Blue Revolution

NATURE SUMMER 2017

C O N S E R VA N C Y

READ

© JORDAN SIEMENS/GETTY IMAGES; ANDREYKUZMIN130200016

THE REPORT AT nature.org BeyondtheSou/ rce

Meet Your Water Filter What happens to nature outside a city often affects the drinking water in that city. A recent TNC report on 4,000 cities found that 80 percent of them could improve their drinking water by protecting forests, restoring habitat and improving agricultural practices near their water sources.

1.7 BILLION

Blue

REVOLUTION RETHINKING WATER ON A THIRSTY PLANET

city dwellers get their drinking water from sources far outside the urban area, where increasing development and agricultural production can pollute the water supply.

CITIES SAFEGUARD THEIR SOURCES

C1_Spine_Cover_SUM17_SPRDWithSpineAND16th_FF.indd 1

RIVERS REIMAGINED

INVESTORS BET ON CONSERVATION

5/5/17 10:16 AM

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#NationalGeographicIslander

@lindbladexp

#NationalGeographicEndeavourII

#galápagos

GALÁPAGOS When Lars-Eric Lindblad took the first citizen explorers to Galápagos in 1967, he knew that tourism would be the key to preserving it, and supported conservation from the beginning. So now you’ll discover the same pristine wonderland he did 50 years ago.

We are deeply connected to Galápagos, and we connect you—to the most extraordinary experiences, on land and sea. Have amazing encounters with the animals. Revel in the wild beauty. See, do and learn more. And feel the love.

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Geographies, slideshows, videos & more | expeditions.com

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF EXPEDITION TRAVEL

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contents SUMMER 2017

NATURE CONSERVANCY MAGAZINE

DEPARTMENTS

2 From the President 4 Letters 7 Worldview • U.S. river basins • Water rights in the West • The 4Rs for farms • Restoring the L.A. River • A boost for baby salmon • The level of Lake Ontario 16 Interview Meet the urban director who is rethinking stormwater in Washington, D.C. 20 Travel Cool off in a Florida freshwater spring

PAGE

26

FEATURES

22 Water for Life

It’s time to manage water like the precious resource it is.

BY GIULIO BOCCALETTI

26 Saving Great Rivers

60 Member Guide Volunteer, travel and engage with TNC 62 Dispatch A return to past herding methods can benefit cattle and the lands they graze on 64 Outtakes A photographer travels the length of Colombia’s Magdalena River

Nature Conservancy scientists are helping balance needs for human well-being and healthy river systems.

© ALEX TREADWAY/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

BY LISA BRAMEN

38 After the Big Dry

A record drought led Australia to develop a market for buying and selling water—and restoring wetlands.

BY JULIAN SMITH

46 Liquid Assets

Upstream conservation is making a big difference in the quality of water for a growing number of cities.

BY AMY CRAWFORD PRODUCTIVE WATERS: A farmer in Myanmar works in a floating garden at Inle Lake.

Nature Conservancy (ISSN 1540-2428) is published in February, May, August and November

by The Nature Conservancy, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203. Periodicals postage paid at Arlington, VA, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Nature Conservancy, Member Service Center, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203-1606. Canadian Publications Mail Agreement No. 40039356.

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill ON L4B 4R6.

ON THE COVER: An aerial view

of the Thjorsá River in Iceland. © Edward Burtynsky, courtesy Metivier Gallery, Toronto

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Nature Can Unite Us

THESE ARE DYNAMIC TIMES IN THE POLITICAL

Mark R. Tercek

President & Chief Executive Officer Follow Mark Tercek on Twitter @MarkTercek

arena. All over the world, approaches to government regulations and policy priorities are being rethought. Against this backdrop, how should environmentalists proceed?

First, we should remember what we have working in our favor. Most people in the United States—and around the world— support common-sense policies to protect our air, land, water, oceans and climate. In the 2016 elections in the United States, voters in a dozen states—red and blue—approved ballot measures that will devote $4.4 billion to protecting the environment. Some of these measures passed with majorities of 80 percent or more. At a time of historic political division, nature can unite us.

SCIENCE LESSON

At a burn site at the Disney Wilderness Preserve in Florida, TNC’s Dan Cole shows student Diamond Coles how to measure wind.

Many partisan disagreements on the environment boil down to how we go about protecting nature, not whether we should.

The Nature Conservancy has succeeded in its mission for more than 60 years by listening to people whose lives and livelihoods depend on nature and by creating solutions that protect the environment and address their interests. We know from our work in all 50 states and 70 countries around the world

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NAT URE CON SER VAN CY SUMMER 2017

that the needs of people and nature aren’t necessarily in conflict—indeed, people need nature to thrive.

In that spirit, we offer a few core principles that we believe everyone can embrace, regardless of political sympathies, to make progress on environmental challenges.

Be inclusive. Both major U.S. political parties heard loud and clear in last year’s elections that too many people feel left behind or overlooked. Our environmental policies need to address the interests of all people— especially those who depend on the health of our natural resources. This means that both urban and rural communities and people of all colors, genders and ethnicities need a voice in environmental policymaking.

Follow the science. Knowledge about the state of our environment is growing rapidly.

Although uncertainties remain, we know that human-induced climate change is harming communities around the world. We know that growing numbers of people lack clean water, clean air and healthy soils. We are developing effective technologies and practices to address these threats to human health and well-being.

Sound science should be the basis of environmental policymaking.

Harness market forces. Since the United States first enacted major environmental laws 40 years ago, it has demonstrated that you can grow an economy and improve the environment simultaneously. In fact, the most successful U.S. companies are showing that clean technologies and practices are better for business. Smart policy puts market forces to work to improve environmental outcomes while reducing costs and promoting innovation. As Congress and the president consider tax reform, they should look for opportunities to incentivize environmental innovation.

FROM TOP: © DAVE LAURIDSEN; JENNIFER WHITNEY

from the president

Encourage collaboration.

The Conservancy’s own experience shows that the most effective, durable successes result from collaboration.

In the United States, for example, farmers, conservationists, food and agriculture companies, and state and federal agencies are collaborating to reduce water pollution and boost farm incomes in key watersheds like the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes.

This kind of collaboration isn’t easy, but it’s the most promising path for conservation policy, and it’s supported

by Republicans and Democrats alike.

Invest in nature’s solutions.

Nature is valuable in its own right, but it also presents cost-effective solutions to many pressing infrastructure problems. In cities like Detroit, Seattle and Washington, green infrastructure—in the form of wetlands, open space and permeable surfaces—helps manage stormwater runoff and reduces the need for expensive upgrades to municipal water systems. Along the nation’s rivers and coastlines, restoring wetlands and reefs can help manage flooding and complement or replace levees and sea walls. As Congress and the administration consider new investments in infrastructure, investing in nature is a promising solution.

Accelerate the transition to clean energy. Over the past decade, the cost of renewable energy has declined dramatically, and in many countries inexpensive natural gas has replaced coal as the largest source of electricity. As a result, the U.S. economy has grown while emissions of green-

“ The country’s bedrock environmental laws have stood the test of time and have created a cleaner environment and a stronger economy for its citizens.” house gases have declined. We can address the effects of climate change, grow new jobs and enhance economic gains by accelerating this transition to clean energy. Putting a price on carbon would hasten the shift.

Support international collaborations. Some environmental problems, like climate change and overfishing, require international cooperation to solve because the issues transcend borders and the solutions can be undermined by economic competition among nations. The United States has been a leader in forging international agreements. President Reagan led the Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer and President Obama led the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Continued U.S. leadership will be vital.

The country can also negotiate strong environmental standards in international trade agreements, which will help level the competitive playing field for U.S. firms and workers—a priority for the administration.

Manage the effects of development at a landscape scale. A growing economy will require more infrastructure for energy, transportation and other sectors. The Conservancy has worked with developers to pioneer an approach to landscape planning that allows development to proceed in ways that

safeguard natural habitat. State and local governments around the country, as well as the Interior Department and other federal agencies, are beginning to adopt this approach.

Maintain and enhance core laws and policies. For four decades the United States has led the world in enacting effective environmental laws and policies with bipartisan support.

The country’s bedrock environmental laws have stood the test of time and have created a cleaner environment and a stronger economy for its citizens.

The United States should not abandon or weaken these laws and policies, which have served the country so well.

To the contrary, Congress and the president should work with the environmental, public health and business communities to deliver even better outcomes for the 21st century.

Unleash U.S. creativity. Lastly, and most important, we need to revive the bipartisan, can-do spirit that fueled so much progress throughout U.S. history. American ingenuity is one of the most powerful forces the world has ever seen. No matter how divisive the country’s politics may appear, Americans know how to work together to make the future better than the past.

We always have, and we can again now.

We just need to get to work.

NAT UR E .ORG /MAG AZI NE

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letters

W RI TE TO US

magazine@tnc.org Nature Conservancy Magazine, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100 Arlington, VA 22203 EMAIL: MAIL:

Recognizing Great Partners in Great Bear

We have traveled the Canadian North Coast extensively on our own boat over the years, so we are very familiar with the issues surrounding its preservation (see “Keepers of the Great Bear,” page 24). It has taken the concerted efforts of several organizations, together with the support of First Nations, to get to where we are today. In light of this joint effort, it was with some consternation that we saw no reference to the Raincoast Conservation Society or Pacific Wild. Both organizations have been very active in promoting awareness of the issues at hand, as well as working directly with the local bands to effect lasting changes on the ground.

JOHN AND LORRAINE LITTLEWOOD, FRIDAY HARBOR, WASHINGTON

Dealing With the U.S. Government The “Scenic Outlook” story on page 16 states that TNC will donate 1,600 acres of land along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina to the National Park Service. I don’t trust the government to always do the right thing when it comes to the environment, especially right now, with the anti-environmental Trump administration and a Congress that has tried to remove or undercut protections for public lands. When TNC donates land, is there a clause to take back the land in case the government tries to sell it off or allow mining or other destructive development on it? What assurances do we have that this won’t happen?

BRUCE A. DENNEY, FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS

The editor responds: Before conducting land deals with federal agencies, we assess several factors aimed at ensuring lands will remain protected. These include reviewing the federal agency’s mission, its history and existing regulations governing how it manages lands.

The Park Service’s mission, for example, is to preserve natural and cultural resources for this and future generations.

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Terrific Journalism As a lifelong journalist, I know a well-told story when I see it, and your piece by the late Amanda Fiegl was terrific and moving. Well done.

DAVE WARNER

Protecting Turtles When Judith and I were fortunate enough to visit the Galapagos last spring, we came away with a lasting fascination with all the wonderful animals, but especially the giant tortoises. Upon reading “The Turtle Trackers” (page 42), I now appreciate that the hawksbill turtles are, as Rick Hamilton said, “awesome,” and deserve not only our affection, but the same compassionate protection as their large, well-publicized cousins on the other end of the Pacific. Thank you for the fascinating article, as well as for the tender tribute to the very courageous Amanda Fiegl (page 64).

MARK MINTER, PELHAM, NEW YORK

Clarification Several readers took issue with the photo accompanying our low-impact camping story (“Camping’s Golden Rules,” page 12),

noting that shining a flashlight up in the air may add to light pollution and disturb wildlife. While the beam in our photo looked brighter than usual because the photographer used a 15-second exposure, it is good etiquette to remember that flashlight beams can be disruptive and bothersome to nearby campers and stargazers. As a matter of courtesy, campers should use low-intensity flashlights and keep them pointed toward the ground.

Correction A story in the December 2016/January 2017 issue incorrectly named a TNC partner working to remove tires from a Colorado ranch. The partner is Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, not Western Volunteer Resources. The group will continue its work on the ranch this year.

MAGAZ INE

Curtis Runyan Editor-in-Chief Melissa G. Ryan Director of Photography Katie Lesser Art Director Danielle S. Furlich Deputy Editor Matt Jenkins, Eric Seeger Senior Editors Lisa Speckhardt Managing Editor Jenny Rogers Associate Editor and Writer Rolaine Ossman Assistant Photo Editor Jessica Oglesby Assistant Managing Editor Ron Geatz Contributing Editor Jay Sullivan Senior Production Manager

MARK ET ING

Janine Wilkin Chief Marketing Officer Vicki Brienza Project Director Meredith Haws Advertising Manager

GO TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. RETURN INSPIRED TO PROTECT IT. Join us on sensitive explorations of the Arctic and Antarctica and learn why they’re so important, how they’re changing, and what we can do to ensure their survival.

The North Pole Summit | July 20, 2017 Experience the wildlife and rugged wilderness of the iconic North Pole and learn first-hand about the changing polar ice cap from seven expert guests, including Conservancy global board member, FRANCES ULMER. Essential Antarctica | Dec 28, 2017

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Travel with special guest and The Nature Conservancy lead scientist EDDIE GAME, an ecology expert who has worked on conservation projects in more than 15 countries.

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NO 16

A full day starts with a wide-open schedule.

CAPTIVA ISLAND, FL

Islandology is our way of life. It’s slowing down to a relaxing pace. It’s letting ourselves unwind and get closer to what matters. It’s knowing lifelong memories can’t be scheduled – they just happen when they’re supposed to.

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worldview

INSIDE: CONSERVATION NEWS, SCIENCE AND INSPIRATION

THE NETWORK: The largest of the 18 major river

basins in the contiguous United States belongs to the Mississippi. The Colorado River basin lies to the west in yellow, and between them the Rio Grande is in blue.

The Reach of Rivers © ROBERT SZUCS / GRASSHOPPERGEOGRAPHY

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN REIGNS SUPREME—AND BOLDLY

pink—on this map depicting the major watersheds in the contiguous United States. Watershed, river basin and catchment all refer to a land area in which water drains to a single stream, river or lake. In a recent global analysis, The Nature Conservancy found that 80 percent of large cities could meaningfully improve their drinking-water quality and reliability by boosting land conservation and changing agricultural practices in the watersheds that supply them. —DANIELLE S. FURLICH

ONLINE Watch a video about how watersheds affect city water supplies at nature.org/ healthywaters.

NAT UR E .ORG /MAG AZI NE

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worldview

1996 Congress declared the Cache la Poudre River a National Heritage Area in 1996, recognizing its important role in Western water law.

Phantom Past VISITORS TO THE NATURE

Conservancy’s Phantom Canyon Preserve in Colorado often hike along its roadless gulley and wade through the North Fork of the Cache la Poudre River. Few realize that this is the site that led to one of the most famous pieces of environmental law in the West.

Trouble began in the 1870s when drought hit the Poudre Valley, where a commune lived along the river. When farmers moved in upstream and began drawing water from the river, the commune’s irrigation canals dried up. The dispute landed in court, and the resulting decision in favor of the first water users solidified the legal standard that now governs water rights throughout much of the western United States.

Today, TNC and its partners work within this framework to create water banks and water transactions—in which water rights holders are paid to keep water in the rivers to help wildlife. They also restore area forests to protect water in the Cache la Poudre watershed.

—JENNY ROGERS

CANYONLANDS: The North Fork of the Cache la Poudre River runs through

Phantom Canyon Preserve, a roadless canyon in northern Colorado.

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ONLINE: Watch footage of TNC’s

work in the nearby Laramie Foothills at nature.org/PoudreRiver.

© ALEXMISU/SHUTTERSTOCK; RANDALL L. SCHIEBER. OPPOSITE PAGE: © AARON COLUSSI

CLEANER WATER: The Conservancy’s Carrie Vollmer-Sanders meets with farmers in the Midwest to promote standards to reduce nutrient pollution (bottom). In Florida, farms growing potatoes, strawberries and watermelons have adopted the standards.

