"TNC is the type of group that has the ability to put pressure on individuals, the government and stakeholders to really make that investment, to make the large-scale improvements that need to be made," says Scott M. Arends, a dam-safety and water-resources engineer with Hanson Professional Services Inc., Springfield, Ill. Hanson is an engineering sub and Arends is its project manager on TNC's Emiquon Preserve wetlands restoration project in Illinois. "In addition to calling attention to the issues, they are good at taking action. They are able to move the Earth," Arends says.

As a decentralized, project-based organization, TNC does not have a unified research budget. Research generally is tied to individual project funding. But Tercek claims TNC's contributions to science are substantial, with scientists and other experts spread throughout the organization to "ensure the longevity and accountability of our work," he says. They publish about 200 peer-reviewed articles each year, he says.

In the next evolution of TNC, Tercek sees a broadening scope to the impact of cities on nature and cities' use of natural resources.

"We're interested in how [urban areas] protect their water supplies, how they deal with storms and floods, and how we can make nature part of the urban experience," he says. "It's a new area for us but one that we're excited to be engaged in. We must double down on what we've learned and use our strengths to vastly accelerate conservation."