Sand County Foundation

www.sandcountyfoundation.org

Environmental Organizations United States

Description

Sand County Foundation is a national nonprofit that supports voluntary conservation on private working lands in the United States. It provides farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners with agronomic and environmental research and examples for ethical land management. It was founded in 1965, inspired by Aldo Leopold’s land ethic, and is based in Madison, Wisconsin.

Its team of scientists works with farmers and ranchers on conservation research and demonstrations, such as cover cropping, managed grazing, and pollinator habitat creation. The foundation runs the Leopold Conservation Award, which recognizes farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners for conservation leadership across many US states. It also runs the Land Ethic Mentorship program, providing conservation mentors to historically underserved farmers and ranchers nationwide.

The organization has worked on agricultural conservation projects across the Midwest to reduce nutrient runoff, and on past restoration projects such as coastal Louisiana restoration and dam removal on Wisconsin’s Baraboo River. It favors collaboration over litigation and focuses on voluntary conservation, incentives, and science rather than regulation.

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