Growing Green

A SET OF FARMING STANDARDS

promoting a more targeted use of fertilizer to reduce pollution and farming costs is increasingly being adopted across the United States.

Called the 4Rs, the standards prescribe using the right fertilizer at the right rate, time and place to reduce runoff that pollutes streams and to keep soil healthier. The Nature Conservancy is working directly with more than 400 farms in Florida to adopt the approach and, through the related 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification Program, is promoting the standards to businesses that sell fertilizers in the Midwest. —J.R.

QUIZ

Which products use less water?

1

In your morning cup: Coffee or tea?

2

Water Makes the World Go Round Hydrologists estimate that if all the water on Earth filled a 5-gallon bucket, just one drop of it would represent the clean, fresh water accessible to humans. It is important to consider water use when assessing environmental impact, but it can be difficult to determine how much water goes into making the products we consume. How water-wise are your choices?

Take our quiz and find out. —D.S.F. 10

NAT URE CON SER VAN CY SUMMER 2017

Your shirt: Cotton or polyester?

3

Lunch: A small pizza margherita or a cheeseburger?

4

Drink: An 8-ounce glass of milk or a 17-ounce bottle of cola?

ANSWERS: Some crops are thirstier than others, and irrigated, processed crops

use the most water. Even so, most plant-based foods use less water than animal products. Thus, tea (7.9 gallons) requires less water than coffee (37 gallons), polyester (92 gallons) beats cotton (713 gallons), pizza (333 gallons) beats a cheeseburger (660 gallons), and cola (46 gallons) beats milk (54.9 gallons).

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT (WATER GLASS): © ANDREYKUZMIN /123RF; KEVINMAYER/ISTOCK; BEERLOGOFF | DREAMSTIME.COM; DAVID LEWIS TAYLOR/GETTY IMAGES; GTS/ SHUTTERSTOCK; M. UNAL OZMEN/SHUTTERSTOCK; SOMCHAI SOM/SHUTTERSTOCK; RASKOLNIKOV/SHUTTERSTOCK; RONALD SUMNERS/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE PAGE: © MONICA ALMEIDA/THE NEW YORK TIMES/ REDUX

worldview

FACTS & FIGURES

1938

Concrete Dreams

Reclaiming an urban river THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES,

the Army Corps of Engineers, The Nature Conservancy and other partners have kicked off an effort to reestablish natural habitats along an 11-mile stretch of the Los Angeles River. Much of the 51-mile-long waterway has been encased in concrete and tightly con-

trolled since a devastating flood inundated the city in 1938.

The project is requiring new kinds of thinking about what conservation means in a heavily urban area, says Sophie Parker, a TNC ecologist in Los Angeles. “We’re in a situation where we can’t return the river to a fully natural state because there are houses and businesses and roads and other infrastructure along the river.”

The work is part of the city’s larger revitalization

plan that calls for a number of changes, including adding more than 700 acres of wetlands along the river, building bike paths on existing bridges and removing invasive species from riverbanks. The Conservancy is currently gathering baseline environmental data on the area to help monitor the future success of any restoration efforts. —J.R. RIVER RECLAMATION: Restoration

plans aim to reintroduce local residents to the Los Angeles River by creating recreation opportunities.

The year the Army Corps began using concrete to control much of the Los Angeles River.

719

Acres of new wetlands planned to be restored along a little-used industrial stretch of the river.

300

Number of bird species, including the endangered California brown pelican, that still use the river.

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worldview

Expanding Estuaries IN 2016, THE WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE, WITH

help from The Nature Conservancy and funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), restored 131 acres of tidal marsh at the Fir Island Farms estuary in Washington, which provides habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon. Chinook salmon in the state have also benefited from the work of King County and other TNC partners to restore 50 acres of floodplains along the Snoqualmie River, another NOAA-funded project that has brought more natural river flows and in the process generated additional aquatic habitat for this regionally threatened species. —JESSICA OGLESBY

The middle of nowhere or the center of everything?

T h e re’s n o b e t t e r p l a c e t o re m i n d y ou r s e l f of y ou r r i g ht f u l p l a c e i n t h e u n i v e r s e . At on c e i m m e n s e a n d i nt i m at e , Wy om i n g’s t i m e l e s s w on d e r s t re t c h e s out b e f ore y ou a n d f i n d s it s w ay i nt o y ou r s ou l . O ut h e re , i n s om n i a w ou l d n’t b e a b a d t h i n g .

travelwyoming.com // Bighorn National Forest

SAFE HAVEN: The Fir Island marshes

provide a refuge for approximately 65,000 juvenile Chinook salmon every year as they migrate from the Skagit River to the Puget Sound.

ONLINE: Learn more

© RON ERWIN/GETTY IMAGES. OPPOSITE PAGE: © EIKO JONES PHOTOGRAPHY

about the plan at nature.org/plan2014.

A Greater Lake Agreement works to revitalize Lake Ontario

IN DECEMBER, THE UNITED STATES

and Canada agreed to alter water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River to restore 64,000 acres of wetlands and increase hydropower. The International Joint Commission developed the plan with help from The Nature Conservancy and partners. “We’re changing the way an entire Great Lake is managed,” says Jim Howe, who directs TNC’s work in central and western New York. “You don’t get to do that very often.” —J.R.

REFLECTIONS: The United States and Canada have agreed to allow fluctuations in Lake Ontario’s water levels, which will help restore wetlands and reverse declines in some fish and bird populations.

worldview

MEET THE BOARD

A global business leader explains China’s evolving approach to conservation.

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THE CHALLENGE Over the past several decades, China focused on the economy and growth. This brought wealth and prosperity to not only China but also the world, including the United States. Unfortunately, China’s environment was neglected. Today China is going through a major transition from industrialization to consumption and services, and this will present new challenges for conservation.

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WATER WORRIES In Hangzhou, precipitation amounts to about 45 inches every year.

Compared with other densely populated areas like California, this is a lot of water. However, China’s basic infrastructure, including watertreatment facilities, is not up to date. China has been forced to learn the painful lessons that many developed countries have already experienced.

3

PRACTICAL ANSWERS Alibaba Foundation and TNC recently set up a water fund near Hangzhou to invest in land management practices that protect water sources. Increasing awareness and education about freshwater sources and the watershed is very important work for all environmental organizations in China.

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LEAD BY EXAMPLE

“ TNC’s valuable experiences and case studies from other countries, and its respectful and low-key approach, are excellent strengths when working with organizations and local people in China.”

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TNC’s valuable experiences and case studies from other countries, and its respectful and lowkey approach, are excellent strengths when working with organizations and local people in China.

Its on-the-ground projects and resultsoriented culture provide a great example.

CURRICULUM VITAE Length of Service 7 years Home Hangzhou, China Expertise Jack Ma is the founder of the Alibaba Group, a company that supports the growth and development of Internet businesses.

He was recently invited to serve as special adviser on youth entrepreneurship and small business to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Ma established the board of trustees for TNC’s China program in 2009 and served as its first chairman.

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SUM OF THE PARTS Every individual can do something to make his or her own small contribution to the environment.

For me, it is about caring for the river in front of me. It is about caring for the small garden in my neighborhood. This is the movement I want to inspire. I want everyone to take action — do the simple and easy things that will, as a whole, make a big difference.

ILLUSTRATION: © MICHAEL HOEWELER

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To book your stay with Montage Palmetto Bluff, call 866-321-5295.

Obtain the Property Report required by federal law and read it before signing anything. No federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. This does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy where prohibited by law. The complete offering terms are in an offering plan available from sponsor. File no. H-110005

interview

Kahlil Kettering The Nature Conservancy’s director of urban conservation in Maryland and Washington, D.C., talks about keeping city stormwater out of rivers.

