Reconnecting Rivers, Restoring Life

At Cypress River Ranch, a Texas family partnered with TNC to protect Big Cypress Bayou by donating a portion of their water rights to the Texas Water Trust through TNC—the first-ever water right donated by a non-profit to the Trust. This voluntary agreement keeps water in the river to support wildlife, sustain flow during droughts, improve downstream water quality and ensure future generations inherit a thriving, healthy ranch.

To protect the headwaters of Honey Creek from a planned housing development in Central Texas, TNC worked with local landowners to permanently conserve 515 acres of ecologically sensitive land. The protection of this property has safeguarded habitat for endangered species, helped preserve clean drinking water for thousands of residents and expanded opportunities for outdoor recreation in the Honey Creek State Natural Area.

In Minnesota’s Northwoods, where the Mississippi River begins, forests and wetlands filter water for millions of people and provide habitat for more than 350 species of mammals, birds and other wildlife. By working with partners to conserve 200,000 critical acres around the headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi, TNC is protecting the state’s waters while they are still healthy.

A tiny, endangered fish is making a big comeback in Minnesota. By restoring more than 130 oxbow ponds, TNC and partners have revived vital freshwater habitat in grasslands. Now, Topeka shiners and dozens of other species thrive—proof that conservation and agriculture can coexist in working landscapes.

Of all the temperate grasslands in the world, the Nebraska Sandhills are the most intact—and TNC wants to keep them that way. In the last two years, TNC has expanded partnerships with ranchers to protect vulnerable grasslands and wetlands. Through fire management, voluntary land protection agreements and sustainable ranching practices, landowners are preserving wildlife habitat and keeping carbon in the soil.

On Missouri’s prairie, TNC rebuilt Little Creek to reconnect habitat for the endangered Topeka shiner. Native plants, gentle slopes and fish-friendly passages now support thriving aquatic life. This successful restoration—and others across the Great Plains—show how nature-based solutions can heal watersheds and inspire continuing freshwater conservation.

After devastating floods in northwestern Missouri in 2019, TNC collaborated with local and federal partners to move five miles of levee inland to allow more room for floodwater. This project restored 1,000 acres of floodplains, reduced future flood risk and showed how nature and infrastructure can coexist.

TNC is restoring stream connectivity in the Ozarks by removing small dams and low-water crossings that block the movement of aquatic species. Through partnerships and innovative tools, we're connecting segmented waterways to protect biodiversity, improve infrastructure and help endangered fish like the Niangua darter thrive in the Interior Highlands region.

In Iowa, TNC is partnering with landowners to restore oxbow wetlands, U-shaped ponds that were once part of meandering streams. These important wetlands filter farm runoff, reduce flooding and shelter wildlife.

TNC is helping restore natural flows to the Kansas River, which provides drinking water for 800,000 people. A partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers adjusts dam operations to support fish, improve water quality and balance human needs—reviving one of the world’s longest prairie rivers.