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Hope all the mama ducks out there have a great Mother’s Day weekend. Just keep swimming. 🦆🦆🦆

Did you know? 💡 Some ducks, like common mergansers, don’t just nest once. They may also sneak a few eggs into another duck’s nest.

Scientists aren’t entirely sure why, but this “egg dumping” may act as a kind of reproductive insurance policy. If one nest is lost to predators, some of the female’s eggs may still survive elsewhere.

A common merganser typically lays about a dozen eggs but may end up incubating more if multiple females have contributed eggs. After hatching, broods often mix together, and one female may end up leading a large group of ducklings, sometimes dozens at a time.

She’ll care for them for about a month or more until they’re ready to make it on their own. And if they’re female, they may one day raise (or inherit!) a big brood of their own.
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📹: Common merganser and ducklings
#mothersday #mother #merganser #duck #wildlife

Each spring, rainy “big nights” trigger mass migrations of frogs and salamanders from their winter habitats to nearby wetlands and vernal pools to breed—movements that increasingly intersect with roads and infrastructure.

With support from NFWF’s America’s Ecosystem Restoration Initiative, @nhfishandgame is constructing its first turtle and amphibian road crossing structures. The project will restore habitat connectivity at high priority sites and benefit at risk species such as the Jefferson salamander, pictured here.

Learn more at the link in bio.
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📷: Jefferson salamander that made it to its vernal pond
#salamander #amphibianweek #amphibian #jeffersonsalamander

When invasive species take hold, native amphibians like the California red-legged frog are often the first to feel the impact.

In Southern California’s San Francisquito Creek in the Angeles National Forest, invasive red swamp crayfish are contributing to steep challenges for native aquatic life—preying on frog eggs and tadpoles and disrupting stream conditions that sensitive species need to survive. When invasives take hold, the ripple effects can undermine biodiversity and water quality across an entire creek system.

That’s why an NFWF-funded project led by @Pepperdine is focused on improving aquatic habitat by trapping and removing crayfish—paired with biodiversity monitoring, behavioral experiments, and mathematical modeling to measure how crayfish removal can boost native species recovery and inform long-term management strategies.

Healthier streams support far more than a single species. By reducing invasive crayfish pressure, this effort can benefit the California red-legged frog and the endangered unarmored threespine stickleback—while helping restore the natural balance of stream food webs that underpin cleaner water and healthier ecosystems.

Learn more about NFWF’s investments in California at the link in bio.
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#redleggedfrog #amphibianweek #amphibian #frog #conservation

When invasive species take hold, native amphibians like the California red-legged frog are often the first to feel the impact.

In Southern California’s San Francisquito Creek in the Angeles National Forest, invasive red swamp crayfish are contributing to steep challenges for native aquatic life—preying on frog eggs and tadpoles and disrupting stream conditions that sensitive species need to survive. When invasives take hold, the ripple effects can undermine biodiversity and water quality across an entire creek system.

That’s why an NFWF-funded project led by @Pepperdine is focused on improving aquatic habitat by trapping and removing crayfish—paired with biodiversity monitoring, behavioral experiments, and mathematical modeling to measure how crayfish removal can boost native species recovery and inform long-term management strategies.

Healthier streams support far more than a single species. By reducing invasive crayfish pressure, this effort can benefit the California red-legged frog and the endangered unarmored threespine stickleback—while helping restore the natural balance of stream food webs that underpin cleaner water and healthier ecosystems.

Learn more about NFWF’s investments in California at the link in bio.
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#redleggedfrog #amphibianweek #amphibian #frog #conservation

When invasive species take hold, native amphibians like the California red-legged frog are often the first to feel the impact.

In Southern California’s San Francisquito Creek in the Angeles National Forest, invasive red swamp crayfish are contributing to steep challenges for native aquatic life—preying on frog eggs and tadpoles and disrupting stream conditions that sensitive species need to survive. When invasives take hold, the ripple effects can undermine biodiversity and water quality across an entire creek system.

That’s why an NFWF-funded project led by @Pepperdine is focused on improving aquatic habitat by trapping and removing crayfish—paired with biodiversity monitoring, behavioral experiments, and mathematical modeling to measure how crayfish removal can boost native species recovery and inform long-term management strategies.

Healthier streams support far more than a single species. By reducing invasive crayfish pressure, this effort can benefit the California red-legged frog and the endangered unarmored threespine stickleback—while helping restore the natural balance of stream food webs that underpin cleaner water and healthier ecosystems.