By Courtney Leatherman

Trash cleanup days along the Anacostia River have become pretty routine in Washington, D.C., over the past decade.

Less routine is having infants out there “participating” in the volunteer event, as was the case with your niece a while back.

You told her mother, who was reluctant to bring her, that your niece was never too young to see it. See what? The Styro-

When you were her age, you too lived in D.C. So you’ve seen the Anacostia—the Potomac River’s lesser-known cousin, polluted by a nearby federal Superfund site—as it has changed over the years.

What makes you optimistic about the river’s future now? It’s come a long way. I

remember going out on it when it was a dirty, dangerous place—with appliances and cars and tires in the water. Now the river is starting to look healthier and cleaner. When you go down there, you can see bald eagles flying and osprey fishing and tons of turtles. And you see people kayaking and boating. People are starting to love the river again.

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RAINY DAYS: Kahlil Kettering visits a Maryland church parking lot that TNC recently helped renovate.

A new grassy median (above) absorbs excess rain and prevents it from running into the Anacostia River.

That’s in part because of a D.C. tax on plastic bags that has provided funding for cleanup efforts. But the water is still highly contaminated, right? Yes. D.C. has

a lot of development and the city has a major challenge with stormwater: In a single 24 hours, a storm producing 1.2 inches of rain results in 525 million gallons of water pouring into storm drains and ending up in the Anacostia, the Potomac and eventually the Chesapeake Bay—one of the most productive estuaries in North America.

We’re talking about rainwater in storm drains though, not raw sewage. So what’s

the problem? That water is running off

the pavement, picking up gas, oil and other chemicals from cars and going right into the rivers with no treatment.

The runoff is also picking up heat and velocity, which causes erosion and sedimentation in the river.

Washington has some fairly new regulations in place to clean up stormwater before it hits the rivers. The city is requiring owners of new buildings to retain most of their stormwater—through green roofs, cisterns, rain gardens and the like. But what if a building can’t absorb all of its own stormwater? The city has created

© KARINE AIGNER

foam, the trash. But also the calm, the wild space, just a few miles from the nation’s Capitol.

Long Live Your Values Together we can protect the world we love.

Bison grazing in Colorado © Nick Hall.

Plan Today To Pass On Your Values The world is an uncertain place, but you can be certain The Nature Conservancy will be there to protect it.

We can’t do it alone. To protect the world we love,

We are here to help. For free planning resources from

we need your help. Many of our members choose

our trained giving specialists, contact us at:

to make a gift to the Conservancy through their

 (877) 812-3698

will, trust, retirement accounts or life insurance policy. Taking a few minutes to make a plan can have extraordinary benefits for you and our world.

 legacy@tnc.org nature.org/LongLiveValues

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY CANNOT RENDER TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR BEFORE MAKING A GIFT. PHOVV170601ZBQBCXX

interview

a database, a virtual marketplace, that lists stormwater retention credits for sale. Owners can go to the marketplace to buy credits. One gallon of saved stormwater equals one credit.

So for every gallon the new building doesn’t absorb, the owner can pay for water to be absorbed elsewhere. It’s essentially a credit market. Where does The Nature Conservancy come in? On

the supply side. We find owners of large properties that are not subject to the new rule because they’re not new developments. For instance a church parking lot generates a whole lot of runoff. We can get a design for stormwater retention, like a rain garden, have it installed and certified, and then put those credits on the marketplace.

private equity into the equation. In March 2016, Prudential invested $1.7 million in District Stormwater LLC, a partnership between TNC and Encourage Capital that pays for, develops and manages projects that generate stormwater retention credits.

“ We’re getting calls from lots of cities, such as Chicago and St. Louis. They see the stormwater credit market as a way to meet EPA requirements.”

Does District Stormwater have any projects underway in the city? Mount

Olivet, a Catholic cemetery. It’s on a hill just west of the Anacostia. The cemetery is paying a very high fee for its stormwater runoff right now, but a retention project is too expensive for the cemetery to do on its own. This is our proof-of-concept project.

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What do you mean? We want to show how the stormwater credit market works and bring in more players to create more retention. We want to create big blocks of credit.

Proving that private-equity projects work would open the possibility of a vast pool of Wall Street investment—as much as $1 billion for conservation projects, I’ve heard.

What kind of interest has there been?

We’re getting calls from lots of cities, such as Chicago and St. Louis. They see the credit market as a way to help meet requirements mandated by the Envi-

ronmental Protection Agency and to do it without using city funds. But these cities aren’t going to do it until they see if it works. That’s why we’re involved.

The Conservancy has the ability to create things on a large scale and to take the lessons learned and replicate them.

In the process, you’re also cleaning up a neglected neighborhood river for future generations, like your niece’s. Yeah.

She’s a motivation and a reminder.

This is part of why we do this. This is her inheritance. I’m helping to protect and preserve the future for her.

© SKIP BROWN/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

And that also would put money back in the church’s pockets because it wouldn’t have to pay fees for excessive runoff anymore. At the moment, though, there aren’t a lot of credits for sale on the marketplace. That’s why TNC is bringing

MUDDY WATERS: A kayaker navigates through trash and debris on the Anacostia River. Trash cleanups are a regular occurrence, and conservationists are now working to clean up sources of runoff into the river.

travel

Dive In

Explore Florida’s Natural Springs

Immerse yourself in aquatic adventures

1

Savor a Spring

OFFERING COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURES YEAR-ROUND, FLORIDA’S 900-PLUS

freshwater springs provide cool relief in the summer and many shelter manatees in the winter. Some of the best springs and spring-fed rivers to visit can be found in state parks: Take a dip in the cypress-shaded Ichetucknee River, north of Gainesville; go tubing on the Rainbow River, near Ocala; or paddle the 5-mile Chassahowitzka River, north of Tampa. Snorkeling, bird-watching and hiking are also popular at many springs.

The Nature Conservancy has helped protect numerous springs—the state’s primary source of drinking water—throughout Florida. nature.org/floridafreshwater TRAVEL TIPS

Help ensure treasured swimming spots stay clean—and you

Spring Etiquette stay safe—by following a few simple guidelines.

Heed the Signs

Exploring gator country calls for a little extra caution. Swim only in designated areas, and always look before you leap.

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Leave No Trace

Litter is more than just unsightly; it can be dangerous to wildlife and water quality.

Pack out whatever you bring in.

Watch Your Feet

Stay on marked paths and familiarize yourself with native plants to avoid trampling the delicate vegetation surrounding springs.

RESIDENT EXPERT

“ People come for the beaches, but to see the real Florida, they should also visit these natural wonders in the center of the state.”

Beth Lewis

Freshwater Program Manager for The Nature Conservancy in Florida

ESCAPE. EXPLORE. ENGAGE. 2

Trace Zion’s Canyons

THE VIRGIN RIVER COULD BE CONSIDERED THE MICHELANGELO OF SOUTH-

PHOTO: © CHRIS MOORE/TANDEM STOCK. OPPOSITE PAGE: © MAC STONE. ILLUSTRATION: © MICHAEL HOEWELER

western Utah. For millions of years, its waters have carved the geography here, and the red and white sandstone canyons of Zion National Park are most certainly the river’s Pietà. Exploring the river’s handiwork can be as easy as a stroll along the paved Riverside Trail or as challenging as a 16-mile hike in the Narrows, where the river flows between sheer redrock cliffs. Even a short wade through the water on a hot day is an unforgettable experience. In nearby St. George, explore TNC’s White Dome Nature Preserve, home to the endangered dwarf bear poppy. The Conservancy and partners are restoring critical portions of the Virgin River outside of the park. nature.org/virginriver

Join The Nature Conservancy and Zegrahm Expeditions for breathtaking journeys through Alaska, Australia’s Kimberley and Great Barrier Reef, the Caribbean, Cuba, and Micronesia.

