Turner Institute of Ecoagriculture Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
INSTITUTE'S MISSION IS TO RESEARCH, DEVELOP, PRACTICE, AND DISSEMINATE SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES FOR CONSERVING ECOSYSTEMS, AGRICULTURE, AND RURAL COMMUNITIES. INSTITUTE WILL ACHIEVE THIS MISSION BY USING ITS LIVESTOCK, LAND, SCALE, AND BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY TO RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATE HOW RANCHING OPERATIONS CAN MEET ECONOMIC AND PRODUCTION OBJECTIVES WHILE PROTECTING AND ENHANCING NATURAL RESOURCE AND CONSERVATION VALUES OF LARGE LANDSCAPES. IN A BROAD SENSE THIS CONCEPT CAN BE REFERRED TO AS ECOAGRICULTURE, AN EMERGING AREA OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY REGARDING HOW SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND RANCHING CAN BE CONDUCTED ACROSS DIVERSE LANDSCAPES WHILE MAINTAINING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND INTEGRITY, AND CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS SOLUTIONS FOR LOCAL AND GLOBAL ISSUES (E.G., CLIMATE CHANGE, NATIVE SPECIES AND HABITAT LOSS, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION, WATER DEPLETION, FOOD PRODUCTION, AND RURAL ECONOMIES) RATHER THAN EXACERBATING THEM.
- Income
- $2.9 million
- Spending
- $2.2 million
- Spent on programs
- 76%
- Reserves
- 21.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 62%
- Employees
- 12
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $129,873, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 86% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 21.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 24% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 31% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1576% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 68% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 256 of 6 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $112,063 spent. 1. EVALUATION OF COUGAR PREDATION AND BEAR KLEPTOPARASITISM ON VERMEJO, NEW MEXICO. OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS, IN RESPONSE TO DROUGHT, DECLINING RANGE AND RIPARIAN CONDITIONS, AND PROJECTED DRY CONDITIONS IN THE FUTURE, VERMEJO HAS WORKED TO DETERMINE THE CARRYING CAPACITY FOR LARGE UNGULATES (E.G., ELK AND AMERICAN BISON) ON THE RANCH DURING AN AVERAGE DRY YEAR. WHILE ECOLOGICAL BALANCE WITH FORAGE RESOURCES IS THE DRIVING FACTOR IN SETTING ELK POPULATION OBJECTIVES AT VERMEJO, A SUSTAINABLE ELK HUNTING PROGRAM, WILDLIFE VIEWING OPPORTUNITIES, AND OVERALL ECOLOGICAL FUNCTION, INCLUDING HEALTHY POPULATIONS OF PREDATORS, ARE ALSO IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS. UNDERSTANDING LARGE PREDATOR POPULATIONS AND THEIR ROLE IN REGULATING ELK (AND OTHER UNGULATE) POPULATIONS IS AN IMPORTANT, BUT RELATIVELY UNEXPLORED QUESTION AT VERMEJO. BLACK BEAR PREDATION CAN BE A MAJOR SOURCE OF MORTALITY ON ELK CALVES. SIMILARLY, COUGARS, ESPECIALLY MALES, SELECT FOR ELK CALVES DURING SUMMER MONTHS. BLACK BEARS MAY BENEFIT FROM COUGAR KILLS THROUGH KLEPTOPARASITISM, THEREBY NEGATIVELY AFFECTING COUGARS. THE INSTITUTE IS UNDERTAKING THIS STUDY TO DOCUMENT COUGAR PREY SELECTION ON VERMEJO AND THE INFLUENCE OF BEAR KLEPTOPARASITISM ON FREQUENCY AND VOLUME OF COUGAR PREY. THIS INFORMATION WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS ON THE MAGNITUDE OF ELK AND MULE DEER KILLED BY COUGARS ANNUALLY AND INFORM FUTURE WILDLIFE AND RANGE MANAGEMENT DECISIONS. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS STUDY IS TO DOCUMENT COUGAR PREY SELECTION ON VERMEJO AND THE INFLUENCE OF BEAR KELPTOPARASITISM ON FREQUENCY AND VOLUME OF COUGAR PREY. WE ANTICIPATE THIS INFORMATION WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS ON THE MAGNITUDE OF ELK AND MULE DEER KILLED BY COUGARS ANNUALLY AND INFORM FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS OF PREDATOR MANAGEMENT TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF VERMEJO PARK RANCH. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL, OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVES ARE TO:A. USE CLUSTERING DATA FROM GPS-COLLARED COUGARS TO LOCATE COUGAR KILL SITES AND DESCRIBE COUGAR FOOD HABITATS.B. USE CAMERA TRAPS AT COUGAR KILL SITES TO ESTIMATE RATES AND PATTERN OF BLACK BEAR KLEPTOPARASITISM.C. ESTIMATE ANNUAL ELK MORTALITY DUE TO COUGAR PREDATION.
