World Wildlife Fund

What We Do

Bring the Bison Back

Bring the Wild Bison Back

Your gift will help create the largest herd of wild bison in 100 years.

The Wild Things

Ride the tuna highway of the high seas and swim with rare river dolphins in a new edition of WWF's biweekly podcast series. Learn more.

Take Action

Take Action on Climate Change

Tell your member of Congress to vote YES on the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Take Action

Travel

Travel With WWF

Visit our travel section and choose from many amazing trips! Learn more

Video

Watch black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs at home in South Dakota's Conata Basin. This clip features special "burrow-cam" footage, with close-up underground shots of a young ferret.

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Video by: Steve Hargreaves

Adopt a Black-Footed Ferret

Make a symbolic Black-Footed Ferret adoption to help save some of the world's most endangered animals from extinction and support WWF's conservation efforts. Adopt Now!

Support WWF

Show your love of the panda with the WWF Visa Signature^® credit card from Bank of America. Bank of America will contribute $100 to WWF for each new qualifying account.*

* See application for details.

Northern Great Plains

Restoring the great American prairie

The Northern Great Plains presents unique opportunities for conservation.
© Valerie Bruchon/American Prairie Foundation (APF)

Return to the Homeland

Watch the slideshow of the historic return of the Black-footed ferret to its native Canadian prairie.

Two hundred years ago, Lewis and Clark traveled through the Northern Great Plains and found an abundance of life rivaling the African savanna. Millions of bison, pronghorn and elk grazed an endless sea of grass, watched by prairie wolves, grizzlies and other predators in the distance while immense flocks of birds colored the big open sky.

Today, large swaths of this mixed-grass prairie remain, but the sights and sounds of many native species are largely gone. With less than 2 percent of the region’s 180 million acres in reserves managed for wildlife conservation, the Northern Great Plains is one of the least protected places on Earth. There is, however, an opportunity to restore and conserve this remarkable landscape and the wildlife that call it home.

WWF's vision: A healthy and well-managed landscape that conserves all native species through a combination of conservation areas and ecologically sustainable agriculture.

The place. In the heart of North America, the Northern Great Plains stretches across soils built up over millennia. Its untilled prairies, diverse grasses, magnificent wildflowers, and meandering streams and rivers span five states within the United States and two Canadian provinces.
The species. This region is home to more than 1,500 species of plants like blue grama, sagebrush and coneflower; 300 birds, including the greater sage grouse, golden eagle and sandhill crane; and 220 species of butterfly. It harbors more than 90 mammals, including the American bison, the prairie dog and the black-footed ferret— one of the most endangered mammals in North America.
The people. Many people living on the prairie can trace their roots back generations; centuries for Native Americans. The virtues of cultural pride, hard work and tight-knit communities shape much of the culture of the Northern Great Plains and figure prominently in how Americans see themselves today.