Our Partners

25363 US Hwy 385
Custer, SD 57730
(605) 673-5680
Email: custercd@sdconservation.net

(605) 226-3360 x3

browncd@sdconservation.net

At the heart of South Dakota’s environmental stewardship and conservation efforts lies the South Dakota Association of Conservation Districts (SDACD). Our mission is simple yet profound: to lead, represent, and assist conservation districts in promoting a healthy environment. Our vision is equally clear: to lead South Dakota in the conservation of all natural resources.

Programs: EQIP, RCPP, CSP, etc.
About: NRCS offers financial and technical assistance through conservation practices, activities and enhancements to help agricultural producers make and maintain improvements on their land.

The Mule Deer Foundation is dedicated to restoring, improving, and protecting mule deer and their habitat, with a focus on science and program efficiency. Our conservation programs combined with our grassroots support are the foundation of who we are as an organization. We are committed to sustaining our western deer populations by ensuring quality habitat in the areas deer need on a daily, seasonal, and yearly basis. Our conservation efforts are delivered through efforts by MDF staff and in partnership with state and federal agencies as well as other non-profit organizations.

The Second Century Habitat Fund is a nonprofit 501 c3 corporation that works to educate landowners on the importance of grassland to improve pheasant habitat in South Dakota. The Fund is governed by a Board of Directors representing landowners, business owners, pheasant preserve operators and community leaders across South Dakota.

MISSION
To be advocates of habitat stewardship, collaborate with community partners, and be conservation leaders to benefit all of South Dakota.

VISION
To restore and retain pheasant habitat development while providing awareness to the importance of sustaining South Dakota’s strong outdoor heritage of pheasant hunting for future generations.

About: A NOLO is someone who owns land but doesn’t farm it themselves. This website was created to provide sound information and advice on soil health and conservation programs and practices for NOLOs.

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

Our mission at Bird Conservancy of the Rockies is the conservation of birds and their habitats through an integrated approach of science, education and land stewardship. We envision a future where birds are forever abundant, contributing to healthy landscapes and inspiring human curiosity and love of nature. Our work radiates from the Rockies to the Great Plains, Mexico and beyond. Our efforts are advanced by sound science, achieved through empowering people, realized through stewardship and sustained through partnerships. Together, we are improving native bird populations, the land and the lives of people.

Private landowners and agricultural producers (i.e., farmers and ranchers) play a critical role in providing habitat for birds and other wildlife, as well as food and fiber for people. At Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, we believe healthy wildlife habitat and healthy human communities can more than just co-exist – they can thrive with proper management and stewardship. Our biologists and rangeland ecologists work alongside private landowners, land managers and resource professionals in local communities to build trust and foster proactive, voluntary conservation efforts. It’s a win-win for birds and people. A diversity of wildlife habitats are improved to contribute to populations of songbirds, grouse, waterbirds and other wildlife, while farms and ranches remain working lands that support families, communities and a rural way of life.

Goals
Bird Conservancy’s Strategic Plan outlines five major goals to help accomplish our mission:

Leverage biological and social information
Engage diverse communities
Build connected and resilient landscapes
Catalyze and engage in collaborative initiatives
Create a resilient organization

About: The South Dakota State University Extension (SDSU) provides farmers, ranchers, agri-business people, communities, families, and youth with the research-based information they need to succeed. They prioritize these efforts in the following program areas: competitive crop systems, competitive livestock systems, 4-H youth development, food and families, and community vitality. 

SDALT is a nonprofit 501(c)3 conservation organization with a mission to conserve South Dakota’s agricultural heritage and working landscapes for the benefit of future generations.

South Central Resource Conservation and Development (South Central RC&D) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that is a governed by a board of 12 members, representing Jones, Mellette, Todd and Tripp Counties in central South Dakota. The Mission of South Central RC&D is to provide technical assistance in the areas of Community Developoment, Land Management, Land Conservation and Water Management.
Jewell Bork, Program Manager

southcentralrcd@goldenwest.net

605-669-2222

Programs: Conservation Commission Grant, Coordinated Natural Resources Conservation Program

About: The Conservation Commission Grant offers a program that provides cost-share assistance to private landowners (through the local conservation districts) to improve the natural resources within the state of South Dakota. The Coordinated Natural Resources Conservation Program provides assistance to the conservation districts to help producers implement practices to address local resource concerns.

Lake County Conservation District

Programs: Habitat Pays

About: Habitat Pays is designed to provide more information and education to assist landowners in designing, developing, and funding habitat on their land. Working directly with habitat advisors who possess the knowledge of federal, state, and local programs, landowners can find the right programs to meet their personal habitat and land use goals.

Program: USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife

About: Technical and financial assistance with certain grazing management, grassland restoration, and wetland restoration projects with wildlife conservation benefits. 

About: The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition is a producer-led, non-profit, membership organization created to promote soil health through education and research. 

Audubon Great Plains is the regional office of the National Audubon Society for Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Using science, habitat restoration, outreach, and education, we holistically address the core threats facing birds in our region. We are a nonpartisan bird conservation organization that collaborates with diverse stakeholders to find solutions to improve and restore bird habitats while engaging our communities.

Ducks Unlimited is a non-profit wetlands conservation organization that conserves, restores, and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. The Prairie Pothole Region (including eastern South Dakota) is our highest priority area due to intact grasslands and wetlands and importance to continental waterfowl populations.

The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) was formed in 1982 to support the widespread use of economically and environmentally beneficial agricultural systems.

Members of CTIC, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, include farmers, policy makers, regulators, academic researchers, agribusiness leaders, conservation group personnel, farm media, and others. The organization is supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other public entities.

It is our mission to champion, promote and provide information on climate smart technologies and sustainable agricultural systems that conserve and enhance soil, water, air and wildlife resources and are productive and profitable.

Kateri provides custom regenerative ranching programs and services intended to help unlock the land’s potential and generate shared revenue streams for producers from the sale of carbon & other natural capital.

Formed in 2024, SEDPBA members are private landowners committed to improving native grasslands and rotational grazing pastures through the safe use of prescribed burning. Our target area of Yankton, Bon Homme, Clay, and the southern portions of Hutchinson and Turner Counties are being progressively invaded by Eastern Red Cedar (ERC) and other species of woody encroachment. We formed this 501 (c) (3) non-profit to assist other landowners and producers in accomplishing well-planned, safe, and effective prescribed burns.