South Central

NWF’s South Central Regional Center encompasses 12 states along the Gulf Coast and stretches into the Midwest. Priority programs focus on protecting and restoring healthy rivers and estuaries, conserving wetlands, protecting wildlife habitats, and connecting people with the natural world.

Understanding the Benefits of Prescribed Fire

There’s an unfortunate misconception about the role of forest fires, with the public fearing the natural disaster’s potential for destruction, displacement, and disruption. However, while large wildfires can certainly be … Read more

Lift as We Climb: Fostering Environmental Stewards through Earth Tomorrow

Earth Tomorrow has been investing in leadership training and environmental education for youth on the frontlines of the climate crisis for more than 30 years. The program is tailored to … Read more

Prescribed fire

Why Science and Storytelling Matter More Than Ever for Prescribed Fire

In today’s changing climate, prescribed fire is more than just a land management technique. It’s a lifeline for our forests, grasslands, and wildlife. But despite its benefits, prescribed fire continues … Read more

Building the Future of Fire: Fort Valley Students Join Their First Learn & Burn

Prescribed fire is more than a management tool—it’s a tradition, a science, and an essential part of restoring and maintaining healthy forests. At our latest Learn & Burn event, we … Read more

Exploring Edible Plants Native to the Southeast U.S.

Almost everything grown for food and agriculture today is the product of thousands of years of breeding. Farmers of the past domesticated crop plants by selecting desirable traits to pass … Read more

Reclaiming Heirs’ Property: One Landowner’s Story

In 1865, Dr. Thomas Lining, a former slave owner in South Carolina, signed over his land to Lizzie Cunningham Dottree Hamilton. However, this wasn’t an act of generosity, but rather … Read more

Community Spotlight: A Pocket Prairie for Channelview, TX

In April of 2025, culminating two years of community engagement work and NWF’s Resilient Schools and Communities (RiSC) program at Channelview High School, NWF and our local partners created a … Read more

How the Longleaf Pine’s Needles Support the Lumbee People

When settlers invaded North America, they encountered significant beauty and ecological richness, such as the sprawling longleaf pine forests that covered approximately 90 million acres of the Southeast—made possible through … Read more

Q&A with ECHO’s Landscape Designers

At the National Wildlife Federation’s Early Childhood Health Outdoors (ECHO) initiative, landscape architecture is a major piece of their mission to expand access to nature for young children across the … Read more

Heirs to the Land: Black Land Loss, Recovery, & Stewardship

The National Wildlife Federation works directly to address the issue of Black land loss and ownership—a centuries-long battle that stifled the progress of newly freed people in the 1800s that … Read more