To learn more about the Van Tour’s most recent site visits in Ontario, Québec, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, we invite you to follow the Van Tour StoryMap Blog. You can also follow the journey by watching our newly released Van Tour video trailer and following NatureServe's social media accounts.

Registration is open for the BWB 2022 Conference, happening March 22^nd-24^th in Pittsburgh, PA. Please be sure to review the Call for Presentations, which is out now until January 15^th, 2022. Feel free to alert anyone you think would have a quality presentation to submit, and if you have an idea for a presentation, we want to hear it.

ArcNews | Fall 2021

Yahoo News | Nov 8, 2021

Granite Geek | Oct 13, 2021

In this special episode of Conservation Conversations, Sean reflects on previous episodes and shares some of the moments that intrigued, informed, and inspired both him and our listeners. Hear from scientists, authors, and conservation leaders and learn about the impacts of the global climate crisis, the public health ramifications of biodiversity loss, threats to worldwide food systems, and more. Stay tuned for our next episode about highlights from the NatureServe Network Van Tour coming out later this month

This Fall, NatureServe and Utah Natural Heritage Program botanists completed U.S. Forest Service-funded ranking projects, resulting in 100 up-to-date global ranks for vascular and nonvascular plant species across the United States. This work supports the prioritization of species for conservation and management by the U.S. Forest Service, including forest planning efforts.

A recent reassessment by NatureServe scientists found that the ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) is now critically imperiled (G1). The Ghost Orchid is a visually striking and iconic species of South Florida swamps, which has contributed to the demand of this species in the specialty horticultural trade and the desire of many to see it in the wild; both of these activities threaten the species.

It’s impossible for our scientists to inventory everywhere, so, NatureServe and the Network leverage our vast database of mapped species locations by developing models that predict where the habitats of at-risk species are likely to be found. These models direct conservation efforts to the places that matter most. Now, NatureServe has developed a standard for producing habitat models that ensures that NatureServe and our Network remain a trusted source for comprehensive biodiversity data.

Natural Areas Journal | 2021

Land | 2021

Forests | 2021

The Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) recently launched Colorado’s Conservation Data Explorer (CODEX), built from NatureServe's Environmental Review Tool framework. For the first time, data from CNHP and Colorado Parks and Wildlife can be viewed together with data from other partners including The Nature Conservancy, the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, and several state agencies. Environmental review tools like CODEX empower state agencies to automate and streamline the environmental review process, saving time and money while reducing impacts on biodiversity.

The Virginia Natural Heritage Program’s (VNHP) Cave and Karst protection staff were a crucial actor in discovering and extracting a fully preserved Pleistocene cat skeleton, "Petra," found in 2016. VNHP staff were among the cavers who discovered the skeleton and the cave itself. Paleontologist Alex Hastings accessed the cave and worked with 11 cavers, including VNHP staff, to excavate, package, and transport the bones out of the cave and to the Virginia Museum of Natural History five years later. The museum identified the cat as an American cheetah from the Pleistocene epoch, which ended approximately 11,700 years ago.

Nevada Division of Natural Heritage’s Community Science Program lead Janel Johnson developed an Off-road Naturalist Trail using grant funds from the Nevada Off-Highway Vehicles Program. The first of its kind in Nevada, the route begins at Washoe Lake State Park and travels east to Virginia City and provides 20 informational stops with topics such as wildflowers, animals, geology, and history.

Check our website for new job opportunities at NatureServe and within the NatureServe Network as they open up.

• Biological Field Technician and Lead Biological Field Technician (Temporary/Seasonal)
• Geospatial Data Manager
• Ecological Modeler/Biodiversity Data Scientist (Location: Flexible)

NatureServe's Adopt-a-Species program has reached the one-year mark! Thank you to all of our current adopters. If you’re interested in learning more or adopting a species of your own, click below.