National Wildlife Magazine

Experience the Great Outdoors! Whether you're a seasoned pro or a first-time camper, check out our handy guidelines for getting the most from your campout including where to go, types of shelter, meals and more! Beginner's Guide Learn where to camp, what to bring on your trip and all about fun outdoor adventure activities. Shelter Find out what shelter will work best for your camping needs from selecting the right tent to alternative types of camping.

Why Is Nature Good for Us? We know that nature benefits us. Scientists are trying to understand how. By Katarina Zimmer Conservation Jun 24, 2026 Pacific oak ferns surround a redwood sorrel bloom in the Queets rainforest of Washington’s Olympic National Park. (Photo by Alex Noriega) NOT EVERY SCIENCE EXPERIMENT is a walk in the park. But for 32 people who took part in neuroscientist Sonja Sudimac and her colleagues’ study in Berlin’s Grunewald Forest, it came very close.

Making Your Yard a Haven for Nesting Birds How to create safe places for backyard songbirds to raise their young in your yard or garden By Rebecca Heisman Conservation Jun 24, 2026 A Baltimore oriole, which nests in the tree canopy, feeds insects to its chicks in Michigan (above). Cavity-nesting species, such as bluebirds (below), will nest and raise young in birdhouses. DO YOU LOVE WATCHING CARDINALS, chickadees and other songbirds in your yard?

Knock Knock. Who’s There? The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. Still. Why does the possibly extinct ivory-billed woodpecker retain such a hold on fans' imaginations? By Andrew Sharp Conservation Jun 24, 2026 Illustration by Scott Bakal AS A KID, Sylvie Németh loved the search for mysterious creatures, real or disputed. “I live in Seattle, so Bigfoot is huge here,” she says.

The saltmarsh sparrow’s population is declining as their native coastal marsh habitat is lost to rising sea levels, but climate change isn’t the saltmarsh sparrow’s only threat. Mercury pollution from power plants contaminates wetland habitats and gets into the saltmarsh sparrow’s bloodstream through their food supply, impacting the survival of their nests. The threats facing saltmarsh sparrows and many other wildlife species are becoming more dire.

Our work for wildlife depends on the active stewardship of well-trained public servants. The American people deserve to have everything they have been promised: clean air, clean water, and access to some of the most beautiful recreational opportunities in the world. Unfortunately, recent severe and dramatic cuts to these critical conservation services are causing deeply felt impacts across the country and the economy.

2025 Garden for Wildlife® Photo Contest Winners They captured the incredible diversity of backyard wildlife. See this year’s winners and runners-up! The 2025 Garden for Wildlife Photo Contest saw nearly 9,000 photos submitted by thousands of photographers worldwide. The photos feature hundreds of backyard wildlife species, from tiny insects to towering black bears.

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The Mayors' Monarch Pledge is an effort to engage mayors (or the principal leader of any city, town, county or HOA) in monarch butterfly conservation. Mayors that take the pledge will receive recognition on the National Wildlife Federation’s website.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On behalf of the National Wildlife Federation, National Parks Conservation Association, Florida Wildlife Federation, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, and Texas Conservation Alliance, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) filed a lawsuit to stop an illegal attempt to bypass compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for all oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico.