American Prairie
“To create the largest nature reserve in the contiguous United States, a refuge for people and wildlife preserved forever as a part of America’s heritage.”
The origin
How they started
American Prairie (formerly American Prairie Reserve) is assembling a 3.2 million acre nature reserve on the shortgrass prairie of northeastern Montana by stitching together purchased private ranchland with existing public lands. The reserve is home to one of the largest conservation bison herds in the country, and its land runs alongside the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. The long game: restore the full wildlife community of the northern Great Plains, from bison and pronghorn to prairie dogs and the black-footed ferrets that depend on them, and keep it open to the public forever.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “OUR MISSION IS TO CREATE THE LARGEST NATURE RESERVE IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES, A REFUGE FOR PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE PRESERVED FOREVER AS PART OF AMERICA'S HERITAGE.”
Where the money went, FY2024
The work, and what it cost
Keeping the wild alive
$5.0MAMERICAN PRAIRIE IS REWILDING A VAST GRASSLAND TO SUPPORT ECOLOGICALLY MEANINGFUL WILDLIFE POPULATIONS.
Including $614,006 granted onward, most of it $7,614 to Fort Belknap Reservation (Lucky Charms 4-H).
Read it as they filed it
REWILDING AND HABITAT STEWARDSHIP: AMERICAN PRAIRIE IS REWILDING A VAST GRASSLAND TO SUPPORT ECOLOGICALLY MEANINGFUL WILDLIFE POPULATIONS. SINCE 2004, WE HAVE COMPLETED 43 TRANSACTIONS TO CONSERVE 526,959 ACRES OF PRAIRIE HABITAT ADJACENT TO THE 1.1 MILLION-ACRE CHARLES M. RUSSELL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE - TOGETHER FORMING THE LARGEST PROTECTED AREA IN THE GREAT PLAINS. OUR BISON HERD, ESTABLISHED IN 2005, NOW NUMBERS AROUND 850 ANIMALS AND CONTRIBUTES TO RIPARIAN AND RANGELAND HEALTH AND GREATER WILDLIFE DIVERSITY.CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O . . .WE ARE ALSO WORKING TO RESTORE OTHER KEYSTONE AND EXTIRPATED SPECIES, INCLUDING BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS, BEAVERS, SWIFT FOXES, AND BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS. REWILDING EFFORTS ALSO INCLUDE HABITAT RESTORATION AND ENHANCEMENT, AS WELL AS PROMOTING WILDLIFE TOLERANCE BEYOND OUR LANDS THROUGH ECONOMIC INCENTIVES AND COEXISTENCE TOOLS.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.
Bringing people into the fight
$1.8MAMERICAN PRAIRIE STRIVES TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY AND TO MAKE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITIES AROUND US, BOTH ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL, BY BUILDING MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL GROUPS AND LEADERS IN AND AROU...
Read it as they filed it
EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS: AMERICAN PRAIRIE STRIVES TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY AND TO MAKE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITIES AROUND US, BOTH ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL, BY BUILDING MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL GROUPS AND LEADERS IN AND AROUND THE SEVEN-COUNTY REGION WHERE AMERICAN PRAIRIE OPERATES. THE NATIONAL DISCOVERY CENTER IN LEWISTOWN IS A SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL HUB PROVIDING MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND CONNECTIONS IN CENTRAL MONTANA.CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O . . .SHARING STORIES FROM THE PRAIRIE IS A PRIORITY, AND OUR MARKETING EFFORTS HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON SHOWCASING THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE AND ELEVATING OUR PUBLIC ACCESS MODEL, INCLUDING THROUGH FEATURES IN 60 MINUTES, OUTSIDE MAGAZINE, FAST COMPANY, AND LOCAL PUBLICATIONS. BY RAISING GENERAL AWARENESS IN MONTANA, OUR WEB TRAFFIC, LODGING BOOKINGS AND VISITATION INQUIRIES HAVE ALL INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.
Keeping the wild alive
$1.5MAMERICAN PRAIRIE PROVIDES PUBLIC ACCESS TO MORE THAN 140,000 ACRES OF DEEDED LAND, ALONG WITH SEAMLESS ACCESS TO AN ADDITIONAL 386,000 ACRES OF ADJACENT PUBLIC LAND.
Read it as they filed it
VISITOR EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: AMERICAN PRAIRIE PROVIDES PUBLIC ACCESS TO MORE THAN 140,000 ACRES OF DEEDED LAND, ALONG WITH SEAMLESS ACCESS TO AN ADDITIONAL 386,000 ACRES OF ADJACENT PUBLIC LAND. THIS EXPANSIVE LANDSCAPE SUPPORTS THRIVING WILDLIFE HABITAT AND OFFERS OUTSTANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIKING, HUNTING, AND WILDLIFE VIEWING. BY ENSURING PUBLIC ACCESS TO THESE LANDS, AMERICAN PRAIRIE INVITES PEOPLE TO EXPLORE AND CONNECT WITH THE PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEM, WITH THE PROMISE THAT EACH VISIT WILL REVEAL A WILDER, MORE VIBRANT LANDSCAPE. CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O . . . IN ADDITION TO LAND ACCESS, AMERICAN PRAIRIE OPERATES THE AMERICAN PRAIRIE FIELD SCHOOL, A K12 EDUCATION PROGRAM OFFERING FREE DAY AND OVERNIGHT EXPERIENCES FOR MONTANA PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS. THESE PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO FOSTER CURIOSITY AND A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE REGION'S NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH IMMERSIVE, HANDS-ON OUTDOOR LEARNING. TOGETHER, THESE EFFORTS SUPPORT CONSERVATION, RECREATION, AND EDUCATION ACROSS ONE OF NORTH AMERICA'S MOST ICONIC AND ECOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT LANDSCAPES.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
54 cents of every dollar goes to the work
One year’s split is a snapshot, not a verdict. Splits swing hard with land deals, grants, and campaign timing. The trend line below says more than any single year.
$8,316,044 programs, $5,542,034 management, $1,498,917 fundraising. Form 990, FY2024.
The people
Who does the work
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. Orgs that claim their page can update it same-day. Work at AP? Claim this page.
Those 34 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If AP is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 35The filings
14 years of filings
14 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2011 | $6,640,811 |
| 2012 | $13,854,883 |
| 2013 | $5,354,366 |
| 2014 | $7,016,742 |
| 2015 | $8,203,017 |
| 2016 | $12,683,610 |
| 2017 | $17,043,323 |
| 2018 | $14,215,078 |
| 2019 | $16,746,676 |
| 2020 | $15,939,388 |
| 2021 | $42,861,456 |
| 2022 | $63,644,878 |
| 2023 | $25,022,771 |
| 2024 | $44,696,566 |
From $6.6M in 2011 to $44.7M in FY24, with no missed filing in 14 years. The 2022 peak of $63.6M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
Their ground
The places they defend
See every threatened place on one map, and who stands for each.
The Montana congressional delegation averages 7 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
Ways in
How to help
54 cents of your dollar goes straight to the work above.
Give on their site ↗Show upVolunteer with themFind their volunteer door on their own site.
Find it on their site ↗SpeakComment and callOpen comment windows and call scripts for fights like these, ready to send.
Public Lands Action NetworkFollowWatch the mapEvery threatened place in the country, tracked, with who stands for each.
Threatened Lands MapStand with American Prairie
25 years on the ground, 34 volunteers, 54 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.