Learn more at www.zegrahm.com/tnc or by calling 855.213.3079

Water for Life

It’s time to manage water like the precious resource it is.

BY GIULIO BOCCALETTI

PHOTOGRAPH BY KEN GEIGER

IN 2009, I TRAVELED DEEP INTO SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA, ON THE

country’s arid border with Kenya. The area includes the Great Rift Valley, famous for its early human fossils, but I was there as a consultant looking for solutions to Ethiopia’s chronic water challenges. The region is so drought prone that the nomadic cattle herders who live there often have violent skirmishes over the control of watering holes for their livestock. Just to visit we needed a security detail armed with assault rifles.

This journey was a harsh reminder that no resource on Earth is as valuable as fresh water. Indeed, how a country manages its water can tell you a lot about the state of its economy and political stability. A study by Upmanu Lall and Casey Brown of Columbia University has shown that the prosperity of a country strongly correlates with how favorable its hydrology is. And a well-known World Bank model holds up Ethiopia as a stark example: The gross domestic product of the country—which is heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture—grows in rainy years and falls substantially during years of drought.

What is true for Ethiopia holds for the rest of the world as well.

No nation has managed to achieve prosperity without first delivering “water security”—without developing the infrastructure, institutions and practices needed to manage droughts and floods and to ensure a consistent water supply.

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WADING IN: Boccaletti on the mudflats of the River Thames in London.

Today, however, water security, even in many rich countries, is in jeopardy. Our inability to adequately value water, to invest in the systems that allow us to carefully manage water, to allocate water to the most important uses (and avoid wasting it), and to protect the health of the watersheds from which we draw our water—all these failures threaten human health, prosperity and even political stability. These problems are widespread and getting worse.

In fact, the World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Risk Report ranked water crises above the threat of terror attacks and cyberattacks in terms of global impact. Over the past 10 years, water issues have been consistently listed by

our best hope to overcome the chronic neglect of water resources.

As an organization, TNC has been field-testing strategies to protect and manage freshwater ecosystems for decades. That may sound surprising for an organization that got its start protecting land. But as one TNC scientist in Colorado puts it, “We realized pretty quickly that preserves that protect water supplies are worth a lot more, ecologically speaking.”

The greatest threats to water systems across the world come from three difficult—but not unsolvable—problems: the enormous amount of water used by agriculture, poorly planned dams and other infrastructure on rivers, and the

purchase some of that excess water and put it back in the rivers and wetlands, they help sustain the entire ecosystem.

An excellent example of how this works can be found in southern Australia, home to the largest water market in the world (see “After the Big Dry,” page 38). The Murray-Darling river system supplies the water that supports Australia’s bread basket. The Conservancy is now a partner in a $20 million fund that leases or sells water to farmers during dry periods (when they need water most) and buys water from them during wetter periods. The excess water is used to help replenish wetlands in the river system. The lessons learned from this successful effort could inform proj-

“Water security, even in many rich countries, is in jeopardy.” the organization as one of the top 10 threats to prosperity. Climate change is compounding that risk.

Yet I don’t believe that widespread water crises are a fate we are consigned to. I joined The Nature Conservancy as its global managing director for water because I have seen that combining sophisticated water management with investments in freshwater ecosystems can create the conditions for peace and prosperity.

An important part of achieving water security is restoring the ecological integrity of rivers, watersheds, wetlands, floodplains and aquifers, and treating these freshwater ecosystems as integral to the built infrastructure— reservoirs, water-treatment plants, etc.—we depend on for clean water.

Embracing a blend of green and gray infrastructure and striking a healthy balance between nature and people are

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degradation of natural lands that supply water to our towns and cities.

Perhaps the most challenging threat is agriculture. Globally, about 70 percent of available fresh water is withdrawn for irrigation and other agricultural purposes. In places where water scarcity is a problem—about a third of the watersheds of the world—that percentage can grow to more than 90 percent. But there are ways to cut back water use without harming agricultural productivity, even in arid places.

One simple institutional mechanism is the establishment of a well-regulated water market. When cities or other water users are willing to pay farmers to lease or acquire their water rights, farmers gain an incentive to improve their irrigation efficiency or switch to less water-intensive crops. The farmers can make money from the water they don’t use. And when organizations like TNC

ects in many other parts of the world, such as the drought-stricken Colorado River basin in the United States.

Another significant challenge to global water security is the development of infrastructure that interferes with the natural flow of rivers. Hydropower is an especially difficult case because although it has been a boon for low-carbon power generation, it also devastates fish and fishing communities and fragments free-flowing rivers.

Dams also catch silt, which over the long term reduces generating capacity and limits the replenishment of river deltas and beaches.

Between 2014 and 2016 alone, massive hydropower dams in places like Ethiopia, Zambia and Canada brought more than 72,000 megawatts of power online. By 2040, experts predict about 3,700 new dams will be built, doubling global hydropower capacity and placing

more than 186,000 miles of river at risk of fragmentation.

Yet science shows us that the location of these dams makes an enormous difference in their effect on natural ecosystems.

By analyzing the entire river system, we can identify where dams will generate the needed power and do the least harm to fish and water flows. Careful siting can improve the connectivity of rivers and their tributaries by an average of 60 percent without compromising power production.

I got to see the power of this approach in action during my first year at TNC, when I watched the removal of the Veazie Dam, part of a network of hydropower dams on Maine’s Penobscot River. The Conservancy and its partners removed the two dams closest to the Atlantic Ocean and improved fish passages, and the local utility upgraded the other dams. Without losing any generating capacity, the project reconnected almost 2,000 miles of river and has led to the return of American shad, herring and other species. In fact, the fish runs of the past two years have exceeded most of the fish runs of the preceding two centuries.

On a global scale, TNC estimates that 60,000 miles of river could be kept intact through smarter planning, and we are lending our expertise to help governments make better choices. For instance, we are currently providing scientific review of hydropower throughout the Balkan Peninsula. This region includes some of Europe’s last wild rivers, such as the Tara River in Montenegro. The river’s aqua waters flow through a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its basin is a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In Africa, we are producing an atlas of Gabon’s freshwater resources so the nation’s leaders can make informed development decisions.

The final big challenge to global water security is a simple failure to protect the watersheds that supply clean water to our cities and towns. The water coming out of your faucets originally fell from the sky as rain or snow and was captured in a natural

funnel of land, the watershed. Unfortunately, 40 percent of watersheds supplying cities are showing signs of moderate to high degradation.

When forests and grasslands are cleared in the upper reaches of a watershed, increased erosion creates sediment, which not only must be filtered out of water supplies but also reduces the capacity of reservoirs. Denuded watersheds lose much of their capacity to absorb and slowly release rainwater, which leaves less water to recharge aquifers. Finally, when agricultural production or development takes over natural lands in the watershed, runoff from farms, roads and buildings can pollute water supplies.

What is a city to do when landowners outside its jurisdiction threaten the water supply? The Conservancy has helped create a market-based tool called a water fund, through which cities, power plants and even private companies can protect water supplies by paying upstream landowners to improve their stewardship practices. Think of New York City’s famously clean tap water, resulting in part from the city’s foresight in protecting the source forests, like those in the Catskill Mountains watershed.

The Conservancy has already established 29 water funds, and 30 more are in development. Yet there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other places that could benefit from this approach. Approximately 80 percent of cities could meaningfully reduce sediment and fertilizer pollution through forest protection, landscape restoration and better agricultural practices. Cleaner water would save municipal utilities $890 million every year.

Applying these kinds of strategies across the globe will not be an easy task, but government leaders and citizens are beginning to recognize the problems and ask thoughtful questions about lasting solutions. We have promising models to follow—if we remember to invest not only in engineering but also in the engine of life itself.

