The future of North American grasslands is anything but certain. In fact, since 1970, North American grassland bird populations have fallen by 53 pecent, a larger drop than seen in any other habitat type, and in Arizona only 31 pecent of the state’s grasslands remain in good condition. The reasons are many – development, agriculture, irresponsible grazing, drought, changing fire patterns, over-allocation of water, invasive species, and climate change, but with your support, there is still hope. 

We put that hope on center stage here at the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch of the National Audubon Society. Pass through our gates and you will be greeted with seemingly endless expanses of native plants and you will hear grassland birds singing from every one of our nearly 8,000 acres of protected habitat. What’s easy to miss, however, is the behind-the-scenes work required to make it all happen – work that is not possible without the support of people like you. 

Stop by for a visit and you may find staff in the field enhancing habitat through invasive species management or the installation and maintenance of critical wetlands, or maybe they’ll be indoors ensuring our facilities are ready for the next group of researchers, birders, or other visitors that come our way. Maybe they’ll be acting as hosts during one of our community focused events or volunteer opportunities. Or maybe still you’ll find them facilitating research projects of visiting scientists or conducting Audubon-led research critical to our mission of protecting birds and the places they need.  

2024 on the Research Ranch was as busy as ever. This year, we… 

• protected and enhanced a 350-acre nearly invasive-free patch of native grasses, providing both a resource for research and an invaluable native seed bank for restoration 
• invested in critical infrastructure including the Swinging H Ranch House, the Researcher Bunkhouse, staff housing, roads, and more 
• improved wildfire safety by maintaining 6 acres of brush-free defensible space around critical infrastructure and mowing over 20 miles of ranch roads to enhance their usefulness as fire breaks and enable emergency response access 
• made possible nearly 30 conservation-focused scientific studies, including 11 led by researchers working on the Research Ranch for the first time 
• expanded the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch Student Fellowship to include public facing webinars led by award recipients and secured support that will allow us to double the size of the award to each Fellow in 2025 
• embarked on exciting an exciting, collaborative project using the latest Motus technology to learn more about Research Ranch priority birds 
• gathered a community of stakeholders, wildfire experts, conservation scientists, and more to begin discussions about using prescribed fire as a management tool on the Research Ranch 
• participated in several regional partnerships including the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area bio-planning team, the Upper San Pedro Partnership, and the Fort Huachuca Sentinel Landscape Restoration Partnership 
• You can learn about all this work and more in our 2024 Annual Report.  

We are excited for another year doing all we can to protect the increasingly rare and valuable habitat that is the Research Ranch and working to make sure that our impact goes well beyond our acreage to motivate and inform conservation across the region. Can we count on you to support our efforts? 

Your gift of… 

• $5,000 will allow us to make desired improvements to our headquarters building, housing, and other infrastructure aimed at increasing the accessibility of our facilities 
• $1,000 will help us purchase materials for needed repairs to Headquarters Pond, a Safe Harbor site for the federally endangered Desert Pupfish 
• $500 will fund the purchase of two Motus tags to be deployed on priority Research Ranch species like Cassin’s, Botteri’s, and grasshopper sparrows 
• $100 will buy us tools necessary to keep the Research Ranch’s headquarters and research complex Fire Wise and bird-friendly 
• $50 will let us waive lodging fees for one visiting researcher, program presenter, or conservation partner 
• Any amount helps! Even the smallest donations go a long way in supporting our science, conservation, and engagement goals 

To support this work in 2024… 

• Make a donation through our online donation portal 
• Mail a check made out to The Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch of the National Audubon Society to 366 Research Ranch Road, Elgin, Arizona 85611. 
• Reach out to us at researchranch@audubon.org for more giving options. 

By donating, you are helping guarantee that the Research Ranch will continue to showcase the potential of Arizona’s grasslands and that it will continue to inform and inspire the restoration and protection of grasslands beyond our fences. Please, give now to support this critical work.