Select. Submit. Protect.


Summer 2024 Ballot 

Welcome to conservation in action! As an employee of a Conservation Alliance member, you have the unique opportunity to help us choose which conservation projects will receive funding for this season’s grant-giving cycle.

How to learn about each project: For each project below, click on the photo to learn more about the effort, including an overview of the project, what TCA staff are saying about the effort, and the intended impact. You can access the project’s application from here as well. Please note that all information is confidential – please do not share it with others. Once you decide which projects you want to select, click the heart icon on the bottom left,  and once you are done, click Submit Ballot.

Your vote here drives change out there. So go ahead—help protect the wild places and communities you love by selecting your top 10 projects from the full list of 20 options below. In each cycle, TCA funds approximately 12-18 projects, based on available funds and your votes. Employee votes will be aggregated into one ballot per company and final decisions will be announced in September 2024.

If you would like to see additional information about any project or if you have questions, please contact us at kim@conservationalliance.com.


Submit your ballot by August 31st

Colorado Wildlands
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Colorado

Dolores River Canyon Country Protection Campaign

Colorado Wildlands Project

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Dolores River Canyon Country Protection Campaign

Colorado Wildlands Project

Goal

400,000 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Permanent protection of the world-class recreation and conservation values of up to 500,000 acres of public lands surrounding 162 river miles of the Lower Dolores River in Colorado below McPhee Dam, accomplished through a combination of increased administrative protections, National Conservation Area legislation, and designation of Dolores Canyons National Monument.

What TCA Staff are Saying

The Dolores River Canyon Country – one of TCA’s Priority Campaigns – is one of Colorado’s last wild places and has been the focus of local advocacy for the past 50 years. CWP has been a strong partner and dependable advocate in the effort to conserve this landscape, working with coalition partners on administrative and legislative opportunities.

Prior Funding

$85,000

Org Budget

$445,000

Gallatin River Task Force
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Montana

Yellowstone Boundary Gold Mine: Protecting Yellowstone and creating public land

Greater Yellowstone Coalition

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Yellowstone Boundary Gold Mine: Protecting Yellowstone and creating public land

Greater Yellowstone Coalition

Goal

191 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Protect 1,598 acres of vital wildlife habitat, crucial migration corridors, and unique year-round recreational access from gold mining, new roads, and real estate development by transferring key private in-holdings on the border of Yellowstone National Park into public ownership.

What TCA Staff are Saying

TCA was able to support GYC in the initial phase of this project, removing mining claims from the 1,598 acres of this landscape. Supporting the next steps with acquisition will help ensure durable protection in an area that is important to so many in the outdoor community.

Prior Funding

$495,000

Org Budget

$5,609,303

Dena Kayeh Institute
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British Columbia

Bipoc-led Org

Dene K’éh Kusān – Land Guardian Network

Dena Kayeh Institute

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Dene K’éh Kusān – Land Guardian Network

Dena Kayeh Institute

Goal

9,800,000 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Keep the Dene K’éh Kusān landscape intact so that the Indigenous community’s material, cultural, and spiritual lives remain strong and sustainable within the proposed world-class protected area of 40,000 square kilometers (3.9 Million Hectares).

What TCA Staff are Saying

Protection of this landscape through an IPCA will have tremendous impacts on climate and biodiversity, protecting over 9 million acres and securing important social, cultural and economic benefits for the indigenous communities and others in the region. DKI has been a strong advocate for indigenous voices and the conservation of this landscape.

Prior Funding

$100,000

Org Budget

$1,500,000

Trust for Public Land
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Vermont

Bipoc-led Org

Hazen’s Notch: Protecting Recreation and Wilderness in Vermont’s Green Mountains

Trust for Public Land

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Hazen’s Notch: Protecting Recreation and Wilderness in Vermont’s Green Mountains

Trust for Public Land

Goal

2,315 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Protect 2,315 acres of strategic forestland that will protect 2.1 miles of the popular Catamount Trail, a ski trail traversing the length of Vermont, and expand the conserved buffer around 13.3 miles of the Long Trail, securing the wilderness experience along the nation’s oldest long-distance hiking path, while also expanding public access to hiking, backcountry skiing, hunting, and mountain biking in Vermont’s Northern Green Mountain Range.

