Dear John,

I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are—and continue to be—healthy and safe at this time.

As I announced last week, Wildlands Network has temporarily closed its offices, and staff are now working remotely from their homes. We have canceled all events and planned travel for the next two months. With staff spread across two countries, we are following national, state and local guidelines for social distancing and travel restrictions and will adapt as needed for the foreseeable future.

Until COVID-19 started to spread across the globe, Wildlands Network’s strategy had been growth-oriented. We added 10 new, full-time staff members over the last 18 months. We’ve initiated new projects, helped pass new laws in the U.S. and Mexico, and had expanded our revenue streams to support this growth.

We intend to sustain these momentous gains. We are already deploying new wildlife cameras along American highways to provide data to support additional road mitigation projects; we’re spearheading efforts to support state agencies in developing wildlife corridor action plans; and we’re planning for new field studies to support red wolf and cougar recovery on the East Coast. These projects are focused on connecting and resilient landscapes and wildlife populations—to ensure a more vibrant future for all plants and animals.

We are closely monitoring the declining financial markets; I am sure you are as well. And you won’t be surprised to hear that philanthropy is declining as people become more uncertain about the trajectory of the crisis.  In order to support our critical work now and after the crisis passes, we’re establishing a Sustain the Wild Fund to support long-term projects and ensure economic downturns and unforeseen events won’t undermine our ability to train and retain talented staff. Most importantly, it will ensure we deliver on our mission to protect wildlife across North America.

For those unable to help right now because of hardships related to the current crisis, we know you stand with us. We thank you for everything you’ve done in the past to ensure our mutual vision of a reconnected North America.

For the wild,