Learn more about NFWF’s investments in California at the link in bio.
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#redleggedfrog #amphibianweek #amphibian #frog #conservation

When invasive species take hold, native amphibians like the California red-legged frog are often the first to feel the impact.

In Southern California’s San Francisquito Creek in the Angeles National Forest, invasive red swamp crayfish are contributing to steep challenges for native aquatic life—preying on frog eggs and tadpoles and disrupting stream conditions that sensitive species need to survive. When invasives take hold, the ripple effects can undermine biodiversity and water quality across an entire creek system.

That’s why an NFWF-funded project led by @Pepperdine is focused on improving aquatic habitat by trapping and removing crayfish—paired with biodiversity monitoring, behavioral experiments, and mathematical modeling to measure how crayfish removal can boost native species recovery and inform long-term management strategies.

Healthier streams support far more than a single species. By reducing invasive crayfish pressure, this effort can benefit the California red-legged frog and the endangered unarmored threespine stickleback—while helping restore the natural balance of stream food webs that underpin cleaner water and healthier ecosystems.

Learn more about NFWF’s investments in California at the link in bio.
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#redleggedfrog #amphibianweek #amphibian #frog #conservation

The eastern hellbender is the largest salamander in the U.S., and makes its home in cold, clean Appalachian streams. But this gentle giant is facing tough times in southwest Virginia after Hurricane Helene wiped out critical nesting sites.

Virginia Tech scientists, with support from NFWF and partners, are giving these elusive amphibians a fighting chance through innovative “head-starting” strategies and habitat restoration.

This #AmphibianWeek, learn how this effort could help restore stream health for hellbenders and other species at the link in bio.
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📷: Eastern hellbender
#hellbender #salamander #amphibian #conservation #wildlife

Sharing some good news for Chicagoans and Hoosiers 🌱💚🌱

NFWF and partners announced four projects selected to receive $1.2 million in grant funding to enhance habitat and improve water quality in Chicago-Calumet region.

Congrats to the grantees, @wetlandsinitiative, @mortonarb, @nature_indiana and @calumetcollab!

The Chi-Cal River Fund is a partnership among NFWF and @usfws, @usepa, @u.s.forestservice, @bnsfrailway, Cleveland-Cliffs, Crown Family Philanthropies, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Hunter Family Foundation, and the Walder Foundation.
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📷: 📷: Monarch butterfly on swamp milkweed | Photo credit: C A Milledge III/Getty
#conservation #environment #chicago #wildlife #outdoors

Habitat is at the heart of species recovery. For at‑risk wildlife like the Carolina gopher frog, healthy populations depend on healthy habitat.

In South Carolina’s Francis Marion National Forest—critical habitat for this imperiled species—decades of fire suppression allowed dense shrubs and trees to overtake once‑open wetland ponds. As woody vegetation crowded in, the grasses gopher frogs rely on to attach their egg masses disappeared, and the ponds no longer held water long enough for tadpoles to survive.

That’s why the recent completion of a major wetland restoration project by NFWF grantee @arcprotects is so important. Paired with head-starting, reintroduction and long‑term monitoring, ARC removed dense woody vegetation from the pond basin, allowing more sunlight to reach the forest floor. With increased light, native grasses are returning, and the wetland is once again better able to hold water through the gopher frog’s tadpole stage.

These restored wetlands support far more than a single species. They provide habitat for a wide range of amphibians and other wildlife that often go unnoticed but are essential to healthy ecosystems. By supporting projects like this, we’re helping build a more resilient, long‑term future for gopher frogs and the many species that depend on these wetlands.
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📷: Carolina gopher frog | Photo credit: James Lyon/USFWS
#gopherfrog #amphibian #amphibianweek #conservation #wildlife

Roses are red
My spots are blue
I’m picky about water
Pollution won’t do!

Blue-spotted salamanders are a vital indicator species of ecosystem health. Because they absorb water directly through their skin, they are highly sensitive to heavy metals, PCBs and other pollutants found in waterways. These blue cuties are mole salamanders, which breathe through their skin AND their lungs (not all salamanders have lungs).

The great news is blue-spotted salamanders are found in increasing numbers throughout the Chicago-Calumet River watershed in the Great Lakes region, a promising signal of the ever-increasing quality of habitat.