- $182,369 spent. 2. INFLUENCE OF FINISHING SYSTEM AND FINISHING LOCATION ON THE CARCASS TRAITS, SENSORY ATTRIBUTES, AND PHYTOCHEMICAL RICHNESS OF BISON MEAT. RECENT WORK BY THE INSTITUTE DEMONSTRATED THAT PASTURE-FINISHED BISON CONCENTRATED HIGHER LEVELS OF COMPOUNDS CONSIDERED FAVORABLE FOR HUMAN HEALTH IN THEIR MEAT WHEN COMPARED TO PEN-FINISHED ANIMALS. PASTURE-FINISHED BISON ALSO APPEARED TO HAVE BETTER METABOLIC HEALTH THAN PEN-FINISHED BISON. ADAPTIVE GRAZING OF BISON ON RANGELANDS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE REGENERATIVE AND PRODUCE POSITIVE ECOSYSTEM EFFECTS. THIS OUTCOME, COUPLED WITH GROWING CONSUMER DEMAND FOR SUSTAINABLY RAISED, HEALTHIER MEAT PRODUCTS HAS LED TO AN INCREASE IN LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS IMPLEMENTING AGRO-ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING ROTATIONAL GRAZING AND PASTURE-FINISHING OF ANIMALS, TO IMPROVE ECOLOGICAL, ANIMAL, AND HUMAN HEALTH. THIS STUDY AIMS TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF FORAGE DIVERSITY (ON PASTURE), FINISHING SYSTEM (PASTURE VERSUS PEN), FINISHING LOCATION (GEOGRAPHIC), AND FEED TYPE (FREE CHOICE VERSUS TOTAL MIXED RATION) ON ANIMAL METABOLIC HEALTH AND MEAT NUTRIENT DENSITY. ANALYSIS WILL BE COMPLETED ON THE FOLLOWING: CRUDE FAT, METABOLOMICS, FATTY ACID COMPOSITION AND CHOLESTEROL CONTENT, CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS, MEASURES OF MEAT QUALITY, SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS, AND PHYTOCHEMICAL RICHNESS OF MEAT.
- $55,000 spent. 3. MOVEMENT AND HABITAT USE OF REINTRODUCED BOLSON TORTOISES IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO. THE BOLSON TORTOISE IS THE LARGEST AND RAREST OF THE SIX GOPHERUS SPECIES NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA. TODAY, HOWEVER, FEWER THAN 2,500 INDIVIDUALS REMAIN IN THE WILD, ALL OF WHICH ARE RESTRICTED TO DISCONTINUOUS BASINS IN THE MAPIM SUB-PROVINCE OF NORTH-CENTRAL MEXICO, REPRESENTING >90% EXTIRPATION FROM THEIR PLEISTOCENE RANGE. THE TURNER CONSERVATION TRUST OPERATES THE ONLY LARGE-SCALE EX SITU BREEDING PROGRAM AIMED AT CONSERVING BOLSON TORTOISES AND ESTABLISHING ASSURANCE POPULATIONS WITHIN THEIR PLEISTOCENE RANGE IN THE UNITED STATES. B THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF OUR RESEARCH INCLUDES:A. COMPARE VITAL RATES AND SURVIVORSHIP BETWEEN RELEASED AND CAPTIVE JUVENILE TORTOISES AS A FUNCTION OF SIZE, ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, AND HABITAT CHARACTERISTICSB. EVALUATE HABITAT USE AND MOVEMENT PATTERNS AS A FUNCTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND HABITAT FEATURESC. PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOLSON TORTOISE RECOVERY PROJECT AND THE USFWS FOR FUTURE TORTOISE REINTRODUCTIONS.4. POPULATION DYNAMICS AND LIFE HISTORY CHARACTERISTICS OF RIO GRANDE CUTTHROAT TROUT (RGCT) IN THE UPPER RIO COSTILLA WATERSHED, NEW MEXICO. RIO GRANDE CUTTHROAT TROUT CURRENTLY OCCUPY ABOUT 12% OF THEIR HISTORICAL DISTRIBUTION. TO RESTORE RGCT NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AGENCIES HAVE INSTITUTED VARIOUS CONSERVATION EFFORTS INCLUDING HABITAT RESTORATIONS, SPECIES REINTRODUCTIONS, AND REMOVAL OF NONNATIVE FISH. UNFORTUNATELY, BASELINE POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS AND DYNAMICS DATA FOR LENTIC POPULATIONS ARE LARGELY LACKING. THESE DATA ARE NECESSARY FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW LENTIC POPULATIONS FUNCTION AND FOR GUIDING MANAGEMENT ACTIONS. FURTHERMORE, POPULATION-LEVEL DATA CAN HELP TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL THREATS (E.G., UNSUITABLE HABITAT, OVEREXPLOITATION) TO THE PERSISTENCE OF THESE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT POPULATIONS. THE OVERALL GOAL OF OUR RESEARCH IS TO AID THE CONSERVATION OF RIO GRANDE CUTTHROAT TROUT THROUGH AN IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF THE ECOLOGY OF LENTIC POPULATIONS. