National Wildlife Federation

CONSERVATION PROGRAMSAS A LEADING CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION, THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION IS ACTIVE ACROSS A BROAD ARRAY OF ISSUES. THE BREADTH OF OUR WORK REFLECTS THE BREADTH OF THREATS CONFRONTING FISH AND WILDLIFE AND IT HAS NEVER FELT MORE IMPORTANT AS TREASURED AND UNKNOWN SPECIES ALIKE FACE MOUNTING PRESSURES: HABITAT DEGRADATION AND FRAGMENTATION, THE SPREAD OF ZOONOTIC DISEASES AND INVASIVE SPECIES, AND THE IMPACT FROM EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS MEAN MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF ALL SPECIES IN THE UNITED STATES FACE AN INCREASED RISK OF EXTINCTION IN THE COMING DECADES.RECOVERING WILDLIFE IS THE THREAD LINKING EVERYTHING THE FEDERATION DOES. AND WHEN WILDLIFE THRIVE, IT IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE AND HELPS RESTORE THE ENVIRONMENT. OUR PROGRAMS DEVELOP, PROMOTE, AND ENACT SCIENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS TO HELP WILDLIFE AND PEOPLE ADAPT AND THRIVE IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD. - WILDLIFE RECOVERY AND HABITAT RESTORATIONAMERICAN GRASSLANDSNWF HOSTED THE 7TH BIENNIAL AMERICA'S GRASSLANDS CONFERENCE IN JUNE. THE CONFERENCE THEME, GRASSLANDS ACROSS GENERATIONS, HIGHLIGHTED THE CHANGES IN OUR GRASSLAND LANDSCAPE OVER TIME AND THE FUTURE OF GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION. THE EVENT ATTRACTED OVER 350 PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING RANCHERS, RESEARCHERS, CONSERVATIONISTS, TRIBAL PARTNERS, AND MORE FROM 33 STATES, CANADA, AND MEXICO, REPRESENTING THE DIVERSITY OF NORTH AMERICA'S GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION INTERESTS.PROTECTING THE LAVACA RIVERIN JULY, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PARTNERS, AND CONSERVATION LEADERS FROM NWF AND THE TEXAS CONSERVATION ALLIANCE GATHERED IN AUSTIN TO RAISE AWARENESS AND BUILD SUPPORT FOR SAFEGUARDING THE LAVACA RIVER AND CONNECTED BAY SYSTEMS. THE GATHERING HIGHLIGHTED CONCERNS ABOUT THE LAVACA RIVER DAM, WHICH WOULD DIVERT UP TO 31 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER ANNUALLY, REDUCING FRESHWATER INFLOWS, DESTROYING VITAL RIVER HABITAT, DISPLACING WILDLIFE, AND UNDERMINING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE ALONG THE TEXAS COAST. URBAN FARMERS EMBRACE POLLINATORS AS FOOD PARTNER PRODUCERSIN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FARM ALLIANCE OF BALTIMORE, NWF HOSTED A SIX-PART WORKSHOP SERIES CALLED POLLINATORS AND PRODUCE, AIMED AT URBAN FARMERS INTERESTED IN EMBRACING NATIVE POLLINATORS AS PARTNERS IN SUSTAINABLE, LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION. A TOTAL OF 127 PARTICIPANTS LEARNED ABOUT NATIVE POLLINATORS, POLLINATOR GARDEN DESIGN, MAINTENANCE BEST PRACTICES, AND MORE THROUGH WORKSHOPS, WEBINARS, AND FIELD TRIPS. TO HELP URBAN GROWERS CREATE POLLINATOR HABITAT, WE DISTRIBUTED 50 NATIVE PLANT CONTAINER GARDENS, 10 POLLINATOR GARDEN STARTER KITS, AND THREE $1,500 MINI-GRANTS FOR PARTICIPANTS TO INSTALL HABITAT AT THEIR FARMS OR GARDENS.IGNITING INTEREST WITH STUDENTS WHO LEARNED AND BURNEDPRESCRIBED BURNING - THE