Bringing Bird-Friendly Ranching to the Southwest

Albuquerque, New Mexico (June 10, 2026) — The National Audubon Society’s Audubon Conservation Ranching program now reaches the Southwestern United States with the hires of Nick Beauregard, Ariel Léger, and Isaiah Meza. Working alongside livestock producers in Arizona and New Mexico, the team is eager to advance bird-friendly management practices at ranches across the region.  

Hired as the Senior Program Manager for Audubon Southwest’s Working Lands initiative, Beauregard has over 15 years of experience in applied conservation research, stewardship, and community engagement in the Southwest. A resident of Patagonia, Arizona, Beauregard is a lifelong birder and naturalist, with a PhD in biology from Northern Arizona University.  

“My goals in the Southwest are centered on implementing a program that delivers meaningful, measurable results for bird habitat as well as communities who rely on the working lands economy,” Beauregard said. “Conservation ranching practices that are tailored to our unique arid conditions have been shown to improve grassland health and make ranches more resilient to environmental stressors like climate change and drought.” 

Léger and Meza, Program Managers in Arizona and New Mexico, respectively, bring expertise in soil health, rangeland ecology, and hydrogeology to Audubon’s Working Lands team. Lifelong New Mexico resident Meza has a master’s in environmental science and policy from Northern Arizona University. Léger, who earned a master's in environmental science at the University of Arizona, has lived in Arizona since early 2018. 

“We are rolling out this program with a great deal of humility—seeking to learn from ranchers, farmers, and land managers—about how to make the program work well for this new and unique region,” Léger said. “Conservation ranching can be a powerful tool to protect open landscapes and rangeland ecosystems across the Southwest.”  

Since 2017, Audubon Conservation Ranching has been partnering with livestock producers to implement science-based grazing practices that benefit birds and ranching operations. Today, more than 150 ranches and nearly 4.5 million acres are certified as bird friendly. Meat bearing the ‘Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land’ seal is sold in more than 2,000 retail stores across the United States.  

“We expanded the program into the Southwest because the region’s grasslands are both ecologically critical and under heavy pressure from drought, fragmentation, invasive plants, and development,” said Thomas Schroeder, Audubon Conservation Ranching Partnerships Manager. “The future of many bird species and native grassland ecosystems depends heavily on how grazing lands are managed.” 

Ranching in Arizona and New Mexico presents unique challenges because its grasslands are so vulnerable to desertification and degradation. Ecosystems with healthy soils and perennial grasses improve water infiltration, reduce erosion, and help ranches withstand drought. 

“The Southwest has incredible potential for conservation and restoration since there are substantial areas of contiguous habitat that have not been lost to development,” Meza said. “Water scarcity is the primary concern for many producers, conservationists, and managers alike.” 

Audubon’s program is currently focused on southern New Mexico and southeast Arizona’s Chihuahuan Grasslands—critically important habitat for breeding birds such as Cassin’s Sparrows and Chihuahuan Meadowlarks, and wintering species including Mountain Plovers and Chestnut-collared Longspurs. Riparian areas, springs, and groundwater-fed wetlands called ciénegas are crucial habitats for threatened species like the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 

Support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Natural Resources Conservation Service made Audubon Conservation Ranching’s expansion into Arizona and New Mexico possible. Over the next three years, the team plans to certify at least 30 ranches and a minimum of 100,000 acres, while simultaneously building partnerships with ranchers and the community. 

“The Southwest is a mosaic of private, public, and tribal lands, with boundaries that often don’t conform to natural ecological transitions,” Beauregard said. “Management success relies heavily on strong relationships with many different stakeholders representing diverse priorities.” 

For more information about Audubon Conservation Ranching in Arizona and New Mexico, please contact Nick Beauregard at Nick.Beauregard@Audubon.org. 

About Audubon Conservation Ranching 

Audubon Conservation Ranching partners with ranchers to sustain healthy grasslands, abundant birdlife, and resilient rural communities. Through our bird-friendly land certification and science-based approach, we empower land stewards to enhance habitat, improve soil health and water quality, and strengthen the connection between conservation and ranching. By purchasing products from Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land, consumers become conservationists, helping protect America’s grasslands and the birds, wildlife, and people that depend on them. For more information, visit www.audubon.org/ranching.