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The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™
We're working with you to make a positive impact around the world in more than 35 countries, all 50 United States and your backyard. Support our work
Rivers and Lakes
Explore Solutions in Action
The Conservancy uses science to help make essential natural places healthy and keep them healthy. We help bring together communities, farmers, ranchers, governments and businesses to find better ways to use rivers and lakes for drinking water, producing food, generating energy and more. Over the past 60 years we have achieved tangible results in hundreds of freshwater projects, helping preserve nature and the benefits it provides to people.
Getting Results on the Ground
Programming a field map for a pivot irrigation system at the University of Georgia. (c) Mark Godfrey
Saving Millions of Gallons of Water on the Flint River
Georgia innovators are helping farmers save water and nature — with the push of a button.
Protecting Your Drinking Water
We work with people all over the world to make our rivers and lakes clean, healthy and secure.
Report: Water Footprint of Nations
The report reveals how much water we use -- and what for.
Exploring the Link Between Water and Food
Learn more about the vast amounts of water used to produce the food we eat.
Infographic: What's Your Water Footprint
Think you need eight glasses of water a day? Think again.
Independence Lake: Protecting an Alpine Treasure
Explore all that this pristine lake has to offer and learn what we are doing to protect it. Don’t forget to check out our breathtaking slideshow!
Gulf of Mexico: The Dead Zone
We are taking a fresh look at water management tactics to reduce the size of the dead zone and mitigate floods.
Meramec River Project
Learn why and how we are protecting this irreplaceable freshwater resource and popular recreation destination.
Blasting in the Name of Wetlands, Wildlife & Water
Our efforts to reclaim the wetlands in the Klamath Basin have been a success - see what we mean!
How to Capture a Majestic Water Photo
Discover what a day in the field is like for one of our photographers at Williamson River Delta Preserve.
The Fisher Slough Project
We are creating new wetlands to help salmon get bigger and stronger. Our efforts have even made local news!
Green Bay: Restoring a Great Lakes Treasure
Explore the Green Bay watershed with our cool slideshow and learn why and how we are protecting it.
Restoring America’s Heartland Takes Heart
With a helping hand, we have been able to restore a floodplain. Learn more about floodplain restoration and the science behind it.
Balancing Between Food, Water and Nature
We're teaming up with unlikely allies to save southern California's last wild river.
Making Beer Greener from Idaho to Bogota
As The Nature Conservancy works to protect lands and waters around the world, we find that the circle of people, companies and agencies we work with gets ever more diverse and interesting. That includes breweries.
Where Does Your Water Come From?
About half the American population receives its drinking water from lakes and rivers. Use this interactive map to find out where your water comes from.
Restoring Wetlands Gives Fish a Fighting Chance
The red-spotted sunfish has taken a definite liking to The Nature Conservancy's restoration efforts in the floodplains of the Illinois River.
Explore the Mississippi River
Join The Nature Conservancy on a journey down the Mississippi River. Hear the stories of people who depend on this mighty river for their livelihoods and inspiration.
Water Funds
Creating how the Conservancy is working to revolutionize the value of water by creating water funds for people and nature.
The Heartbeat of a River
Healthy rivers are ever-changing, rising and falling as seasons come and go. Seasonal flow patterns are a river's heartbeat—they orchestrate plant and animal life cycles and sustain complex natural processes.
Cracking the Code of Hidden Water
Find out how the Conservancy is using new science to help companies like Coca-Cola determine their "water footprint" - and why that's key to keeping more water available for people, plants and animals.
Zambezi River: Hope for People and Nature
As poorly planned dams unravel ecosystems, cultures and livelihoods around the world — and with thousands of new dams being proposed — The Nature Conservancy is racing to help people balance how we use rivers to meet seemingly competing needs.
The Role of Freshwater Ecosystems
Get the basic facts on the importance of freshwater ecosystems — and why we shouldn’t take them for granted.
Is Ignorance Bliss When if Comes to Our Water?
Most Americans don’t know where our water comes from. Why? And Why does it matter?
Uniting for Freshwater Across the Pacific
How the people of Palau are Mobilizing to protect the waters that sustain them.
Rivers are Life
Explore this fun graphic to see how rivers work for you.
Read More
Whether scary or exciting, nature has a way of sneaking up on you. See stories
Hear some of nature's success stories and see how nature matters to us all. Watch videos
Donate to Rivers and Lakes
When you donate today, you’ll help The Nature Conservancy protect our most precious resource - clean water.