INTENTIONAL USE OF FIRE TO ACHIEVE LAND MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES - REDUCES HAZARDOUS FUEL LOADS, PROMOTES THE GROWTH OF NATIVE PLANTS, AND IMPROVES WILDLIFE HABITATS. IN FEBRUARY, 13 FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATES LEARNED ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF PRESCRIBED FIRE WITH NWF'S SOUTHEAST FORESTRY PROGRAM. THE FIRECATS, A NEW CLUB ON CAMPUS, SEEKS TO EDUCATE STUDENTS INTERESTED IN THE NATURAL WORLD ABOUT FORESTRY, FIRE ECOLOGY, PRESCRIBED BURNING, AND CAREERS IN CONSERVATION.LUMBEE LANDOWNER HOSTS EDUCATIONAL EVENTNWF'S FIRST LONGLEAF FOR ALL LANDOWNER MENTOR IN NORTH CAROLINA HOSTED HIS FIRST EVENT, "LONGLEAF PINE AND THE LUMBEE HERITAGE," DEMONSTRATING HOW LANDOWNERS CAN CONSERVE LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS WHILE ECONOMICALLY BENEFITING FROM LONGLEAF PINE. TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE (TEK) REFERS TO THE MULTI-GENERATIONAL ACCUMULATION OF KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICES, AND BELIEFS ACQUIRED BY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE THROUGH DIRECT ENGAGEMENT WITH LOCAL ENVIRONMENTS. DELIVERING THIS LEARNING PROMOTES VALUABLE CONSERVATION PRACTICES FOR LANDOWNERS TO SECURE THEIR INCOME AND ALSO SUPPORT THE WELL-BEING OF THE FOREST.OXFORD'S LIVING ISLANDS REDUCE FLOODS, CREATE HABITATTHE TOWN OF OXFORD, MD CONSTRUCTED INNOVATIVE LIVING ISLANDS IN PLACE OF TRADITIONAL BREAKWATERS TO ABSORB WAVE ENERGY AND CREATE HABITAT FOR WILDLIFE. THE PROJECT CREATED 4.89 ACRES IN THE INTERTIDAL EMERGENT ESTUARINE WETLAND ENVIRONMENT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION AND WITH FUNDS FROM NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION.HAVRE DE GRACE INSTALLS DEEPWATER LIVING SHORELINENWF PARTNERED WITH THE CITY OF HAVRE DE GRACE TO RESTORE 356 LINEAR FEET OF LIVING SHORELINE. THE NEW DEEP-WATER LIVING SHORELINE RESPONDS TO EROSION, REDUCES FLOODING, AND PROVIDES ESSENTIAL HABITAT FOR WILDLIFE, INCLUDING DUNES, WHICH LED TO 1.05 ACRES OF NEW BEACH HABITAT. OVERALL, NEARLY ONE QUARTER OF AN ACRE OF TIDAL MARSH WAS RESTORED, AND 4,000 NATIVE PLANTS AND 10 NEW TREES WERE PLANTED.THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF CONNECTIVITY RESTORED FOR BIGHORN SHEEPNWF NEGOTIATED A FINANCIAL AGREEMENT WITH A RANCHER TO CANCEL THEIR GRAZING PERMITS ON THREE HIGH-ELEVATION GRAZING ALLOTMENTS IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAIN RANGE OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO, COVERING NEARLY 40,000 ACRES. THE ALLOTMENTS HAVE BEEN GRAZED FOR OVER 100 YEARS AND OVERLAP WITH ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST IMPORTANT BIGHORN SHEEP HERDS. THIS AGREEMENT CONNECTS OVER 100,000 ACRES OF ADJACENT ALLOTMENTS RETIRED AT THE END OF 2023.HABITAT CONSERVATION FUND EXTENDED TOGETHER WITH THE PLANNING AND CONSERVATION LEAGUE AND YES ON PROP 4, NWF HELPED SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATE TO EXTEND THE HABITAT CONSERVATION FUND, WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE CALIFORNIA WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT PASSED BY VOTERS IN JUNE 1990. TO DATE, THE $30 