What TCA Staff are Saying

Connected to 88,335 acres of conserved land, this project expands access and recreational opportunities in the area, including snowshoeing, bird-watching, hiking, fishing, swimming, hunting, snowmobiling, and backcountry skiing. TPL has successfully raised funds for this project, so TCA’s support would help push it closer to the finish line with the first of four properties expected to be acquired by next summer.

Prior Funding

$580,000

Org Budget

$151,981,000

Rocky Mountain Elk
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Nevada

Windermere Hills, NV Conservation Easement

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

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Windermere Hills, NV Conservation Easement

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Goal

21,449 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Protect 21,449 acres of land through perpetual conservation and access easements, open up new public access to 42,072 acres, protect crucial summer range and a 188-mile migration route for the priority Area 7 mule deer herd, and protect one of the region’s largest areas of connected sagebrush steppe habitats providing habitat for greater sage-grouse, mule deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, and a myriad of other species.

What TCA Staff are Saying

This is a landscape-scale effort that prioritizes connectivity for ecosystem resilience and migration corridors, while expanding opportunities for hunters, anglers, backpackers, horse packers, wildlife watchers, and other recreationists. With nearby BLM land, the project creates a 73,322-acre contiguous conservation area.

Prior Funding

$90,000

Org Budget

$82,500,000

Alaska Wilderness League
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Alaska

Protecting the Western Arctic

Alaska Wilderness League

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Protecting the Western Arctic

Alaska Wilderness League

Goal

Expand Special Areas in Western Arctic

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Expand protections for existing Special Areas in the Western Arctic and designate new Special Areas, adding at least two million acres of new protections for biodiversity, subsistence, recreation and other sustainable uses.

What TCA Staff are Saying

The Western Arctic has critical and significant habitat that sustains an immense amount of biodiversity. AWL efforts to expand protections in this landscape under the Special Areas designation prioritize ecological values and lift up Indigenous voices.

Prior Funding

$912,812

Org Budget

$3,240,000

Archaeology Southwest
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Arizona

Respect Great Bend of the Gila

Archaeology Southwest

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Respect Great Bend of the Gila

Archaeology Southwest

Goal

329,310 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Protect 329,310 acres of public land as the “Great Bend of the Gila National Monument”, enabling co-management by Tribal Nations and the Bureau of Land Management to ensure sustainable recreation and preservation of the Great Bend’s natural and cultural resources.

What TCA Staff are Saying

Archaeology Southwest is leading the effort to protect the Great Bend of the Gila, focusing on bringing Tribal voices to the forefront and enaging other BIPOC communities. We are excited that legislation to protect one of most biodiverse desert systems in the country was just introduced, providing an opportunity to protect this critical ecosystem in the near term.

Prior Funding

$0

Org Budget

$3,145,815

Society for the Protection of NH Forests
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New Hampshire

Meinelt Addition Land Protection Campaign for Connectivity

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests

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Meinelt Addition Land Protection Campaign for Connectivity

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests

Goal

375 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$25,000

Project

Conservation of the 375-acre Meinelt Addition to the Morse Preserve in Alton, NH, to help protect water quality, wildlife habitat and migration routes, mitigate climate change, support local and statewide economies, and ensure free public access to an immediate conservation landscape totaling more than 1,600 contiguous acres within a short distance to a larger 3,045-acre conservation parcel in nearby Gilmanton. The Meinelt Addition is situated within the Belknap Mountain Range and among hundreds of miles of hiking trails just south of the 800,000-acre White Mountain National Forest.

What TCA Staff are Saying

Protecting landscape-scale tracts in the Northeast often requires piecing together smaller parcels over time. This project will expand Morse Preserve, enlarging the connected conservation land to 1,630 acres and protecting important wildlife corridors. After protection, the Forest Society will guarantee public access to a variety of outdoor recreational activities, including over 40 hiking trails.

Prior Funding

$25,000

Org Budget

$6,108,603

Southeastern Climbers Coalition
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Alabama

Citadel Bouldering Preserve

Southeastern Climbers Coalition

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Citadel Bouldering Preserve

Southeastern Climbers Coalition

Goal

58 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$40,000

Project

Preserve 58 acres of critical habitat, 40 unique sandstone boulders, and 2 miles of trails as a rare win for increased public recreational access in the southeast.