DR. GIULIO BOCCALETTI Giulio Boccaletti is the chief strategy officer of The Nature Conservancy, as well as its global managing director for water.

Prior to joining TNC, Boccaletti was a partner at McKinsey and Co., where he founded the firm’s Global Water Resource initiative and was a leader of its Sustainability and Resource Productivity practice. Boccaletti has been a member of the Global Agenda Council on Water of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and is a member of its Global Futures Council on Environment and Natural Resource Security. In 2014, WEF named him a Young Global Leader.

Background Boccaletti started his career as a scientist with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focusing on atmospheric and ocean sciences and climate dynamics.

He has a master’s in physics from the Università degli Studi di Bologna, and master’s and doctorate degrees in atmospheric and oceanic sciences from Princeton University.

ONLINE Follow Boccaletti on Twitter @G_Boccaletti and read his blog posts at global.nature.org.

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BALANCING ACT: On rivers like the Magdalena, in Colombia, TNC

is working to find a new equilibrium that supports environmental needs while sustaining traditional livelihoods such as fishing, shown here at the Barbacoas marshes.

River systems have been hit harder than almost any other ecosystem on Earth. Now Nature Conservancy scientists around the world are helping people and nature thrive together.

BY LISA BRAMEN

ROM THE SNOW-COVERED PEAKS OF THE ROCKY

Mountains to the sere, crackled plains of the Sonoran Desert, the Colorado River is a study in the interconnectivity of humans and nature. Nearly 40 million people depend on the river for clean drinking water, electricity, recreation and agriculture. Thirsty cities, including Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix, tap the Colorado, while irrigation has turned vast expanses of desert into the nation’s wintertime salad bowl. In all, the river contributes $1.4 trillion per year to the regional economy and can provide as much as 4,200 megawatts of hydropower, enough for more than three-quarters of a million homes.

Yet that has all come at a tremendous cost to the environment. Since the early 20th century, the Colorado River has been so extensively manipulated that it no longer reaches its original terminus in the Gulf of California. Lagoons once teeming with fish and frequented by jaguars, coyotes and bobcats have become parched arroyos on the edge of the sea.

What happens on one part of a river system has consequences elsewhere: Infrastructure projects fragment the Colorado, interfering with natural processes such as seed dispersal and fish migration. The Colorado pikeminnow has seen 75 percent of its habitat disappear because of reduced flow. Reservoirs cool the water, making it less hospitable to native species, such as the endangered humpback chub, that evolved in warmer temperatures. Salts washed into the river from farms affect drinking water and irrigation supplies and harm fish downstream. And the reduced flow of fresh water from the Colorado into the Gulf of California may be contributing to the decline of the vaquita porpoise, the world’s most endangered marine mammal.

Similar destruction is happening on rivers around the world. Many face additional threats: dirty runoff caused by

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© PETE MCBRIDE/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE. PAGES 26-27: © JUAN ARREDONDO

A 16-year drought was a wake-up call for the seven U.S. and two Mexican states that depend on the Colorado for drinking water, irrigation, electricity and recreation. Ensuring sufficient water supplies requires a new approach that looks at the entire river system, including this section, known as “The Loop,” near Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah. “We’re trying to change the culture of water management to include benefits for our rivers,” says Taylor Hawes, who directs TNC’s Colorado River program.

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© MICHAEL YAMASHITA (ALL)

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Proposed dams have threatened one of the world’s most productive freshwater fisheries, along with the local tradition of cooperative fishing with Irrawaddy dolphins. But after decades of military dictatorship, Myanmar’s newly elected government is reevaluating its hydropower plans and considering ways to balance electricity generation with a healthy river system. (Left, duck farm in Irrawaddy Delta; fish market in Yangon.)

deforestation that smothers fish spawning grounds; nutrientrich fertilizer runoff from farms that asphyxiates aquatic life; overfishing; and levees that disconnect rivers from their habitat-rich floodplains and worsen flooding downstream.

All of this highlights the reality that river health is as dependent on humans as humans are on rivers.

The Nature Conservancy’s Saving Great Rivers program looks at entire river systems—from mountain headwaters to coastal deltas—to find solutions that support both humans and other species. That approach is helping China, Colombia and the United States, among other countries, sustain ecologically vibrant rivers that serve as a foundation for human prosperity and security, providing hydropower and other benefits to humans while supporting healthy ecosystems.

“We’re for healthy, connected rivers,” says Shelly Lakly, the managing director of the Saving Great Rivers program.

“One of the biggest challenges is bad infrastructure in the wrong places. We try to guide infrastructure development into the right places, because our science drives us there.”

Some rivers remain relatively pristine, offering an opportunity for planners to avoid the mistakes made in other river systems. The small Central African nation of Gabon, for example, is home to fewer than 2 million people, plus gorillas, hippopotamuses and the majority of the world’s remaining forest elephants. Its Ogooué River, a wild torrent that drains nearly the entire country, is a conservationist’s dream.

“In the floodplains, there’s a sense of awe that you can be in a boat for hours and see only green,” says Marie-Claire Paiz, director of TNC’s Gabon program. “There are so few places in the world where you can do that.”

Natural resource extraction—especially of oil—has, by and large, provided stability and a good standard of living for

Gabon’s citizens, but the government recognizes the need to diversify the economy. The Conservancy is working with the Gabonese government to take a balanced approach to forestry, agriculture and water infrastructure along the river by providing solid science and decision-making tools. The organization recently completed a digital freshwater atlas that combines information about biodiversity with analyses of the threats posed by different land uses.

With nine sites designated as Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance, including several on the Ogooué, Gabon has also enlisted TNC’s help in developing national standards for management of these crucial wildlife habitats.

“Here in Gabon, we have an almost-blank slate to do it right,” says Paiz. “This is an amazing opportunity.”

Other rivers have already been dramatically transformed.

The Magdalena River basin, in Colombia, contains extensive biodiversity and is the backbone of the nation’s economy— from the major cities of Bogotá and Medellín to the lowland fisheries that support some of the country’s most economically vulnerable populations.

The Conservancy is restoring floodplains in the Magdalena’s lower elevations, where migratory bird and fish habitat has been degraded by sediment from deforestation and pollution from illegal mining. And as the country emerges from decades of conflict following a historic peace agreement, TNC is providing open-access computer tools to foster informed dialogue on as many as 140 possible new dams in the Magdalena watershed.

The Conservancy’s Magdalena decision-support system, known as SIMA, uses integrated scientific data to simulate the outcomes of various decisions. Users can create scenarios that avoid development in ecologically or culturally sensitive areas, such as archaeological sites or communities victimized by war.

Making such information freely available promotes transparency in the development process, says Juliana Delgado, the science coordinator for TNC in Colombia. “Dialogue is possible when [everyone has] the same information.”

Many countries are looking to hydropower to serve the energy needs of growing populations. As of 2012, 70 percent of all renewable energy worldwide was hydropower, and dams are attractive power sources for countries trying to reduce carbon emissions from fossil-fuel power plants. But the drawbacks of new infrastructure, from displacement of communities to habitat fragmentation, are significant.

The Conservancy’s approach, called Hydropower by Design, encompasses the full life cycle of water projects.

In many instances, planning for new infrastructure can ensure that it is built in a way that is least disruptive to fish and flows. Where dams already exist, TNC can recommend better ways to operate them. And it’s possible to strategically remove infrastructure that has outlived its purpose and reconnect rivers.

CO NTI NUE D O N PAGE 37

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The Ogooué and its tributaries —including the Ivindo River and Kongou Falls, shown here—are a conservationist’s dream: a wild torrent surrounded by vast untouched tracts supporting hippos, gorillas and the world’s largest remaining population of forest elephants. The Gabonese government is committed to protecting this national treasure, working with TNC to plan for its energy needs without harming the river or its inhabitants.

