Wildlife Heritage Foundation

What Wildlife Heritage Foundation does

Wildlife Heritage Foundation (WHF) is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust headquartered in Lincoln, California, that protects, enhances, and restores wildlife habitat across the state. Founded in 2000 and Land Trust Alliance accredited since 2008, WHF holds nearly 100,000 acres on over 190 conservation easements and fee title lands spanning desert, mountain, oak woodland, coastal, and riparian ecosystems from Redding in the north to Imperial County in the south. The organization serves three primary customer segments: private landowners who voluntarily grant conservation easements, developers and project proponents who require mitigation lands to satisfy environmental regulatory requirements, and K-12 students plus community members reached through outdoor education and volunteer programs.

WHF's core offerings are Conservation Easements, Mitigation Lands, the Outdoor Environmental Education Program, the Urban Bird Project (storm drain retrofits at Sun City Lincoln Hills Preserve), and its Wildlife Steward land monitoring program. The technology stack is modest and field-oriented: ArcGIS Pro and Avenza Maps for GIS and mapping, a comprehensive internal property database for managing easement records and stewardship information, and an in-house drone program for aerial surveys and habitat assessments developed by staff biologist Sarah Wood. The organization also maintains research field stations that collaborate with college students and professional scientists on species and habitat studies.

WHF monetizes through a hybrid nonprofit model: tax-deductible donations (including program-designated gifts such as the Urban Bird Project), professional and managed services fees tied to conservation easement stewardship and developer mitigation work, and endowments. It has a small staff of roughly 11 people, led by Executive Director Kurt W. Worley (former prosecuting attorney), and is governed by a five-member board with deep ties to Placer County government and the local conservation community. The stated annual wage band for the Wildlife Steward role is $55,120–$72,800, and the organization is actively pursuing Land Trust Alliance accreditation renewal through November 2025.

Name

Wildlife Heritage Foundation

Legal name

Wildlife Heritage Foundation

Website

https://wildlifeheritage.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wildlife Heritage Foundation is a California-based 501(c)(3) land trust that protects nearly 100,000 acres across 190+ conservation easements statewide, serving private landowners, developers needing mitigation lands, and Placer County students through conservation, stewardship, and outdoor education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH), Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Wildlife Interpretation & Education Centers (Visitor Centers, Museums) (THAAAFAG)

Keywords

• Land conservation services
• Conservation easements
• Wildlife habitat protection
• Mitigation land services
• Environmental education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: WHF relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and organizations to fund conservation operations, land stewardship, education programs, and habitat restoration. Donations can be made online or by mail, with specific designations for programs like the Urban Bird Project.
2. Conservation Easement Services: WHF works with landowners who voluntarily grant conservation easements to protect their land. While the easement itself is a donation, WHF provides stewardship and monitoring services that may be supported through associated fees or endowment contributions.
3. Mitigation Services: WHF provides mitigation land services to developers who need to offset environmental impacts. This includes identifying and acquiring high-quality mitigation lands, implementing habitat restoration, and ensuring long-term conservation and monitoring.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wildlife Heritage Foundation is a California land trust that permanently protects wildlife habitat through voluntary conservation easements with private landowners and provides mitigation land services to developers needing regulatory habitat offsets. The organization also conducts long-term stewardship, biological monitoring, and compliance reporting on more than 190 protected properties covering nearly 100,000 acres across California, complemented by environmental education programs and urban wildlife protection initiatives.

Product overview

Wildlife Heritage Foundation (WHF) is a California-based 501(c)(3) land trust and nonprofit organization offering conservation services rather than a software product. Its core offerings center on land protection through Conservation Easements and Mitigation Lands, complemented by environmental education programs, urban wildlife protection, land stewardship/monitoring, research collaboration, and volunteer engagement. The organization conserves nearly 100,000 acres across over 190 conservation easements and fee title lands throughout California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conservation Easements Voluntary legal agreements that limit certain types of development on private land while allowing landowners to retain ownership and protecting unique habitat and natural resources in perpetuity. Intended for private landowners in California seeking permanent land protection, tax benefits, and a conservation legacy.
• Mitigation Lands Habitat protection service that identifies and acquires high-quality mitigation lands, implements habitat restoration, and ensures long-term conservation and monitoring for developers and project proponents needing to offset environmental impacts of permitted projects.
• Preserve Network Network of conservation preserves protecting desert, mountain, oak woodland, coastal, and riparian habitats across California, spanning from Redding in the north to Imperial County in the south and totaling nearly 100,000 acres on more than 190 easements and fee title lands.
• Outdoor Environmental Education Program Free outdoor environmental education program offering field trips to WHF nature preserves and classroom presentations for K-12 students in Placer County, with hands-on science experiences using microscopes and binoculars. Has inspired more than 10,000 students since 2008.
• Urban Bird Project Wildlife protection initiative at the Sun City Lincoln Hills Preserve that deploys custom storm drain covers to prevent young birds from falling into hazardous drains, with monitoring of installed covers.
• Wildlife Steward Land Stewardship Service Field monitoring and land management service delivering compliance monitoring of protected properties, biological surveys, and habitat management across nearly 100,000 acres of WHF conservation easements and fee title lands throughout California.
• Research Field Stations Field research collaboration program allowing college students and professional scientists to conduct species and habitat studies on diverse WHF preserves spanning wetlands, grasslands, oak woodlands, and other California ecosystems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Protected nearly 100,000 acres of wildlife habitat
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Catalina Island Conservancy: Nonprofit land trust operating a large nature preserve with habitat management, restoration, and education programs; WHF Conservation Ecologist Niall Ogburn previously served there as an invasive plant technician.
• Feather River Land Trust: California land trust with similar conservation easement, stewardship, and education programs; new WHF Natural Resource Manager Kevin Stammerjohn previously served as Preserve Manager there.
• Northcoast Regional Land Trust: California regional land trust offering conservation easement acquisition, monitoring, and stewardship; Lance Spece worked there as Conservation Easement Project Manager before joining WHF.
• Solano Resource Conservation District: California nonprofit providing habitat restoration, conservation easements, and stewardship services to private landowners; directly comparable operating model to WHF in Northern California.
• Placer Land Trust: Same Placer County geography and accredited California land trust; WHF Board Director Mark Fowler has been honored by Placer Land Trust and the organizations co-steward easement relationships in the county.
• Yolo Land Trust: Accredited California land trust managing conservation easements and fee title lands; WHF Conservation Integrity Manager Lance Spece previously worked there as a Conservation Associate.

Broad incumbents

• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit working on land conservation, parks, and easement creation across California; competes for landowners, developers, and government mitigation partnerships at the same scale WHF targets.
• The Nature Conservancy (California): National nonprofit operating California's largest private conservation land portfolio; competes with WHF for donor dollars, mitigation contracts, and conservation easement opportunities statewide.
• Resource Environmental Solutions (RES): National mitigation banking and ecological restoration firm operating conservation banks in California; directly comparable to WHF's mitigation services line and a former employer of WHF Wildlife Biologist Sarah Wood.

Others

• Land Trust Alliance: National umbrella organization that accredits and represents more than 1,000 land trusts including WHF; sets the standards, training, and policy framework WHF operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WildlifeHeritageFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wildlife-heritage-foundation

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wildlife Heritage Foundation