Sand County Foundation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.