OUR STORY
OUR STORY
Every year tens of thousands of species and functional ecosystems, fine-tuned by time and place, disappear.
If these trends continue, the world will become a dismal place indeed, with silent springs and little left to excite the senses except the weeds. Without doubt, the extinction crisis looms as one of humanity’s most pressing problems.
In response to this crisis, Ted Turner, his family, and Mike Phillips established the Turner Endangered Species Fund (TESF) and Turner Biodiversity Divisions (TBD) in June 1997. TESF focuses on species protected under federal and state endangered species laws, whereas TBD considers species that are at slightly less risk. These companion efforts are dedicated to saving biological diversity by ensuring the persistence of imperiled species and their habitats with an emphasis on private land.
We work closely with our partner organizations, Turner Enterprises, Inc. and the Turner Foundation, and invite collaboration with state and federal agencies, universities, and other private organizations.
Whether managing an extant population or restoring an extirpated one, our goal is population persistence with little or no human intervention. We believe that persistent populations of native species are indicative of a healthy landscape and a high degree of ecosystem integrity.
The problems involved in private stewardship are complex and effective solutions require broad-based sociopolitical, biological, geographical, and fiscal considerations. Though our projects may be controversial, slow to succeed or fraught with uncertainty, we intend to stand as a real solution to the extinction crisis.
NEWSROOM
During a wildlife aerial survey on the Flying D ranch, we spotted this young wolf on 1-19-22. Since we are confident the Beartrap pack has not had gray colored pups since 2019 (and the 3 true grays in the pack have different pelage) we believe this to be a new wolf. Whether it is just passing through or incorporates itself into the pack remains to be seen.
News from The Wildlife Society’s 2021 virtual conference and the acceptance of the 2021 Aldo Leopold Memorial Award by Mike Phillips. For Mike’s interview go to time stamp 25:28 through 34:38.
Ted Turner launches the Turner Institute of Ecoagriculture.
The Turner Endangered Species Fund is proud to be aligned with such forward thinking efforts. Please see link to the article written by Todd Wilkinson for the Land Report. https://landreport.com/2021/09/ted-turner-launches-the-turner-institute-of-ecoagriculture/
Every year tens of thousands of species and functional ecosystems, fine-tuned by time and place, disappear.
If these trends continue, the world will become a dismal place indeed, with silent springs and little left to excite the senses except the weeds. Without doubt, the extinction crisis looms as one of humanity’s most pressing problems.
In response to this crisis, Ted Turner, his family, and Mike Phillips established the Turner Endangered Species Fund (TESF) and Turner Biodiversity Divisions (TBD) in June 1997. TESF focuses on species protected under federal and state endangered species laws, whereas TBD considers species that are at slightly less risk. These companion efforts are dedicated to saving biological diversity by ensuring the persistence of imperiled species and their habitats with an emphasis on private land.
We work closely with our partner organizations, Turner Enterprises, Inc. and the Turner Foundation, and invite collaboration with state and federal agencies, universities, and other private organizations.
Whether managing an extant population or restoring an extirpated one, our goal is population persistence with little or no human intervention. We believe that persistent populations of native species are indicative of a healthy landscape and a high degree of ecosystem integrity.
The problems involved in private stewardship are complex and effective solutions require broad-based sociopolitical, biological, geographical, and fiscal considerations. Though our projects may be controversial, slow to succeed or fraught with uncertainty, we intend to stand as a real solution to the extinction crisis.