What TCA Staff are Saying

SCC’s efforts to permanently protect this parcel provide a great opportunity to conserve additional acres and expand recreational opportunities in an area of the southeast where there have been limited outdoor options. The area preserves scenic views, water quality, and critical plant and wildlife habitat, and plays an important role for climate resiliency. This would be TCA’s first member-directed grant in Alabama.

Prior Funding

$0

Org Budget

$226,055

Columbia Land Trust
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Washington

Klickitat Oaks, Phase 1

Columbia Land Trust

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Klickitat Oaks, Phase 1

Columbia Land Trust

Goal

2,666 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Protect more than 2,600 acres of high-quality, climate resilient Oregon white oak habitat and associated pine woodlands, benefitting myriad wildlife species, resident and migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway, the priorities of Yakama Nation, and public access to nature.

What TCA Staff are Saying

This project has broad planning, funding, and scientific support from a wide array of grassroots organizations, Tribal partners, and government agencies, with a clear path to success. The project site is a strategic link that connects terrestrial migration and dispersal corridors relied upon by 15+ priority species.

Prior Funding

$255,000

Org Budget

$7,606,081

Indiana Forest Alliance
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Indiana

Protecting Wilderness in the Midwest

Indiana Forest Alliance

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Protecting Wilderness in the Midwest

Indiana Forest Alliance

Goal

44,682 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Pass the Benjamin Harrison National Recreation Area and Wilderness Establishment Act, adding approximately 15,300 acres to the Charles Deam Wilderness (more than doubling the size of Indiana’s only wilderness to 28,253 acres) and establishing the 29,382 acre Benjamin Harrison National Recreation Area surrounding the expanded wilderness area.

What TCA Staff are Saying

This is a unique opportunity to protect a sizeable portion of wilderness in the midwest, through bipartisan action, that would help ensure long-lasting recreational opportunities. IFA has demonstrated a focus on working across the political aisle to increase the likelihood of this legislation moving forward.

Prior Funding

$0

Org Budget

$1,212,808

Methow Valley Citizens
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Washington

Bipoc-led Org

Great NW Forests Campaign

Methow Valley Citizens Council

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Great NW Forests Campaign

Methow Valley Citizens Council

Goal

24,500,000 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$40,000

Project

Secure a climate smart amendment under the NW Forest Plan for 24.5 million acres of federally managed lands in western Oregon, Washington, and northwestern California by working with an effective, efficient regional coalition.

What TCA Staff are Saying

The Forest Service is set to complete this revision process by the end of the year, impacting over 24 million acres of carbon-dense forests in Oregon, Washington, and California. MVCA and its partners have remained focused on ensuring recreational access, Tribal voices, and conservation values are lifted up, and have seats on the Federal Advisory Committee that is helping guide the process.

Prior Funding

$163,000

Org Budget

$667,000

Chesapeake Conservancy
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Maryland

Establishing the New Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge

Chesapeake Conservancy

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Establishing the New Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge

Chesapeake Conservancy

Goal

307 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Acquisition and donation of the first parcel to establish the Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge with a proposed boundary of 577,000 acres to become the first national wildlife refuge established in Maryland since 1964 and first in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed in 26 years.

What TCA Staff are Saying

The creation of a new wildlife refuge in Maryland has a lot of community support and would provide outdoor access for a large number of people in the densely populated east coast landscape. The proposed refuge would protect existing migration corridors and increase climate resiliency in the region.

Prior Funding

$45,000

Org Budget

$12,691,508

American Rivers
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Arizona

Upper Verde Wild and Scenic River

American Rivers

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Upper Verde Wild and Scenic River

American Rivers

Goal

76 River Miles and 24,000 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Protect 76 river miles and 24,000 acres of riverside lands of the Upper Verde River, Granite Creek, and Sycamore Creek under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, including completion of the Comprehensive River Management Plan protecting the paddling, hiking, hunting, fishing, rock climbing, wildlife habitat, and cultural resources of the area.

What TCA Staff are Saying

American Rivers and its partners are building bipartisan support for this effort, while continuing to generate high levels of community and Tribal engagement, creating a more viable pathway to success for the Upper Verde Wild and Scenic River Act during the 119th Congress.

Prior Funding

$465,000

Org Budget

$48,693,672

Save the Sound
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New York

The Plum Island National Monument Campaign

Save the Sound

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The Plum Island National Monument Campaign

Save the Sound

Goal

822 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Preserve approximately 822 acres at Plum Island for ecological conservation, historical preservation, and the discovery and celebration of our shared cultural heritage.