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF OUR RESEARCH ARE TO:A. EVALUATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POPULATION STRUCTURE AND HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS IN LAKES AND STREAMS OF THE UPPER RIO COSTILLA WATERSHED.B. EVALUATE THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS ON THE TIMING AND EXTENT OF ADFLUVIAL BEHAVIOR OF RIO GRANDE CUTTHROAT TROUT IN COSTILLA RESEVOIR.C. EVALUATE POTENTIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING POPULATION PERSISTENCE OF RIO GRANDE CUTTHROAT TROUT USING A STAGE-STRUCTURED POPULATION MODEL.D. PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE TURNER INSTITUTE OF ECOAGRICULTURE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF RIO GRANDE CUTTHROAT TROUT IN LAKE OF THE RIO COSTILLA WATERSHED.5. MAMMALIAN AND HERPTOFAUNA INVENTORY OF THE Z BAR RANCH. THE GYPSUM HILLS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS REPRESENT A RUGGED LANDSCAPE OF MESAS AND BLUFFS, WITH ERODED CANYONS AND RED SOILS. THIS PRAIRIE LANDSCAPE CONTAINS A NUMBER OF SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS THAT TRANSECT THE REGION PROMOTING ADDITIONAL HABITATS, INCLUDING WETLANDS, FORESTED PATCHES, AND AREAS OF SANDY ALLUVIAL SOILS. THE OVERALL PURPOSE OF OUR RESEARCH IS TO CONDUCT AN INVENTORY OF MAMMALS AND HERPETOFAUNA ON THE RANCH. THIS WILL PROVIDE A BENCHMARK FOR UNDERSTANDING WHICH SPECIES RESIDE ON THE RANCH, SEASONALITY IN WHICH THEY OCCUR AND REPRODUCE, AND HABITATS USED BY THEM. OUR OBJECTIVES INCLUDE:A. DETECT PRESENCE OF AND DESCRIBE HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS OF RARE, IMPERILED, OR UNKNOWN MAMMALIAN, AMPHIBIAN, AND REPTILIAN SPECIES TO INFORM MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES AND CONSERVATION PROJECTS AT THE RANCH.B. INVENTORY AND PROVIDE RELATIVE ABUNDANCES AND HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS OF SMALL MAMMALS AND HERPETOFAUNA COMMUNITIES AT THE RANCH.C. PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WITH PROFESSIONAL AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY AND EXPERIENCE CONCERNING NATURAL HISTORY AND HABITAT USE PATTERNS OF SMALL MAMMAL AND HERPETOFAUNA OCCURRENCES AT THE RANCH.6. NUCLEAR SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM (SNP) ANALYSIS OF YELLOWSTONE NP SATELLITE HERD. IN ADDITION TO HER INVOLVEMENT IN BISON MTDNA STUDIES, ELISE STARTED A SECOND PROJECT IN THE FALL OF 2023 THAT ALSO PERTAINS TO BISON CONSERVATION GENETICS. THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK BISON HERD IS GENETICALLY VALUABLE TO THE CONSERVATION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN BISON DUE TO ITS SIGNIFICANT GENETIC DIVERSITY AND A CONTINUAL HISTORY OF BISON PRESENCE IN ITS RANGE SINCE PREHISTORIC TIMES. HOWEVER, A SIGNIFICANT BARRIER EXISTS THAT PREVENTS THESE GENETICALLY VALUABLE INDIVIDUALS FROM BEING USED IN STARTING ADDITIONAL BISON CONSERVATION HERDS AND SUPPLEMENTING GENETIC DIVERSITY IN OTHER BISON POPULATIONS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS BISON SNP RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO IS TO DETERMINE GENETIC INDICES IN THIS YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK-DERIVED SATELLITE HERD MANAGED BY TEI AND COMPARE THE HERD'S GENETIC DIVERSITY TO THAT OF THE ORIGINAL POPULATION. THIS WILL DETERMINE HOW SUCCESSFUL THIS DERIVED HERD IS IN CAPTURING THE DIVERSITY OF THE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK HERD AND THE DERIVED HERD'S GENETIC IMPLICATIONS FOR WIDER BISON SPECIES' CONSERVATION. THIS WILL BE DONE BY UTILIZING A NOVEL SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM (SNP) PANEL DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN BISON AND INTENDED FOR USE IN THE POPULATION MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION OF BISON (STROUPE AND DERR, 2024). THIS PROJECT WILL HOPEFULLY FURTHER VALIDATE THE NOVEL SNP PANEL AS A VALUABLE TOOL TO DETERMINE BISON POPULATION GENETIC HEALTH AND DEMONSTRATE SOME OF THE HERD MANAGEMENT DECISIONS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since September 2020.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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