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Thanks to the help of partners and supporters, TNC has reached a major milestone in conservation. The Nature Conservancy (TNC)—a conservation organization committed to building a future where both people and nature thrive—announced a significant milestone: 1 million acres protected across Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. For more than 65 years, TNC’s Minnesota, North … Read more

The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is proud to announce Jacquelyn (Jacquie) Evans as the recipient of the 2024 Gold Star Award. Evans, the Science Integration Specialist with the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture (PPJV), received this prestigious accolade on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at the Matador Ranch Science Symposium. The Gold Star Award is presented annually … Read more

https://youtu.be/rBgGYeEyxho The U.S. Geological Survey at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC) has a robust history of studying pollinators and pollinator habitat demonstration plots to illustrate the multiple benefits these lands provide. Like our native prairies, pollinator habitat requires active management to thrive – without proper management, the ecological and economic value of the habitat … Read more

While the monarch is iconic for its status as an imperiled butterfly, there are other less-known butterflies on the prairie that deserve just as much recognition for their status as prairie jewels: the prairie skippers. Like all butterflies, skippers have wings made of scales; when the sunlight reflects just right, these scales shine like brilliantly … Read more

The Dakota skipper is a small, threatened butterfly endemic to the northern Great Plains that is emblematic of undisturbed native mixed-grass and tallgrass prairie. It was first proposed for listing in 1978 due to population declines and range contraction from habitat loss and degradation, and in 2014 was listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered … Read more

The PPJV is excited to announce that Lauri Hanauska-Brown has been selected to take up the mantle as the JV Coordinator after a monthslong search. With the PPJV partnership celebrating its 35th Anniversary in 2022, the coordinator plays a vital role in keeping this conservation engine running. Hanauska-Brown joins the team in a period of … Read more

We’ve all seen the reports: grassland birds are declining more rapidly and more consistently than birds from any other habitat group in North America. These changes are particularly important in the Prairie Pothole Region, which has the greatest number of grassland bird species and some of the highest densities of grassland birds in North America … Read more

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has several financial assistance programs that can be leveraged to improve and restore wildlife habitat. Their flagship program is the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), where NRCS works with producers to develop conservation plans that outline practices and activities to address resource concerns on their property. In many states, … Read more

This year marks the 35th Anniversary of the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture! Throughout our history, PPJV partners have skillfully navigated the dynamic nature of the Prairie Pothole Region to deliver voluntary wetland and grassland conservation programs that maintain the unique social and environmental character of this landscape. While the journey has had its fair share … Read more

The PPJV is gearing up to host the 2022 Federal Duck Stamp Contest this September in Bismarck, North Dakota. Our partners have done a great job spreading the word about the Contest as well as the on-the-ground habitat conservation made possible by Duck Stamp sales. The competition brings a unique medley of fine art and … Read more

“One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds.” – Aldo Leopold. The ecologically educated must have been especially distraught to see the large-scale wetland drainage that occurred throughout Prairie Pothole Region in the period after World War II.  The widespread erasure of small wetlands, much … Read more

Inspiring Awareness and Appreciation for Conservation through Science and Art The Junior Duck Stamp Program is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service science and art curriculum designed to teach students K-12 about wetland and waterfowl conservation. The program, established in 1989, is centered around an annual art contest and encourages students to explore their natural … Read more