MILLION A YEAR FUND HAS FUNDED HUNDREDS OF PROJECTS WHICH PROTECTED AND RESTORED MORE THAN 1.2 MILLION ACRES OF WILDLIFE HABITAT THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA. WITH A NEW SUNSET DATE IN 2035, AN ADDITIONAL $150 MILLION WILL SUPPORT MORE CRITICAL CONSERVATION WORK.BEAVERS AS CONSERVATION PARTNERSBEAVERS ARE INCREDIBLY EFFICIENT ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS - SOMETIMES TOO EFFICIENT. NWF'S MONTANA BEAVER CONFLICT RESOLUTION PROGRAM WORKS ACROSS THE STATE TO SMOOTH OUT CONFLICTS WHEN BEAVER ACTIVITIES RESULT IN BLOCKED CULVERTS AND TREE CHEWING. TO DATE, WE'VE MITIGATED 103 HUMAN-BEAVER CONFLICTS BY INSTALLING COST-EFFECTIVE, NON-LETHAL SOLUTIONS LIKE FENCING TREES, AND CULVERTS WHILE PROMOTING THE ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF BEAVERS, BALANCING COMMUNITY NEEDS WITH BEAVER AND WATERSHED CONSERVATION.EVERGLADES RESTORATION CELEBRATES MAJOR MILESTONESNWF HAS LONG WORKED TO RESTORE AMERICA'S EVERGLADES. AFTER YEARS OF PROJECT DELAYS AND FUNDING STRUGGLES, WE ARE NOW CELEBRATING MAJOR MILESTONES FOR EVERGLADES RESTORATION. WE HAVE SECURED RECORD INVESTMENTS FOR RESTORATION AND PROJECTS DECADES IN THE MAKING ARE COMING ONLINE. CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN ON THE CRITICAL EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA (EAA) RESERVOIR AND BLUE SHANTY FLOW-WAY, WITH WATER FLOWING THROUGH THE PROJECT'S STORMWATER TREATMENT AREA FOR THE FIRST TIME. IN JULY THE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ENTERED INTO AN AGREEMENT COMMITTING TO COMPLETE THE RESERVOIR AND ALL ITS COMPONENTS BY 2029, A MAJOR ACCELERATION FROM THE ORIGINAL SCHEDULE. COMPLETING THESE PROJECTS MORE QUICKLY WILL REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES, AND NWF WILL CONTINUE TO WORK TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL SO ENOUGH CLEAN FRESHWATER WILL FLOW SOUTH - AS NATURE INTENDED - ONCE AGAIN.HISTORIC WATER INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT FOR TEXASNWF WORKED WITH PARTNERS TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT A HISTORIC INVESTMENT IN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE (HJR7/SB7). PROP 4, ONCE PASSED BY TEXAS VOTERS IN NOVEMBER, PROVIDES DEDICATED FUNDING OF $1 BILLION ANNUALLY FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS, WHICH WILL BE INVESTED IN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPLY PROJECTS, SUCH AS UPGRADING DETERIORATING WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS, REDUCING FLOOD RISK, SAFEGUARDING NATURAL RESOURCES, AND KEEPING WATER BILLS LOW.COALITION SUCCESSFULLY FUNDS DELAWARE RIVER BASIN PROJECTSNWF'S COALITION FOR THE DELAWARE RIVER WATERSHED ADVOCATED FOR FEDERAL APPROPRIATIONS TO THE DELAWARE WATERSHED CONSERVATION FUND, WHICH AWARDED $17 MILLION ACROSS 45 PROJECTS. ONE EXAMPLE IS NWF'S NJ AFFILIATE NEW JERSEY AUDUBON'S $351,800 GRANT TO MONITOR SHOREBIRD AND HORSESHOE CRAB POPULATIONS IN THE DELAWARE BAY, SUPPORTING VOLUNTEER TAGGING PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE DATA CRITICAL TO THE RECOVERY OF RED KNOTS, OTHER SHOREBIRDS, AND HORSESHOE CRABS.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.

