It’s our goal to guide the West to a better and more sustainable future. Through our educational resources, community efforts, and research we’re striving to have a resilient water future in the North American West
The future of our region isn’t dependent on one factor alone. There is a deep connection between natural resource conservation, economic prosperity – and you. We’re all connected to the natural resources and beautiful environments around us. So let’s work together to make a difference for the future of the West.
If you live in the West or have come to love the West, these are stories about communities, landscapes, and economies you care about. Stories of resilience, collaboration, and success.
The federally endangered Gila topminnow had not been seen in its native habitat, the Santa Cruz River, for more than a decade. Then, in December 2015 they came back.
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Helping establish the White Tank Mountains Conservancy builds on our long tradition of incubating new community conservation organizations – now more than 2 dozen that have conserved more than 145K acres of public & private lands, and raised more than $206 million – dedicated to protecting local natural and cultural resources.
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Green infrastructure—using nature’s ability to provide the same services associated with more conventional “grey” infrastructure—offers tremendous ecological and economic benefits. Nowhere is this more evident than on a 250-acre wetland we created to treat wastewater and serve as a refuge for birds and other wildlife in the Colorado River Delta.
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We develop tools & information for communities to better understand what’s driving their local economies and for public land managers to assess the relative benefits of protecting or developing these lands. Our work underscores that protecting public lands is important economic development strategy. The California Desert is our most recent success.
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Innovative. Collaborative. Turning the impossible to possible. That is what we are doing in the Colorado River Delta and our newest effort in the estuary—one of the most productive and endangered ecosystems on earth—combines these themes.
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As the West changes, we encounter challenges. Our Western Lands and Communities program is developing the tools communities desperately need to address those challenges collaboratively.
READ MORETogether, we can create a future for the Colorado River Basin where rivers flow, landscapes are healthy, and all communities thrive.