The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

The Nature Conservancy is a world leader in environmental conservation. Pentair is a world leader in clean water solutions. Together we bring scientific expertise and on-the-ground experience to tackle the adverse pressures facing freshwater.

The Pentair Foundation made a gift of $20,000 to the Minnesota Chapter of The Nature Conservancy to help fund important freshwater projects around the state. Lake Superior, the Mississippi River, lakes, streams and wetlands all benefitted from this generous gift. Guided by science, we are working to ensure that these iconic freshwater resources in Minnesota are protected and preserved for future generations.

In 2011 Pentair made an even more significant contribution, $250,000 to The Nature Conservancy’s work in Africa. The Nature Conservancy started working in Africa in 2006. We have been able to achieve important results in a relatively short amount of time because of our collaborations with partners. In Africa we are working with other international conservation organizations and increasingly with smaller, locally based groups. We are applying our financial resources and scientific planning to help partners make a big difference. The donation from the Pentair Foundation will be used to conduct a feasibility study for a Water Fund in Nairobi, Kenya.

What Is a Water Fund?

More than one billion people around the world lack access to safe drinking water. The Nature Conservancy is working to solve this critical issue. Starting with a small grant and a big idea, The Conservancy established the first Water Fund in Quito, Ecuador in 1997. Quito gets most of its water supply from snowmelt from the Andes Mountains. As this snowmelt flows through rural Ecuador it is subjected to agricultural, logging and development practices that threaten Quito’s drinking water supply.

The Nature Conservancy has established Water Funds all over Latin America. Large, industrial water users pay into the Water Fund in exchange for the resource they use – fresh, clean water. The Fund pays for the forest conservation in the watershed and assists land owners with incentives to use better farming, logging and development practices. The end goal is clean water for all users and to establish healthier forests and wildlife habitat.

Commitment to Freshwater

Pentair is a leading provider of water solutions. The Nature Conservancy is encouraged by the corporate leadership Pentair has demonstrated in the area of freshwater protection. “Together our combined expertise and passion for protecting this fundamental natural resource will result in more people having safe, abundant drinking water, which in the end benefits us all,” said Susan Carter, manager of the Pentair Foundation.