What TCA Staff are Saying

This is a unique chance to protect and create public access to over 800 acres in the northeast that have been recognized for ecological diversity, including over 200 bird species that have been sighted there. Save the Sound has coordinated with 130 other organizations to strategically lead this campaign, successfully advocating for introduction of legislation last year and creating a pathway for possible monument designation.

Prior Funding

$0

Org Budget

$11,925,000

Texas Tribal Buffalo Initiative
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Texas

Bipoc-led Org

Homecoming: Land Rematriation and Buffalo Restoration in Texas

Texas Tribal Buffalo Project

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Homecoming: Land Rematriation and Buffalo Restoration in Texas

Texas Tribal Buffalo Project

Goal

150 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Protect and rematriate 149.5 acres of land, providing ideal roaming ranges for a buffalo herd to engage in rotational grazing, thereby mimicking grazing patterns that restore native grasslands, and preserve biodiversity, soil health, and ecosystems.

What TCA Staff are Saying

This project prioritizes Tribal leadership and knowledge in expanding protected land and the number of buffalo, a keystone species that helps promote ecosystem resilience and biodiversity. TTBP’s efforts, close to the urban populations of San Antonio, would include additional education programs and recreational opportunities for community members and visitors, while preserving cultural practices of the local Tribes.

Prior Funding

$0

Org Budget

$1,472,395

Carolina Climbers Coalition
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North Carolina

Bipoc-led Org

Save the Maibauer Boulders/ A Southeast Climbing Destination

Carolina Climbers Coalition

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Save the Maibauer Boulders/ A Southeast Climbing Destination

Carolina Climbers Coalition

Goal

32 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$32,000

Project

Transform a formerly inaccessible climbing area without conservation protections into a recreational climbing hub, igniting conservation efforts in the Brushy Mountains of NC.

What TCA Staff are Saying

Although it’s a small parcel, this project is located in rural Alexander County where there are few recreation opportunities currently. CCC has been great about collaborating with local organizations to engage diverse communities in climbing.

Prior Funding

$65,000

Org Budget

$340,000

Greater Yellowstone Coalition
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Montana

Permanently protecting rivers in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Gallatin River Task Force

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Permanently protecting rivers in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Gallatin River Task Force

Goal

383 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$20,000

Project

Protect 383 iconic river miles that flow through the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Smith River System by designating segments of 20 streams as parts of the National Wild and Scenic River System.

What TCA Staff are Saying

GRTF has been an effective organization that has been able to engage individuals and leaders from across the political spectrum. They have focused on getting bipartisan and Tribal support for the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act, giving it a stronger pathway forward.

Prior Funding

$0

Org Budget

$1,900,000

Tuleyome
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California

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Management Plan

Tuleyome

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Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Management Plan

Tuleyome

Goal

344,476 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$50,000

Project

Lead partners in Phase II of securing the permanent protection of 344,476 acres within California’s Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument by developing a Monument Management Plan with tribes, nongovernmental organizations, government, businesses and local communities that protects all of the Monument’s natural and cultural resources while expanding access and ensuring tribal co-stewardship.

What TCA Staff are Saying

Designation of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and its expansion were supported by TCA and its member companies. The focus is now on developing a management plan that effectively incorporates the cultural and conservation values of the landscape and ensures tribal co-stewardship. Tuleyome was a strong partner on the expansion effort and is focused on getting Tribal input into the process.

Prior Funding

$80,000

Org Budget

$1,227,750

Bull Creek Commons
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Vermont

Bipoc-led Org

Bull Creek Headwaters Protection

Bull Creek Common Lands

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Bull Creek Headwaters Protection

Bull Creek Common Lands

Goal

230 Acres Protected

Grant Request

$49,805

Project

Acquire 230 acres of land by the fall of 2025, protecting approximately 15 acres of headwater wetlands; 4,000 feet of the upper Bull Creek; a .5 mile trail corridor connecting two existing public right-of-ways; and over 200 acres of varied forest habitats and ecosystems.

What TCA Staff are Saying

This is a strong grassroots-led effort in the northeast that will provide important wildlife connectivity between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire and expanded opportunities for hiking, biking, horseback riding, hunting, and other outdoor recreation. Bull Creek is acquiring an additional 110 acres of land contiguous with the 230 in this proposal.

Prior Funding

$0

Org Budget

$75,425

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