It’s a funny thing about land: they’re not making any more of it. In that case, it’s probably a good idea to conserve as much of it as we can since it’s a limited resource. The Nature Conservancy, as if you couldn’t already infer from that name, takes the conservation of natural habitats very seriously and, as of today, have made it easier for people to participate in the Adopt-an-Acre program through the use of Google’s mapping technologies.

By way of a Google Earth Outreach Developer Grant, the nonprofit organization has updated their mapping tools to include two featured areas in Texas and Virginia from which people can select acres to adopt. In case you’re unfamiliar with either of these natural treasures, Google provided a concise introduction on their blog:

The Nash Prairie Preserve in Texas is a beautiful and vital tall prairie grassland. These prairies used to cover wide expanses in the Bottomlands region of coastal Texas, but these areas have been reduced due to metropolitan encroachment. More than 120 bird species and 300 plant species thrive in this disappearing ecosystem, which you can help protect.

The Warm Springs Mountain Preserve in Virginia is the other area within a 77,000 wildlife corridor where you can adopt a specific acre. If you have a connection to the Allegheny Mountains in Virginia, or if you are passionate about preserving species like the interior dwelling songbird, you can choose from a variety of landscapes, pristine rivers and mountain forests to conserve.

By following the above links to either (or both, if you’re a real go-getter), people can browse the swaths of land in need of protection and personally select which patch they would like to adopt. The maps on the Nature Conservancy’s website contain interactive info-bubbles that explain the particular importance of specific areas within the preserve. See the examples below.

So now you have the tools – sally forth and save some of that wildlife.