Southern Company and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) have signed a five-year partnership extension to keep Southern Company active in voluntary wildlife conservation work until 2028. The new agreement will mark 25 years that Southern Company has partnered with NFWF and demonstrates a corporate commitment to conservation that is one of the most sustained in the history of the Foundation.

Southern Company has supported more than 400 on-the-ground conservation projects across the U.S. The Southern Company/NFWF partnership has targeted landscape-scale ecosystem restoration and watershed management and species conservation.

"We are excited to extend our partnership with NFWF and continue to make conservation happen," said Chris Womack, president of Southern Company. "We're committed to stewardship and conservation of this rich landscape we're so fortunate to share with our communities."

The partnership has been central to significant accomplishments, including restoring more than 3.7 million acres of important wildlife habitat, creating bat-related research grants for scientists through the Bats for the Future grant program, and building new community-based stewardship through the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grant program.

"Southern Company is truly a model for businesses looking to make a lasting and meaningful impact to wildlife conservation," said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. "Their commitment to long-term landscape-scale efforts are recognized by public and private partners across the wildlife conservation community."

Southern Company and NFWF began working together to support conservation of species and ecosystems across the Southeast in 2003. Over the past 20 years the partnership has evolved into one of the premier examples of public-private partnerships helping to support critical wildlife needs across landscapes throughout the United States.