Walmart’s 2012 Acres for America program is helping conserve more than 49,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat across the United States. Acres projects connect existing lands to protect migration routes, provide access for people to enjoy the outdoors and help ensure the future of rural economies that depend on forestry, tourism and recreation.

Acres for America is a 10-year, $35 million commitment that began in 2005 between Walmart and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to purchase and preserve one acre of wildlife habitat in the U.S. for every acre of land developed by the company through 2015.  To date, Acres for America has invested in projects in 24 states, protecting more than 687,000 acres.

“It is estimated that America loses nearly three million acres of open space each year,” said Jennifer May-Brust, Walmart vice president of realty supplier management and compliance. “Our strategic partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is helping save important wildlife habitats and fits perfectly with Walmart’s larger goal to bring sustainability into the communities we serve.”

In the summer of 2011, Walmart expanded its Acres investments to include urban conservation projects inChicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C.  The six awards announced today will support projects in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina and Tennessee.

“With these new projects, Acres for America extends into five additional states to protect vital areas for wildlife and people,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “These investments will not only benefit endangered species like the Florida panther – they will also expand open space near urban areas and conserve forests and streams along the Appalachian Trail, one of our most treasured natural resources.”

The 2012 Acres for America projects:

Southern Sierra Partnership: Tehachapi Linkage, California

• While protecting more than 22,000 acres of rare blue oak habitat in the Sierra foothills, this project completes a key 50-mile ecological corridor linking the Sierra-Cascade ranges to the California Coast ranges and the lowlands of the Great Central Valley to the Mojave Desert.

Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Expansion: Colorado

• This project protects 1,334 acres of tallgrass prairie adjacent to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and connects to 70,000 acres of locally protected open space, greatly expanding recreation opportunities in metropolitan Denver.

Panther Crossing Protection Project: Florida

• This 1,530-acre property protects a key migratory corridor for the endangered Florida panther, of which less than 165 exist in the wild.  It connects existing panther habitat to the south with 1.5 million acres of new habitat in the Northern Everglades, and will also benefit the American black bear, red-cockaded woodpecker, swallow-tailed kite and snail kite.

Almo Tract: Fort Benning, Georgia

• This 7,550-acre tract in Georgia’s Fall Line Sandhills is the eastern anchor of a larger 30,000-acre conservation corridor adjacent to Fort Benning. The project protects longleaf pine forest and provides important habitat for the gopher tortoise and red-cockaded woodpecker, among other species.

The Palila Protection Project: Hawaii

• On the Big Island of Hawaii, two protected parcels (4,469 acres) provide critical habitat to the palila (Loxioides bailleui), one of the rarest birds in the world, and contribute significantly to its recovery.

Appalachian Trail Habitat Protection Project: North Carolina and Tennessee

Partners: The Conservation Fund, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Blue Ridge Forever and Conservation Trust for North Carolina

• This group of seven key parcels collectively protects nearly 13,000 acres of forest and 40 miles of freshwater streams along the Appalachian Trail Corridor, which are home to the imperiled southern Appalachian brook trout, 1,000 species of plants, at least 300 species of birds and 20 species of rare and declining salamanders.

For more information on Acres for America or to apply for a grant, visit www.nfwf.org or http://walmartstores.com/sustainability.

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Building on nearly a decade of investment to restore vanishing longleaf pine forests in the southeastern United States, NFWF (the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation) has established the Longleaf Stewardship Fund, a landmark public-private partnership that includes the U.S.

Department of Defense, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Southern Company. With the combined financial and technical resources of this group, the Fund will support accelerated restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem and implementation of the Range-Wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine.

The longleaf pine ecosystem once encompassed more than 90 million acres of North America. Today, only three percent of the original acreage remains, and threatened and endangered species that depend on the habitat – for example, the red-cockaded woodpecker, the gopher tortoise and the indigo snake – are struggling to survive.

Since 2004, a partnership between NFWF and Southern Company, the Longleaf Legacy Program, has invested over $8.7 million into projects that will restore more than 82,000 acres of longleaf pine forest and the native species that rely on it. The Longleaf Stewardship Fund will build on the success of the Southern Company partnership and expand the restoration effort across the nine states within longleaf pine’s historic range.

A significant amount of the old-growth longleaf pine forest that still exists in the Southeast is on land owned by the U.S. military, and many opportunities for large-scale restoration and protection are concentrated around public lands. The Fund will invest in targeted areas that are anchored by Department of Defense military bases, National Forests, Fish & Wildlife Service Refuges and state protected lands to expand existing longleaf habitat and establish large-scale healthy ecosystems.

In addition, the Fund will support range-wide restoration projects, technical assistance to private landowners, and locally based partnerships dedicated to restoring longleaf pine. Investments will be made to achieve specific conservation outcomes, and success will be tracked to evaluate gains in healthy longleaf forest and the recovery of native wildlife.

“The involvement of our federal partners in the longleaf pine restoration effort is a tremendous addition that will make our program even stronger, broader and more effective,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “With the continued leadership and support of Southern Company, we’re poised to embark on a new chapter in the recovery of this once-majestic forest.”

“This expansion of our longleaf partnership is a natural progression and an exciting development that gives us the opportunity to build on the successes we’ve had so far in restoring this vital ecosystem,” said Chris Hobson, Southern Company chief environmental officer. “We are ready to go to work with our newest partners, combining the best that public and private entities have to offer into a model of effective environmental stewardship.”

“The Department of Defense is a natural partner in longleaf restoration,” said John Conger, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations & Environment. “Enhancing the forested lands on and around our military bases protects our mission while also playing an important part in the overall restoration of longleaf pine. We look forward to participating in this important effort.”

“I am continually amazed by the diversity of organizations that come together to restore the unique and rich longleaf pine forests,” said Liz Agpaoa, Regional Forester for the Forest Service’s Southern Region, comprised of 13 Southeastern states and Puerto Rico. “By pooling public and private sector resources, the Longleaf Stewardship Fund will advance this important restoration work even during challenging times.”

“NRCS is committed to helping private forest landowners protect and restore longleaf pine ecosystems,” said Chief Dave White. “Healthy longleaf pine forests will yield improved water quality, enhanced wildlife habitat, and good economic return for landowners because longleaf pine is extremely resistant to insects, diseases and wind.”

“This is an important collaborative effort that restores millions of acres of longleaf pine bringing back a culturally iconic and historically valuable habitat for this region,” said Cindy Dohner, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Regional Director. “This work focuses on restoration that will benefit many listed and candidate species such as the Red-cockaded woodpecker and the gopher tortoise among others. This ambitious work would not be possible but for the diverse partners engaged in it.”

In its first year, the Fund will award approximately $3 million through a competitive grants process. Grants applications will be accepted through February 15, 2012, with awards announced in summer 2012. For more information, visit www.nfwf.org/longleaf.

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