The Northern Great Plains Joint Venture is a public-private partnership working to facilitate conservation actions that result in healthy ecosystems and bird populations and also benefit the people living and working in the Northern Great Plains. We employ a holistic approach to conservation that considers the ecological, social, and cultural implications of actions. We work to build relevant science and incorporate western science, Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and local knowledge to balance conservation actions, communications, and policy. We support voluntary, incentive-based working lands solutions that work for people and for birds. Our collaborative approach helps sustain local producers and the economic vitality of rural and indigenous communities.
Mission and Scope
Our Mission is to retain, enhance, restore, and protect grassland, sagebrush-steppe, wetland, and riparian ecosystems, with an emphasis on sustaining and increasing populations of migratory and resident birds while supporting working lands and communities that sustain these habitats.
Our Overarching Goal is to facilitate conservation efforts in the Northern Great Plains that result in healthy ecosystems and bird populations that benefit communities and private producers and support federal and state agencies and lawmakers as they prioritize grassland conservation in their budgets, plans, and policies.
Our Collaborative Model of Conservation
- Working Lands Conservation – We support conservation practices that work for birds and the people who depend on the Northern Great Plains. Our collaborative approach helps sustain local producers and the economic vitality of rural and indigenous communities.
- Resilient Lands and Communities – Our conservation projects help recharge aquifers, improve water quality, stabilize soils, sustain bird and pollinator populations, and improve sustainable foraging production for ranching. Resilient lands support resilient rural and indigenous communities.
- Voluntary, Non-regulatory Solutions – We seek voluntary and proactive conservation solutions, which reduces the need for additional regulations.
- Science-based Decision Tools – We facilitate science products to inform on-the-ground decisions and support research that leads to impactful, sustainable, and locally supported conservation.
Mitch Kezar for the SDGC and USDA-NRCS