The Orianne Society

What The Orianne Society does

The Orianne Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2008 and headquartered in Clayton, Georgia (mailing), with its operational base at the 130-acre Charles H. Wharton Conservation Center in the North Georgia Mountains acquired in June 2026. Its mission is the conservation of reptiles, amphibians, and the ecosystems they inhabit, executed through three programs: Priority Species Conservation (19 named species including Spotted Turtle, Eastern Indigo Snake, Gopher Tortoise, Eastern Hellbender, Bog Turtle, and Blanding's Turtle), Priority Landscapes Initiative across Longleaf Savannas, Great Northern Forests, and Appalachian Highlands, and a Science Initiative that runs working groups such as the Southeastern Spotted Turtle Working Group and a grant program for external researchers.

The organization's scientific capability rests on specialized field methodologies rather than software or AI: radio telemetry tracking, GPS tagging, environmental DNA (eDNA) backpack filtration sampling, camera trap survey systems (over 1.4 million photos captured across Gopher Tortoise burrow and drift-fence arrays), nest monitoring protocols with temperature loggers and thread bobbin markers, and habitat assessment using water monitoring wells and data loggers. Two physical conservation centers—the new Charles H. Wharton Conservation Center in Clayton, GA (headquarters) and the Longleaf Stewardship Center in Lumber City, GA—anchor field operations, with additional program activity in South Carolina, Florida, and the Marianas Islands.

The business model is a typical nonprofit funding stack with four revenue streams: individual donations, an annual membership program, corporate sponsorships, and grants and research funding. No products or services are sold. Distribution of conservation outputs occurs through direct program delivery (field research, prescribed-fire habitat restoration, head-starting programs for imperiled turtles) plus an education engine consisting of six themed blogs, two documentaries (RATTLED: Conserving Rattlesnakes in Appalachia and Great Northern Turtle), the Lighting a Match video series, a monthly newsletter, and active presence on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest. Collaborative research partnerships with the Smithsonian Institution, Zoo New England, Georgia Southern University, and Virginia Tech provide scientific capacity and credibility.

Name

The Orianne Society

Legal name

The Orianne Society

Website

https://oriannesociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Orianne Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 that conserves reptiles, amphibians, and their ecosystems across the southeastern United States and beyond through field research, habitat restoration, education programs, and partnerships with academic institutions, funded by donations, memberships, corporate sponsorships, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA), Conservation & Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (BPAGAIAI)

Keywords

• Reptile amphibian conservation
• Wildlife habitat restoration
• Species monitoring research
• Ecosystem management services
• Conservation education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Tiger

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts charitable donations from individuals supporting reptile and amphibian conservation.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership program allowing supporters to join the organization and receive benefits.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorships from businesses supporting conservation efforts.
4. Grants and Research Funding: Funding from grants including the $4 million awarded to Virginia Tech researchers for endangered species management on military installations.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Orianne Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers reptile and amphibian conservation through field research, species monitoring, and habitat restoration programs. It runs priority species programs for 19 imperiled reptiles and amphibians, landscape-scale conservation across three priority regions (Longleaf Savannas, Great Northern Forests, Appalachian Highlands), and operates two physical conservation centers. Outputs include science-based monitoring data, habitat management through prescribed fire, public education via documentaries and blogs, and a grant program funding external conservation research.

Product overview

The Orianne Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of reptiles, amphibians, and the ecosystems they inhabit. The organization operates as a unified conservation program centered on protecting priority species and landscapes through field research, habitat restoration, education, and community engagement. Its core offerings include Priority Species Conservation (19 species including Spotted Turtle, Eastern Indigo Snake, Gopher Tortoise), Priority Landscapes Initiative (Longleaf Savannas, Great Northern Forests, Appalachian Highlands), Science Initiative with research working groups, and two conservation centers (Charles H. Wharton Conservation Center headquarters and Longleaf Stewardship Center). Additional programs include the Communication Initiative with documentaries and Snake Talk outreach, Grant Program for research funding, and Field Notes blog for public education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Priority Species Conservation Species-specific conservation programs delivering field research, population monitoring, head-starting, and recovery actions for 19 imperiled reptile and amphibian species across the southeastern U.S.
• Priority Landscapes Initiative Landscape-scale ecosystem conservation program covering Longleaf Savannas, Great Northern Forests, and Appalachian Highlands, focused on habitat restoration, prescribed fire management, and protection of large connected habitats.
• Science Initiative Research and scientific publications program advancing conservation science for reptiles and amphibians, including working groups such as the Southeastern Spotted Turtle Working Group.
• Longleaf Stewardship Center Conservation facility in Lumber City, Georgia supporting longleaf pine ecosystem restoration, land management activities, and stewardship of the longleaf landscape.
• Charles H. Wharton Conservation Center 130-acre headquarters property in the North Georgia Mountains supporting the Appalachian Highlands Initiative, providing space for ecological research, habitat restoration, student training, and public engagement in the Southern Appalachians.
• Communication Initiative Public outreach and education program delivering conservation messaging through the Snake Talk community engagement program and documentary series including 'RATTLED: Conserving Rattlesnakes in Appalachia' and 'Great Northern Turtle.'
• Grant Program Competitive grant funding program that provides financial support for external reptile and amphibian conservation research projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13 healthy hatchling Spotted Turtles successfully raised and released from a single nesting season research project
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources and EnvironmentminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Related conservation initiative - Virginia Tech researchers received $4 million in grants ($2M each) for integrated ecosystem management strategies for endangered species on U.S. military installations. The research aims to create scalable conservation models applicable to ecosystems worldwide.
• Charles H. Wharton Conservation CentercoreOthers · 1 June 2026Property donation to The Orianne Society. The nonprofit organization that previously owned and managed the land donated the 130-acre property to fulfill Charlie Wharton's long-term vision for the property. Ed Taylor serves as board member of CHWCC and friend of Charlie Wharton.
• Georgia Southern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026Collaborative research partnership for Spotted Turtle hatchling lab studies. The university's lab facilities were used to monitor hatchling growth and conduct weekly righting trials to measure fitness through over 4 months of data collection.
• The Smithsonian InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026Collaborative research partnership conducting identical Spotted Turtle research in Massachusetts to compare effects between northern and southern populations, helping understand how climate change or habitat alteration might affect turtles across their range.
• Zoo New EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2026Collaborative research partner conducting parallel Spotted Turtle hatchling research alongside the Smithsonian to compare population effects across geographic regions.
• Dr. Tom Akre's Lab at the SmithsoniancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2025Collaborative eDNA sampling training and research implementation. Smithsonian researchers taught Orianne Society staff how to take environmental DNA samples using backpack filtration units at Spotted Turtle monitoring sites.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OrianneSociety
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFTl5TKVlFzTw2I3J-U09Mg
• Facebookfacebook.com/OrianneSociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-orianne-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/oriannesociety
• Pinterestpinterest.com/oriannesociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Orianne Society