Celebrating this special critter as a twofer for #AmphibianWeek and #GreatLakesAwarenessDay!
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📷: Blue-spotted salamander
#salamander #conservation #wildlife #bluespottedsalamander

Amphibians tend to fly under the radar, and that’s how they like it. These critters spend their entire adult lives within a few hundred yards of the wetland in which they breed. If no amphibians are found in the wet environments they once lived, it might indicate a serious decline in water quality. Once a population is extirpated, it may take years or even decades for recolonization to occur.

This #AmphibianWeek, we’re spotlighting NFWF-supported projects across five U.S. regions working to restore habitat and support amphibian recovery. Follow along to learn more!
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#amphibian #salamander #frog #newt #wildlife #conservation

Amphibians tend to fly under the radar, and that’s how they like it. These critters spend their entire adult lives within a few hundred yards of the wetland in which they breed. If no amphibians are found in the wet environments they once lived, it might indicate a serious decline in water quality. Once a population is extirpated, it may take years or even decades for recolonization to occur.

This #AmphibianWeek, we’re spotlighting NFWF-supported projects across five U.S. regions working to restore habitat and support amphibian recovery. Follow along to learn more!
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#amphibian #salamander #frog #newt #wildlife #conservation

Amphibians tend to fly under the radar, and that’s how they like it. These critters spend their entire adult lives within a few hundred yards of the wetland in which they breed. If no amphibians are found in the wet environments they once lived, it might indicate a serious decline in water quality. Once a population is extirpated, it may take years or even decades for recolonization to occur.

This #AmphibianWeek, we’re spotlighting NFWF-supported projects across five U.S. regions working to restore habitat and support amphibian recovery. Follow along to learn more!
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#amphibian #salamander #frog #newt #wildlife #conservation

Amphibians tend to fly under the radar, and that’s how they like it. These critters spend their entire adult lives within a few hundred yards of the wetland in which they breed. If no amphibians are found in the wet environments they once lived, it might indicate a serious decline in water quality. Once a population is extirpated, it may take years or even decades for recolonization to occur.

This #AmphibianWeek, we’re spotlighting NFWF-supported projects across five U.S. regions working to restore habitat and support amphibian recovery. Follow along to learn more!
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#amphibian #salamander #frog #newt #wildlife #conservation

Fifty years ago, Mentor Marsh in Ohio was choking with invasive plants and industrial pollution. Today, thanks to a decade of restoration by @gocmnh, supported through NFWF’s Sustain Our Great Lakes Program, more than 600 acres of this National Natural Landmark have been restored, bringing back native wetlands and wildlife, including rare marsh birds, turtles, frogs, otters and beavers.

This #AmericanWetlandsMonth, we’re celebrating how healthy wetlands protect biodiversity, improve water quality and strengthen communities—work we’re proud to support year round.

Watch the full-length video at our link in bio.
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#wetlandsmonth #wetlands #wildlife #conservation #ohio

📢 Big conservation news 📢 Today NFWF announced $5.4 million in grants through @Walmart’s Acres for America program to protect more than 177,000 acres of wildlife habitat across seven states. Additional funding was provided this year by @lifetime.foundation.

These community driven projects will conserve large, connected landscapes that benefit wildlife, strengthen local economies, and expand opportunities for fishing, hunting, hiking and outdoor recreation.

Congrats to the grantees! @nmlandconservancy, @openspaceinstitute, @nature_org, @rmef_official, @rangelandtrust, @theconservationfund, and @westernriversconservancy
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📷: Mule deer in Colorado
#walmart #wildlife #conservation #outdoors #muledeer #colorado

Did you hear that? 🔊 Neither can our killer whales!

Killer whales rely on their, um, *killer* sense of hearing to communicate with their pod and navigate the sea. But increased human-made vessel noise and coastal development is turning the ocean into a noisy neighborhood, making it tough for these marine mammals to communicate, find food and avoid predators. Constant racket doesn’t just stress killer whales, it also directly impacts their chances of survival.

Learn more about some cool conservation projects that are working to turn down the volume for Southern Resident killer whales at the link in bio.
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📷: Southern Resident killer whale near the San Juan Islands
#killerwhale #orca #conservation #wildlife

AI is opening new doors for conservation—helping protect wildlife and support local economies.

From reducing bycatch in commercial fisheries to tracking whales and reef fish in real time, NFWF-supported projects are showing how AI can deliver real benefits on land and at sea.

👉 Read this story and explore more conservation innovations in NFWF’s 2025 Annual Report at the link in bio.
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📷: NFWF grantee Integrated Monitoring is developing advanced AI and smart camera technology to improve electronic reporting for the New England groundfish fishery
#fish #wildlife #conservation #tech