Posts by Bates Whitaker
Every Acre Matters: Connecting Wildlife Habitat Across North Carolina’s Electric Corridors
With more than 85 percent of North Carolina’s land in private ownership, conserving and connecting wildlife habitat requires innovative solutions. As development continues to fragment forests, farms, and natural areas,…
Read MoreNorth Carolina’s New Budget Delivers Historic Wins for Conservation
For the past two years, North Carolina stood alone as the only state in the nation operating without a comprehensive state budget. That uncertainty made long-term planning difficult across government,…
Read MoreCrossings: Habitat Connectivity and A Historic Investment in North Carolina Wildlife Crossings
“The chief irony of biological annihilation is this: we are both its cause and its solution.” – Ben Goldfarb, Crossings We live in a world with many severed connections –…
Read MorePlanting Trees, Growing Community: Charlotte Project Creates Lasting Benefits for People and Wildlife
Imagine a bright April morning in Charlotte: birds singing overhead, neighbors sharing stories and laughter, and the steady sound of shovels breaking ground. The soundtrack of this project wasn’t speeches…
Read MoreNorth Carolina Wildlife Federation Joins Legal Challenge to Defend Endangered Species Habitat Protections
North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF), alongside conservation organizations from across the country, has notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of its intent…
Read MoreNCWF In The Field – June, 2026
North Carolina Wildlife Federation staff and Community Wildlife Chapters connected 2,087 people to nature through 63 wildlife and habitat events and activities in June, including: Planting 445 native trees and…
Read MoreHeat of the Hunt: How Predators Hunt Their Prey
It’s one of those warm summer evenings in the North Carolina woods. Humidity hangs in the air, and the last rays of sunlight filter through the forest canopy. The chorus…
Read MoreHunters, Conservation, and the Making of America’s Wildlife Legacy
When most people think of conservation, they picture national parks, wildlife refuges, endangered species recovery programs, or maybe habitat restoration projects. While all of these facets are essential to wildlife…
Read MoreFox Creek Park: A Story of Restoration, Ecology, and Community
It’s a Sunday afternoon in late March at Fox Creek Park in the heart of Swannanoa. Unseasonably warm without a cloud in the sky. The park is springing back to…
Read MoreSeeds Take Root: A Mid-Season Update on NCWF’s Butterfly Highway Seed Trials
NCWF’s Butterfly Highway Seed Trials are in full swing at Daniel Stowe Conservancy. Several months have passed since our first seed packets were sown (November), and the plots in full…
Read More