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© MICHAEL NICHOLS/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

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© PETER STUCKINGS/GETTY IMAGES

A third of China’s people—more than the entire population of the United States—live in the Yangtze River basin, mainly clustered in major cities like Chongqing, seen here. But even the most developed rivers can be made healthier. The Conservancy has worked with the China Three Gorges Corporation on timing dam releases to mimic the spring flows needed by spawning carp.

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© JUAN ARREDONDO (ALL)

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Gabriel García Márquez set some of his most famous novels on the Magdalena. In real life, Colombia’s principal river is the backbone of the economy and home to multiple endemic species, many of which could be harmed by proposed infrastructure development. The Conservancy is providing tools to help Colombians make informed decisions about managing this important resource. (Left: a fish market in Honda; fisherman in Bocas de Barbacoas.)

CO NT I N U E D F RO M PAG E 31

In Maine, TNC joined with the Penobscot Indian Nation and other partners to reopen 2,000 miles of the Penobscot River and its tributaries, removing two dams and building a state-of-the-art fish bypass on a third to promote the recovery of Atlantic salmon and other species. By increasing power generation from the river’s remaining power projects, the state was able to maintain its overall hydropower production.

Even when dams can’t be removed, it is possible to operate them in a more environmentally friendly manner.

The Yangtze River basin is home to about a third of China’s 1.3 billion people, the heart of the national economy, and the Three Gorges Dam—the world’s largest hydropower project.

The river also provides habitat for black, grass, silver and bighead carp, but after the project was built, the populations of these “four famous carp,” as they are known locally, were nearly wiped out. The Conservancy worked with the China Three Gorges Corporation to time water releases to mimic the natural spring flow, when carp spawn. After several years of timed releases, and the reintroduction of adult fish into the river, data suggest that fish populations are beginning to rebound. The Conservancy is now trying to expand fishfriendly releases to water projects on the Jinsha tributary.

Recently, TNC began discussions with the newly elected government of Myanmar, where the Irrawaddy River supports one of the world’s largest freshwater fisheries. Only about a third of the population has access to electricity, and a slew of proposed dams looms on the horizon. But the new government has signaled that it is “very interested in taking a look at hydropower dams again, and whether they’re truly in

the best interests of the country,” says Jeff Opperman, a former TNC scientist.

Back on the Colorado River, where water infrastructure has taken such a massive toll, a multifaceted approach is gaining traction across seven U.S. states and Mexico. Many partners, including the Walton Family Foundation, have come together to show that managing water to restore ecosystems will enhance the river’s total value.

“We believe conservation solutions that make economic sense stand the test of time,” says Kyle Peterson, the foundation’s executive director. “In the Colorado River, that means working with The Nature Conservancy, one of our most important partners in our environment work, and other partners to create the incentives for ranchers, farmers and urban water managers to use water in ways that benefit people and the river.”

Sixteen years of drought have highlighted the need for fresh thinking about long-term water security. “Nearly every drop is spoken for, but the river isn’t providing it,” says Taylor Hawes, the Colorado River program director. To address this new reality, she says, “we’re trying to change the culture of water management to include benefits for our rivers.”

Creative whole-basin approaches can help ensure an ecologically functional system that continues to meet wellestablished human needs. On the Colorado, this has meant modernizing century-old irrigation ditches to reduce wasted water; building stormwater retention basins to provide habitat for migrating birds along an important portion of the Pacific Flyway in Arizona; and designing “water banks” that pay water rights holders to leave water in streams and rivers at critical times for fish. The Conservancy has also worked with state and federal agencies to “re-operate” a number of water projects in the watershed, such as Navajo Dam in New Mexico, to more closely mimic natural flow patterns for the benefit of Colorado pikeminnows, razorback suckers and other endangered fish.

In 2014, the United States and Mexico took a significant step forward by implementing a new water-sharing agreement that, for the first time, included environmental restoration provisions. The two countries sent more than 34 billion gallons of water tumbling into the Colorado River delta for the first time since 1998. That water has jump-started the restoration of cottonwood and willow habitat used by endangered birds and other wildlife (“The River’s Return,” June/July 2015).

Beyond the immediate, on-the-ground benefits in the delta, Hawes notes that the water release was important because it showed that this kind of approach can work. “We can manage the Colorado in a way that meets the needs of communities and farms as well as the needs of the river itself. With a lot of careful thought and the right people coming together, we can find solutions that work for everyone.”

Lisa Bramen is a senior editor at Adirondack Life magazine and was previously a newspaper reporter and a regular contributor to Smithsonian magazine’s food blog.

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AF TER T H E

BY JULIAN SMITH

Australia’s 14-year drought—the worst in national history—sparked a new market for farmers to buy and sell water, and help give some back to nature.

NOTHING TO SEE: Simon Booth plays with his kids, Claire and Ryan, in a dried-up portion of their New South Wales farm in February 2008. The drought began around 1996 and lasted about 14 years.

O

BOOM AND BUST: Many of southeastern Australia’s wetlands have evolved to go dormant during dry years and reawaken during floods and wet weather.

for balancing the water needs of the wetlands with those of farmlands.

“Uncle Rex” Smith, whose Maraura indigenous community claims ancestral ownership of this land, gave the group a traditional welcome. Then he and an officer from the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office cranked open a siphon on a long black pipe that emerged from the creek. Greenish-brown water spilled from the pipe’s open mouth and spiraled across the ground.

O N THE EDGE OF THE OUTBACK IN SOUTHEASTERN

Australia, nearly 600 miles west of Sydney, three dozen people came together in April 2016 for an unusual ceremony.

Representatives of indigenous groups, farmers, local government, The Nature Conservancy and other organizations gathered in the mottled shade of red river gum and black box eucalyptus trees along Frenchmans Creek, a tributary of the Murray River, Australia’s longest river. Australian ringneck parrots and sulphur-crested cockatoos squawked amid branches draped with mistletoe. Dried leaves crunched underfoot amid bits of kangaroo scat.

Appearances aside, the dusty ground was actually a dormant wetland that hadn’t seen a good rain in half a decade.

Just add water and the ecosystem would come alive, as it has countless times before in response to seasonal rains. In recent years, however, the natural flooding cycle has changed dramatically as large reservoirs were built to capture runoff for agriculture. Now it often seems as if there just isn’t enough water to go around, a conflict that resonates all over the world.

The April gathering was part of an innovative pilot project

by TNC and local partners to help restore wetlands while at the same time benefiting local farmers who need to irrigate crops. If it worked, the organization may have found a tool

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upstream from the gathering. Their combined basin covers nearly 400,000 square miles of southeastern Australia, or about 14 percent of the country. It’s Australia’s equivalent of the Mississippi Basin for agricultural production, but with the drought problems of the Colorado River—a nationalscale food basket under the heavy demand of irrigation.

The Murray-Darling Basin supports almost two-thirds of Australia’s irrigated farmland, which grows everything from cotton and cereals to livestock and wine grapes. Yet the watershed gets an average of just 18 inches of precipitation per year, giving it one of the lowest flow rates of any river system its size in the world. (The Amazon carries 725 times more water and the Ganges-Brahmaputra 95 times more.) Native species here have adapted to a boom-and-bust water cycle. During seasonal wet periods, rivers overflow onto floodplain wetlands, which bloom with vegetation and fill with fish and migratory birds.

In dry times, which can last a decade or more, vegetation turns brown and dormant, and many animals go elsewhere or dig into the mud and wait for the next rainy season.

That flooding cycle changed dramatically during the 20th century as large reservoirs were built to capture runoff for agriculture. Today irrigation claims up to 90 percent of the water extracted from the basin, leaving little for the critical seasonal inundations. More than 30,000 floodplain wetlands— on both public and private holdings, including Aboriginal cultural heritage lands—are stressed in the current situation.

