Southern Company renews stewardship partnership with NFWF

A long-running conservation partnership between Southern Company and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will continue for at least another five years.

From 2019 to 2023, joint efforts between Southern Company and NFWF will continue to work on restoring longleaf pine forests and community-level natural resource and wildlife projects but also focus more on actions that help recover at-risk species across the evolving geographic footprint of the Southern Company service territory.

Over the past 15 years, Southern Company has funded more than 300 projects restoring, sustaining or enhancing more than 1.7 million acres of wildlife habitat.

“This enduring partnership – one of the foundation’s longest-running – reflects Southern Company’s strong commitment to the conservation of natural resources in the communities it serves,” said Jeff Trandahl, NFWF executive director and CEO.

NFWF has leveraged Southern Company’s contributions to generate more than $126 million of on-the-ground conservation work.

“We have a responsibility to conserve and protect the environment and communities we are privileged to serve,” said Jeff Burleson, Southern Company vice president for Environmental and System Planning.

Many conservationists credit Southern Company with being the first major private funder to invest in longleaf restoration work, helping launch the public-private partnership known as America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative.

Though formally announced in June, the renewal of the Southern Company and NFWF partnership was highlighted at the 15th annual Stewardship Partners Meeting in Biloxi in May.

Hosted by Southern Company, Mississippi Power and NFWF, the conference brought together nearly 170 people representing more than 60 public and private organizations and agencies working on closely aligned, conservation projects.

“Everyone who attends has a common shared goal and passion for conserving the environment and protecting our natural resources,” said Leslie Cox, environmental stewardship manager for Southern Company. “Our objective is to foster an open, effective dialogue on conservation issues relevant to the Southeast and beyond.”

Part of the conference focused on the accomplishments of the Southern Company and NFWF partnership while looking ahead to future goals and objectives. That conversation was led by Burleson; Scott Clouse, Southern Company environmental policy and engagement manager; and Holly Bamford, NFWF chief conservation officer.

“What it has allowed Southern Company to do is to significantly leverage dollars toward improving habitat for wildlife…[and] restoring species…that help us develop infrastructure to serve our communities and, ultimately, our retail customers,” Burleson said. “It’s important for us because we could not do it alone. We couldn’t have anywhere near the impact alone that we’ve had through these partnerships.”

Bamford said Southern Company’s partnership has provided stability to conservation efforts.

“Having such a longstanding commitment allows us to be much more strategic in our investments. We can really plan what we want to accomplish,” Bamford said. “I very much look forward to working with Southern Company over the next five years. We are proud of the many accomplishments achieved over the past 15 years, and we are using that expertise and the lessons learned to tackle major conservation challenges in broader regions.”

Other panel discussions at the partnership meeting explored topics like species recovery, the challenges facing wildlife conservation, ongoing recovery efforts related to the Gulf Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the value of public-private partnerships. Participants also had the opportunity to take a networking tour to the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, the USDA Forest Service Ashe Seed Extractory, or a walking bird tour led by Audubon volunteers.

Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy for more than 187,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. With nearly 160 megawatts of approved solar energy capacity, Mississippi Power is the largest partner in providing renewable energy in the state of Mississippi. Visit our website at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.

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