The FINANCIAL -- Walmart’s 2012 Acres for America program is helping conserve more than 49,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat across the United States, according to  Walmart.

Acres projects connect existing lands to protect migration routes, provide access for people to enjoy the outdoors and help ensure the future of rural economies that depend on forestry, tourism and recreation.

Acres for America is a 10-year, $35 million commitment that began in 2005 between Walmart and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to purchase and preserve one acre of wildlife habitat in the U.S. for every acre of land developed by the company through 2015.

To date, Acres for America has invested in projects in 24 states, protecting more than 687,000 acres.In the summer of 2011, Walmart expanded its Acres investments to include urban conservation projects in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. The six awards announced today will support projects in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina and Tennessee.

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