A Message from Our Director: Looking Ahead to 2026

Dear Wolf River Conservancy Friend,

As we turn the page on 2025, I keep coming back to one word: appreciation. Because of you, the Wolf River Conservancy experienced one of the strongest years in our history. We protected more land, expanded momentum on the Wolf River Greenway, deepened partnerships across the region, and welcomed more people than ever into the watershed through education, volunteer stewardship, and outdoor experiences that build lifelong connections to this place.

Thank you for showing up with your time, your expertise, your advocacy, and your generosity. Whether you attended an event, joined us on a service project, renewed a membership, made a first gift, or championed the Wolf in your neighborhood, you helped make 2025 a year we will remember for a long time.

Now we are stepping into 2026 with urgency and optimism. The conservation challenges in the Mid-South are real, but so is our capacity to respond when we work together. This month I want to talk about three things that will define the Wolf River Conservancy over the coming year. Our conservation work, our reaccreditation process through the Land Trust Alliance and exciting progress on the Wolf River Greenway.  

Our region is changing quickly, and the Wolf River watershed sits at the center of many of the development pressures and environmental opportunities our region faces. Here are a few of the issues that I believe will shape our conservation work in the near term:

Water quality: Growth brings more development, and more development brings polluted stormwater and threats to the quality of our aquifer. Keeping the Wolf River and its surrounding wetlands healthy requires attention to erosion, sedimentation, nutrient loading, and illicit discharges. It also requires smart land use decisions that prioritize green infrastructure and natural buffers.

Habitat fragmentation and the potential for biodiversity loss: The Mid-South has remarkable ecological value. The large intact parcels and forests that we protect are essential for wildlife movement, pollinators, and resilient ecosystems. Conserving connected habitat is a long game, and 2026 is a year to keep pushing to build on the incredible success we had in 2025.

Invasive species and forest health: Invasives can transform forest understories, reduce native diversity, and increase erosion. Stewardship is not optional. It is conservation in action. This year we will continue targeted removal, restoration, and volunteer engagement that supports healthier, more resilient natural areas.

Development pressure and the pace of change: The question is not whether our region will grow. It is whether we can guide growth in a way that protects the natural heritage that makes the Mid-South livable and economically attractive for continued investment. Land conservation is one of the most practical tools for shaping a healthier and more secure future.

Maintaining a balanced land protection strategy: In 2026 we will continue to protect ecologically valuable properties through both acquisition and conservation easements. These tools are different, but they work best when used together.

Land acquisition allows us to permanently protect high-priority places and directly manage them for habitat, water quality, and community access. Acquisitions can create anchor sites for restoration, public engagement, and long-term conservation planning.

Conservation easements are equally powerful. They allow willing landowners to protect ecologically valuable properties while keeping land in private ownership and often in productive use. Easements can safeguard forests, wetlands, and riparian buffers, protect important viewsheds and corridors, and prevent future subdivision or incompatible development.

This balance matters because the conservation opportunities in our region are diverse. Some sites need public ownership to ensure restoration and access. Others are best protected through a partnership with landowners who want their land to remain intact. Our commitment is to choose the right tool for the right property, guided by science, community benefit, and long-term stewardship capacity.

If you own land in the watershed and have ever wondered what protection could look like, I invite you to reach out. A conversation does not commit you to anything, but it can open a door to a legacy of protection.

The second item I want to write to you about is one of our most important milestones. This coming year is our reaccreditation process through the Land Trust Alliance. Land trust accreditation is a rigorous, independent review that demonstrates an organization meets the highest standards for ethical practice, sound governance, financial stewardship, and permanent land protection.

Reaccreditation matters for three big reasons:

Permanent protection requires permanent responsibility: When a land trust protects land, we are making commitments that last forever. Accreditation holds us to strong standards so that properties remain protected, monitored, and stewarded for generations.

Donor and partner confidence: Accreditation is a signal to landowners, funders, agencies, and community partners that the Wolf River Conservancy operates with transparency, credibility, and professionalism. It strengthens our ability to secure grants, collaborate effectively, and steward resources wisely.

Better systems lead to better conservation outcomes: Accreditation requires policies and practices that improve how we evaluate projects, manage risk, document conservation values, and plan long-term stewardship. This process helps us protect land better.

We are proud of this work, and we approach it with humility and determination. We see reaccreditation not as a finish line, but as a promise to keep earning your trust.

And finally, the Wolf River Greenway continues to be one of the most visible ways conservation connects to everyday life for Memphians. It links people to nature, provides safe places to walk and bike, and builds public support for protecting the river itself.

In 2026, we are excited to share that we expect to put two new sections of the Critical Link under construction connecting Kennedy Park to the Shelby Farms Greenline. This is a major step forward in connecting key segments of the Greenway and moving closer to realizing the promise of a continuous, safe linear park system for our community.

This progress is the result of years of planning, partnerships, and persistence. Stay tuned in for more updates as we move these new sections from concept to asphalt.

I am grateful for your trust and for the community that surrounds Wolf River Conservancy. 2025 was one of our best years ever because people like you chose to invest in a future where the Wolf River is cleaner, healthier, and more protected.

In 2026, we will keep doing the hard, hopeful work of conservation. We will protect land, strengthen stewardship, exceed industry standards, and move the Greenway project even closer to the finish line. Most of all, we will keep showing up for you, the community that has supported this important work for more than four decades.  

With appreciation,

Erik Houston

Erik Houston, Executive Director

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