For Consumers and Conservationists: FAQs on Conservation Ranching
Learn more about what conservation ranching is, and why it can be good for birds and the environment
Conservation Ranching
Working with landowners to support better bird habitat.
Photo: Stacy Steinke
Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Lands
Audubon Conservation Ranching aims to stabilize declining grassland bird populations in partnership with farmers and ranchers.
Why farmers and ranchers? The majority of grassland birds – whose populations have declined by more than 50 percent in the last 50 years – inhabit privately owned land. This is where we scale our impact.
Landowners voluntarily enroll in our program, and when they meet requirements centering on habitat management, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare, they earn the Audubon bird-friendly land certification. Nationwide, more than 100 ranches and nearly 3 million acres that have earned status as Audubon Certified bird-friendly land.
Consumers with an appetite for conservation support these bird-friendly habitats. A special package designation – the Audubon Certified bird-friendly seal – lets shoppers know which beef or bison products come from these lands managed for birds and biodiversity.
About Conservation Ranching
For Retailers and Institutions
Learn why you should carry products that meet the desires of your eco-conscious customers.
For Ranchers: FAQs on Audubon's Conservation Ranching Initiative
Learn more about what conservation ranching means for ranchers.
What in the World is Conservation Ranching?
Your guide to Audubon's program to make cattle ranching prairie- and bird-friendly
Our Team
Julie Hill-Gabriel
Vice President, Habitat Conservation and Water Conservation; Interim Vice President, Coastal Conservation
Christopher Wilson
Program Director, Audubon Conservation Ranching
Farley Green
Marketing Manager, Audubon Conservation Ranching
Anthony Hauck
Communications Manager, Audubon Conservation Ranching
Thomas Schroeder
Senior Partnerships Manager, Audubon Conservation Ranching
Jacob Yetter Joins Audubon as Conservation Ranching Program Manager for Kansas & Oklahoma
March 14, 2025 —
Audubon Conservation Ranching is a grassland program that works for birds and herds
Paicines Ranch Deemed Bird Paradise by Audubon Bird-Friendly Land Certification
February 27, 2025 —
Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land status recognizes grazing practices that are good for birds
Cattle are Catalysts for Grassland Bird Habitat at Wyoming’s Carter Ranch
February 19, 2025 —
Home of Carter Country Meats earns Audubon Bird-Friendly Land certification
Ranch Profile: May Ranch
An island of grass in a sea of developed land in southeast Colorado.
Read about May Ranch
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