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The Mississippi River starts as a small stream flowing from the north end of Lake Itasca, at Itasca State Park (Minnesota's oldest state park). © Mark Godfrey/TNC

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Our Partnership With Tom's of Maine

Restoring and Protecting our Water

America's waterways stretch for millions of miles, providing drinking water, irrigation, electricity, food, transport and recreation for people and critical habitat and nutrients for wildlife.

These water supplies, however, are quickly being depleted, threatening the people and nature that depend on them for support. Fortunately, there are countless ways we can inspire change and protect our nation's water resources together. We are teaming up with partners like Tom’s of Maine to help restore and revitalize waterways in need.

Tom's of Maine, the leading maker of natural personal care products, has committed more than $1.5 million to help TNC protect and restore natural water.

Water Projects Funded by Tom's of Maine

The Colorado River Basin Supplies drinking water to nearly 40M people, irrigates more than 5M acres of land, produces 4K megawatts of hydropower, and supports a $26B recreation and tourism industry. © Tom Till
East Coast Dam Removal Thousands of outdated and out-of-service dams—many up to 150 years old—affect river flow, often cutting off the migrations of fish and other aquatic species completely. © Bridget Besaw
Sustainable Rivers Program U.S. working dams provide us with clean drinking water, flood protection, hydropower and even recreational opportunities. © Bridget Besaw
The Mississippi River Basin Cradles more than 1.2B square miles in 31 states—forming the world’s fourth largest river basin. The river quenches our thirst, nourishes our crops & energizes our homes. © Stefanie Grieve/TNC
× The Colorado River Basin Supplies drinking water to nearly 40M people, irrigates more than 5M acres of land, produces 4K megawatts of hydropower, and supports a $26B recreation and tourism industry. © Tom Till
× East Coast Dam Removal Thousands of outdated and out-of-service dams—many up to 150 years old—affect river flow, often cutting off the migrations of fish and other aquatic species completely. © Bridget Besaw
× Sustainable Rivers Program U.S. working dams provide us with clean drinking water, flood protection, hydropower and even recreational opportunities. © Bridget Besaw
× The Mississippi River Basin Cradles more than 1.2B square miles in 31 states—forming the world’s fourth largest river basin. The river quenches our thirst, nourishes our crops & energizes our homes. © Stefanie Grieve/TNC

We want to be a part of the solution and help show our kids that together we can have an impact at home, at work and as a community."

Rob Robinson

Brand and Goodness Leader at Tom's of Maine
  • A schematic map showing the Colorado River.

    Celebrating the Colorado River

    Learn more about why this mighty river is considered the lifeblood of the American West. Learn More

The Nature Conservancy began work to remove the Old Papermill Dam in early 2019, allowing the East Aspetuck River in Connecticut to flow freely once again. With support from companies like Tom’s of Maine, the removal of the Old Papermill Dam is a larger effort to remove old dams and restore river ecosystems and fish habitats. 

Old Papermill Dam Slideshow

Old Papermill Dam, Summer 2018 Obsolete dams, like the Old Papermill Dam in Connecticut, can often cause harm to the environment. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
Small Outlet Creates Undertow Dams trap sediment that smothers instream habitat. In low flows, the entire river now passes through an open gate creating a dangerous condition for anyone in the river. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
Sediment Quality Testing Testing the quality of sediment in the Old Papermill Dam. The pond is nearly filled with sediment that must be tested for contamination to determine proper management. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
Demolition Begins Removal of the Old Papermill Dam begins. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
Demolition Continues Removal of the Old Papermill Dam begins. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
Work continues to remove dam Demolition work is slow going. There was more concrete and small stones in this dam than anticipated. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
Progress is Made Looking upstream at progress on the removal of the Old Papermill Dam. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
Removal Nearly Complete With removal nearly complete, work begins on stream banks and habitat features. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
Providing Stability & Habitat Root wads will be placed into the stream bank with the roots left in the water on the river’s edge, to provide habitat for small fish and stability to the bank. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
River Runs Free Looking upstream, the river runs free! The boulders will be moved and the root wads have been added to stabilize the bank and create instream habitat. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
East Aspetuck River Dam removal projects can take years, but once a dam is removed (after a few short weeks) the results are immediate. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
× Old Papermill Dam, Summer 2018 Obsolete dams, like the Old Papermill Dam in Connecticut, can often cause harm to the environment. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
× Small Outlet Creates Undertow Dams trap sediment that smothers instream habitat. In low flows, the entire river now passes through an open gate creating a dangerous condition for anyone in the river. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
× Sediment Quality Testing Testing the quality of sediment in the Old Papermill Dam. The pond is nearly filled with sediment that must be tested for contamination to determine proper management. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
× Demolition Begins Removal of the Old Papermill Dam begins. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
× Demolition Continues Removal of the Old Papermill Dam begins. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
× Work continues to remove dam Demolition work is slow going. There was more concrete and small stones in this dam than anticipated. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
× Progress is Made Looking upstream at progress on the removal of the Old Papermill Dam. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
× Removal Nearly Complete With removal nearly complete, work begins on stream banks and habitat features. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
× Providing Stability & Habitat Root wads will be placed into the stream bank with the roots left in the water on the river’s edge, to provide habitat for small fish and stability to the bank. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
× River Runs Free Looking upstream, the river runs free! The boulders will be moved and the root wads have been added to stabilize the bank and create instream habitat. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
× East Aspetuck River Dam removal projects can take years, but once a dam is removed (after a few short weeks) the results are immediate. © Sally Harold/The Nature Conservancy
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Tom's of Maine Logo © Tom's of Maine

 

TOM’S OF MAINE DONATES a portion of its profits to conserve nature for future generations. In fact, the company has been giving 10% of its profits for decades.

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Young alewives schooling along the shore of Long Pond in Maine.

The Living Benefits of East Coast Dam Removal

TNC has embarked on an effort to remove obsolete dams and restore thousands of miles of rivers as part of its East Coast Dam Removal Initiative.

A large barge with a house-like structure on it floats on a flat, calm body of water with trees lining its banks.

Atchafalaya Conservation Center

A unique conservation center—housed on barges in the river—serves as a platform for community-based conservation, land stewardship, restoration and research.

Two kayaks floating down a river.

Five Ways to Appreciate Water

On average, Americans use about 80-100 gallons of water per day—and that’s just what comes from showers, baths, laundry, dishes, and other conventional household activities. With so little effort needed to turn on our faucets and enjoy clean, filtered water, it’s easy to take fresh water for granted.

Learn More

Mill Pond Dam in Connecticut, in early 2019.

Fishways Key for Alewife Habitat

The Nature Conservancy works at hundreds of sites to implement projects to restore rivers and address the harms caused by dams. In some cases, dam removal is an option, in others, building a fishway is the best solution.

The Columbia Lake Dam created an 18-foot high barrier for migratory American shad swimming in from the Delaware River to spawn in the Paulins Kill’s calm waters.

Unleashing the River: The Removal of the Columbia Dam

Working with a team of partners, the Conservancy’s plan to remove the 300-foot-long, 18-foot-high structure has been many years in the making.

Canyons on the Colorado River

Protecting an Iconic American Lifeline

The Colorado River is one of the hardest working rivers in North America. It provides drinking water, irrigation, generates electricity and more.