Header photo: David and Leslie Meuer (right) are recognized by Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture Ben Brancel (far left) and Sand County Foundation CEO Brent Haglund (second from left) upon receiving the Leopold Conservation Award® in 2015. The Meuers operate a highly diversified 150 acre farm in eastern Wisconsin that provides habitat for honey bees, wild pollinators, and monarch butterflies.
Sand County Foundation is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to working with private landholders across the nation to advance the use of ethical and scientifically sound land management practices for the benefit of people and the environment. Their mission clearly aligns with working to conserve monarchs, other pollinators and their habitats, and we are pleased to welcome them aboard as Monarch Joint Venture’s newest partner.
Based in Madison Wisconsin, Sand County Foundation is working with other MJV partners in efforts to recover the monarch butterfly and other at-risk species, to reduce agriculture’s impact on water quality, and to publicly recognize outstanding conservation farmers and ranchers via the Leopold Conservation Award®. Together through this MJV partnership, we can create opportunities to expand voluntary, private land conservation leadership.
Sand County Foundation was founded in 1967 to protect private lands surrounding the farm of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, through voluntary action inspired by Leopold’s Land Ethic. Specific to the monarch butterfly, The Foundation created an initiative to support the recovery of monarchs, and associate species. The initiative concentrates on farmlands and private rights-of-way (electric transmission, gas pipelines, and rail corridors) within the eastern North American monarch migratory region. Its actions focus on:
- Working with landowners and land managers to deliver voluntary conservation on a landscape scale;
- Engaging the agricultural industry to enhance conservation delivery;
- Working with private rights-of-way managers to implement conservation on rights-of-way;
- Committing to science and monitoring to guide and assess the outcomes of conservation efforts; and
- Sharing successful conservation stories with other landowners and interested parties.
In addition to working with private working land managers, The Foundation reaches a broad array of audiences through its outreach programs. MJV is delighted to be partnering with Sand County Foundation, and anticipates an exciting expansion of our conservation work!
The content in this article does not necessarily reflect the positions of all Monarch Joint Venture partners.