Saving America's Grasslands

Native grasslands provide wildlife habitat and economic support, filter drinking water, sustain ranching families, store carbon—and are shrinking, says NWF President Collin O’Mara

By Collin O’Mara
Conservation
Dec 17, 2025

Bison roam the tallgrass prairie of Minnesota’s Blue Mounds State Park.

FROM CALIFORNIA’S WILDFLOWER-CARPETED CARRIZO PLAIN and North Dakota’s bison-studded prairies to the fire-swept savannas of the Southeast, America’s native grasslands are nature’s quiet workhorses. They provide essential habitat for hundreds of wildlife species across the United States, and their deep roots act as natural sponges, filtering drinking water for millions and preventing erosion. They serve as an economic engine for rural America, sustaining ranching families and contributing trillions in global economic value annually. As a climate solution, temperate grasslands are often more resilient than forests, locking carbon safely underground, protected from wildfire.

Tragically, these vital ecosystems are among the most threatened in North America. Where grasslands once covered more than 550 million acres of the United States, less than half remain intact today, with some regions having lost more than 90 percent. Each year, another 2.5 million acres disappear to cropland, development and energy infrastructure, causing steep population losses in the plant and wildlife species that rely on them. Invasive plants, poor management and woody encroachment further degrade and fragment grasslands. This loss has been catastrophic for wildlife. Grassland bird populations have plummeted more than 40 percent since 1970. The songs of the bobolink and meadowlark are fading, and monarch butterflies have vanished from huge parts of their range.

But it’s not too late to save our native grasslands. The path forward relies on deep partnerships with the Tribal Nations, ranchers and farmers who steward the bulk of our remaining grasslands—including 85 percent of those in the Northern Great Plains. Voluntary Farm Bill conservation programs empower landowners to protect and restore grasslands, but recently these popular programs have turned away three of every four applicants, often for lack of funding. The will to conserve is there; we must meet it with resources.

We’re also working with partners to pass the bipartisan North American Grasslands Conservation Act. Modeled after the successful North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the legislation creates a voluntary, landowner-driven grant program to conserve and restore our prairies. It’s a commonsense solution supporting rural economies, wildlife habitat, soil health and our water supply.

These irreplaceable landscapes are not just a connection to our past; they’re essential to our future. The alternative—a silent prairie, a depleted heartland and weakened natural defenses—is unthinkable. By forging authentic partnerships and championing solutions, we are investing in a future teeming with wildlife and a more resilient nation. The simple truth is that when we save wildlife, we save ourselves. Learn more.