 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award Recipient | Office of Governor Pete Ricketts". governor.nebraska.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
9. Service, Jenny Schlecht, Forum News (2018-11-20). "J.S. Wilson Farm wins 2018 Leopold Conservation Award for ND". www.jamestownsun.com. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
10. "Oklahoma Leopold Conservation Award seeks nominees". The Shawnee News-Star. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
11. "Leopold Conservation Award". South Dakota Grassland Coalition. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
12. "TPWD: News Release: May 18, 2018: Laborcitas Creek Ranch Receives 2018 Leopold Conservation Award® for Texas". tpwd.texas.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
13. Brough, Rick (21 November 2018). "Ercanbrack Family Honored With Conservation Award". www.kpcw.org. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
14. "Green Lake County Farmers Receive Leopold Conservation Award". Farm Progress. 2012-11-19. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
15. "Wyo. Governor recognizes Leopold Conservation Award recipient". www.thefencepost.com. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
16. U.S. EPA press release, regarding Sand County Foundation receiving the Gulf Guardian Award
17. "Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton speaks of the Baraboo River restoration". Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
18. After 150 years, dams no longer interrupt Baraboo River
19. Sand County Foundation (2019-04-17). "Cooperative Sagebrush Initiative". Sand County Foundation. Retrieved 2019-04-18.

External links

• Official website