America's Grasslands | National Wildlife Federation

Welcome to the website for the America’s Grasslands Conference

America's Grasslands Conference 2025; Grasslands Across Generations; June 24-26, 2025; Younes Conference Center, Kearney, NE; Register before May 26 for the Early Bird Rate

Conference Program

The conference program for America’s Grasslands Conference 2025 is available now.

Registration

Registration for the 2025 conference is now open! Please note that the Early Bird rate of $325 has been extended through June 1st, 2025 after which the cost of registration is $375 until June 19th, 2025. Late conference registrations are $400.

Conference program overview to come shortly. Please also find more detailed information on conference logistics in the registration portal by clicking above.

Location and Accommodations

The Conference will be held at the Younes Conference Center North and we have reserved a room block at the Crowne Plaza on site. The Crowne Plaza is now sold out of hotel rooms but we have secured additional rooms with the Hampton Inn, across the parking lot from the Younes Conference Center-North. Reservations at the Hampton Inn must be made directly by calling (308) 234-3400. Please request the “National Wildlife Federation- America’s Grasslands Conference” group rate of $157.95 per night. You can contact Lekha Knuffman or Aleta Dam for further questions.

Airport shuttles will be provided to those flying into Grand Island, NE (GRI) and Lincoln, NE (LNK) as a sign-up through the registration portal as well as a car pool sign-up option.

Call for Presentations

The call for presentations for America’s Grasslands Conference 2025 has now closed. Please contact Lekha Knuffman (knuffmanl@nwf.org) and Aleta Dam (dama@nwf.org) with any questions.

Scholarships

We are able to consider requests for attendance support from ranchers, producers, or students who would like to participate in the conference. Please apply here and note that decisions are made on a rolling basis.

Producer Attendance Scholarships

Student Attendance Scholarships

Sponsorship Invitation

America’s Grasslands Conference 2025 is actively seeking sponsorships to support this exciting event including providing travel assistance and reduced attendance costs for ranchers, producers, students, and citizens of indigenous nations who would otherwise not be able to participate. We appreciate your consideration of this request and thank our generous sponsors who ensure our ongoing success with their support.

Become a Sponsor

Read more about the America’s Grasslands Conference 2025

We are excited to welcome folks to Kearney, Nebraska for the Seventh Biennial America’s Grasslands Conference in June 2025! This year we are cohosting the conference with the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Our 2025 conference theme is Grasslands Across Generations, with a focus on the modification of grasslands over time and the progression of grassland conservation. This emphasis will also help orient our future endeavors and pave the way for the next generations to move this important work forward.

We have exciting plans for our three days together beginning with three field trips options which will allow participants to experience the largest intact temperate grassland on earth, visit local ranches, and native prairies.

This year we had an unprecedented number of presentation submissions, and we are working to put together an exciting lineup of speakers, posters, and roundtable talks that will comprise the second and third day of the conference. Another highlight to note, we will head to the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center for dinner featuring conservation ranching beef along with local beverages. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the grounds of Rowe Sanctuary along the Platte River.

More information on the conference agenda to come, so stay tuned and we hope to see you in Nebraska!