EDUCATION OUTREACH & PUBLICATIONSECO-SCHOOLS HAD WIDESPREAD PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL-BASED SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS, WITH 452 SCHOOLS ACTIVELY ENGAGING ACROSS 68% OF U.S. STATES. THE PROGRAM ENGAGED OVER 36,400 STUDENTS IN NEARLY 1,400 STUDENT-LED ACTIONS FOCUSED ON ENERGY AND WATER CONSERVATION, WASTE REDUCTION, HABITAT CREATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS. SCHOOLS REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN OUTDOOR LEARNING, GREEN SPACES, AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE. ACTIONS INCLUDED CREATIVE PROJECTS LIKE POLLINATOR GARDENS AND UPCYCLING. SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION, MORE THAN 6,000 SCHOOLS HAVE PARTICIPATED.NWF'S HABITAT PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON ACCELERATING COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION, ENHANCING CLIMATE RESILIENCE THROUGH NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS, AND STRENGTHENING WILDLIFE CORRIDORS. KEY INITIATIVES INCLUDED CERTIFYING NEW COMMUNITIES, SUPPORTING POLLINATOR HABITATS, AND PROMOTING "LEAVE THE LEAVES" CAMPAIGNS TO SUPPORT BIODIVERSITY. IN 2025, 10 COMMUNITIES EARNED CERTIFICATION BY IMPLEMENTING OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AND CREATING HABITATS WHERE PEOPLE LIVE, WORK, AND WORSHIP. NEW ADDITIONS INCLUDE NEW HOPE (PA), LAKE BLUFF (IL), AND LAKE MONTICELLO (VA) AND MORE THAN 15,000 PROPERTIES WERE CERTIFIED THROUGH NWF'S CERTIFIED WILDLIFE HABITAT PROGRAM.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.

MEMBERSHIP & OTHER NATURE EDUCATION PROGRAMSMEMBERSHIP EDUCATION PROGRAMS MAINTAIN AN ACTIVE, ENGAGED AND INFORMED MEMBERSHIP PROVIDING SUPPORTERS WITH THE INFORMATION AND INSPIRATION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR OWN BACKYARDS, THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY. NWF REACHES MILLIONS OF SUPPORTERS MONTHLY TO COMMUNICATE THE MOST PRESSING NEEDS FACING THE ENVIRONMENT TODAY - FROM PEOPLE BECOMING MORE DISCONNECTED FROM NATURE TO LOSS OF HABITAT AND THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THROUGH SUCH PUBLICATIONS AS NATIONAL WILDLIFE MAGAZINE, THE NWF WEBSITE, AND OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION, NWF IS EDUCATING OUR MEMBERSHIP BASE ON HOW NWF IS WORKING TO PROTECT WILDLIFE AND HABITAT. EVERY MONTH, THROUGH NATIONAL WILDLIFE MAGAZINE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CAN READ INFORMATIVE FEATURE ARTICLES ABOUT WILDLIFE AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, THE LATEST ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS AND SUCCESS STORIES FROM NWF AND AROUND THE NATION.THE RICH HISTORY OF NATIONAL WILDLIFE WEEK DATES ALL THE WAY BACK TO ITS FIRST CELEBRATION IN 1938. AS OUR LONGEST-RUNNING EDUCATION PROGRAM, NATIONAL WILDLIFE WEEK ENGAGES MILLIONS OF PARTICIPANTS. THE BROAD RANGE OF EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES INCREASES AWARENESS AND PROMOTES THE CONSERVATION OF NORTH AMERICA'S MOST AT-RISK WILDLIFE AND HABITATS.THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION'S GREEN HOUR PROVIDES TIPS AND ACTIVITIES TO GET KIDS AND FAMILIES OUTSIDE IN NATURE EVERY DAY. WE ENCOURAGE KIDS, PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, EDUCATORS, AND CAREGIVERS AT HOME, SCHOOLS, CHILDCARE CENTERS, PARK AGENCIES, CAMPS, AND MORE TO ADOPT A GOAL OF AN HOUR PER DAY OF TIME FOR CHILDREN TO PLAY AND LEARN OUTDOORS IN NATURE.FAMILY, FRIEND, AND NEIGHBOR (FFN) CARE IS THE MOST COMMON FORM OF NONPARENTAL CHILDCARE IN THE U.S., AND IT IS ALSO OFTEN UNDER RESOURCED. AS PART OF A GROUNDBREAKING GRANT IN COLORADO, NWF'S EARLY CHILDHOOD HEALTH OUTDOORS (ECHO) TEAM LED OUTDOOR PLAY AND LEARNING WORKSHOPS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH FOR 170 CHILDCARE PROVIDERS. FFN CAREGIVERS LEFT WORKSHOPS EMPOWERED WITH THE SKILLS AND RESOURCES NEEDED TO CONFIDENTLY ENGAGE YOUNG CHILDREN IN DEVELOPMENTALLY SUPPORTIVE ACTIVITIES OUTDOORS.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2025, signed under penalty of perjury.