The imbalance came to a head during the so-called Big Dry, or Millennium Drought, which started in the mid-1990s.

During this period, rivers dried up, reservoirs shrank, centuries-old trees died, and farmers watched their crops shrivel and die. The 14-year drought was the worst in recorded Australian history, and at its peak, the government created the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to manage the limited water resources and set up an open marketplace where farmers could buy and sell their water rights.

© ANDREW PEACOCK/TANDEM STILLS + MOTION. PAGES 38-39: © AMY TOENSING/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

THE DARLING RIVER JOINS THE MURRAY 45 MILES

DELUGE: A contractor (above) installs a pipe that will pump water from the Murray River into Frenchmans Creek to flood wetlands there.

© ANDREW PEACOCK/TANDEM STILLS + MOTION (ALL). OPPOSITE PAGE: MAP: © MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD.

Agronomist Bill Avery (below) inspects vineyards at Murray River Organics. Farmers in the Murray-Darling Basin can buy and sell water rights.

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“Water markets give farmers the flexibility to use their water rights like any asset of their farming operations, such as fuel and fertilizer and seed, that can be bought and sold at appropriate times,” says Rich Gilmore, who directs TNC’s Australia program. Markets are starting to appear around the world. For example, Texas’ Edwards Aquifer and the Northern Colorado River basin each have emerging water markets.

Still, the marketplace here left farmers, conservationists and Aboriginal groups at odds over a limited supply of water.

“The Murray-Darling Basin is the lifeblood of many Australian farmers, but its wetlands are also home to endangered wildlife,” says Gilmore. “The problem is there’s not always enough water for both. We wondered, would it be possible to better balance the competing water needs of people and nature, or even create a system in which that competition is diminished in the first place?”

IN 2015, TNC AND ITS PARTNERS LAUNCHED THE MURRAY

Darling Basin Balanced Water Fund to solve the problem. It’s the world’s first impact investment fund to buy and sell water rights with the goal of restoring important wetlands. With support from the Murray Darling Wetlands Working Group and an Australian investment company, the partnership aims to help all stakeholders benefit from sustainable water use. Members of the working group—scientists, landholders, finance professionals and conservationists—have collaborated for more than two decades to improve and conserve degraded wetlands.

In creating the fund, Gilmore and team consulted with NatureVest, TNC’s conservation investment unit, which provided expertise to develop the fund’s structure and coordinate with Kilter Rural, the third-party Australian asset management firm that made and manages the investment tool. In its simplest sense, private investors buy transferrable water rights that can be leased or sold to irrigators throughout the basin. The key, says Gilmore, is how the arrangement turns weather fluctuations from threat to opportunity.

“By happy coincidence, [often] the best time to water a wetland is when it’s wet, and the best time to water a crop is when it’s dry,” he says. So when water is scarce and demand is high, the fund leases more to farmers, meaning crops get water and investors make money. When water is abundant and demand is low, more of it is steered to wetlands, restoring the lost rhythm of flooding and drying. The result: healthy agriculture and healthy wetlands. “It works because [these] wetlands have evolved to deal with dry periods,” Gilmore adds. “They haven’t evolved to miss out on floods.”

Although green investing isn’t a new idea, this is the first time anyone has tried funding wetland restoration with

500 mi 500 km

AUSTRALIA

Watering sites Adelaide

R. ng i l ar MD ur ray R.

Sydney

Melbourne Murray-Darling Basin LIFEBLOOD: The Murray-Darling Basin supports almost two-thirds of Australia’s irrigated farmland.

investment dollars, according to Gilmore. Australia was the logical place to try it, since it already has the largest and best-regulated water market. “There is an understandable skepticism about a conservation group being involved in the water market,” Gilmore says, in part because it results in taking water away from irrigators. He adds that TNC has tried to be very respectful of the diverse views regarding water markets.

“Irrigators are easy to get along with, by and large,” says Howard Jones, chair of the Murray Darling Wetlands Working Group. “They understand you need a healthy environment to maintain a good lifestyle, including their own.”

Part of the challenge was getting investors used to the idea of water itself as an asset, and convincing them that the benefits extended to supporting indigenous engagement and resilient irrigation communities, Gilmore says. When the fund was opened to Australian investors, money flowed in quickly. The fund raised AU$27 million on an initial goal of AU$25 million, mostly from family trusts, foundations and other entities willing to try a new type of investment. The Conservancy put in AU$5 million of its own as a show of faith.

“We need to get past the idea that water policy has to be an either-or choice between people and nature,” Gilmore says.

“We think it’s not only unhelpful but unnecessary. You can have multiple uses of water and have those uses be sustainable.”

Farmers are already seeing benefits from the fund. An organic dried fruit producer in Victoria sold water rights to the fund and used the proceeds to expand his business. He will lease water back from the fund over the next 10 years, giving him better price security compared with the fluctuations of the annual market. The initial AU$27 million has allowed the fund to secure more than 2 billion gallons of water to date.

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MORNING ON THE MURRAY RIVER: In April 2016, TNC and partners began returning water to parched wetlands with funding from investors.

© ANDREW PEACOCK/TANDEM STILLS + MOTION

AT FRENCHMANS CREEK, UNCLE REX SAT ON A FALLEN

log and watched the water flow from the pipe. Behind him, an old eucalyptus bore a deep vertical scar where long ago, someone—maybe one of his ancestors—peeled off a section of bark to make a canoe. “This is my mum’s country,” he said.

“For years my family has been fighting for this. It’s been a long time coming. It’s good to see.”

The watering event at Frenchmans Creek—which was aided by the Tar-Ru Lands Board of Management—was the first to be supported by the fund. After half an hour, the water had formed a shallow pond whose edges crept slowly into the trees, and the smell of eucalyptus hung on the breeze.

Jones has grown wine grapes in the area for decades. “This is profound to me,” he says. “I see it as the first step in a long journey, reintroducing water where it once was in abundance.”

He’s not the only one in the group whose eyes are misty at seeing two years of work and negotiation come to fruition. “So many partners coming together, that’s the beauty of it,” he says.

For six weeks, siphons pulled water from Frenchmans Creek, inundating almost a quarter of a square mile with more than 250 million gallons of water provided by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. Geospatial modeling predicts that the environmental benefits will extend much farther, up to three square miles.

To track the ecological effects, four indigenous youth are learning monitoring techniques to assist in measuring the success of the restoration effort. Because the New South Wales state government has begun returning land to indigenous communities, partnering with these communities has been a priority for the fund, Gilmore says. Many of the targeted wetland sites are on important Aboriginal cultural lands, and the communities have been involved in deciding which places should be a priority to restore. Along with the youth traineeships, the monitoring also involves time-lapse, drone and motion-sensor cameras, and bioacoustics monitors to record which species return.

The fund’s long-term goal is to imitate the natural flooding cycle over the next decade and to greatly increase the watered area. On the financial side, Gilmore hopes the program proves that “even if you couldn’t care less about the environment, the water fund is a good investment.” After three months, admittedly a short window, annualized returns were running at 7.7 percent, compared with the target of 5 to 8 percent—a promising start.

The larger the fund becomes, the more likely mainstream institutional investors will be interested, Gilmore says. Financial models suggest that AU$100 million would enable returns

on par with traditional, non-impact investments. That would help purchase more than 10.5 billion gallons of water entitlements—about 20 percent would be used to water wetlands.

“I’m proud that we’re able to lead the world on something like this,” Gilmore says. “Water is a fundamental issue to people’s livelihoods and well-being.”

“We hope this becomes an example for other parts INVESTING IN NATURE of the world with In certain cases, conservation water scarcity of the can be funded by investors. kind Australia has NatureVest was launched as the faced,” says Giulio conservation investing unit of TNC Boccaletti, global in early 2014, with early support managing director from the Robertson Foundation for TNC’s freshwaand the Jeremy and Hannalore ter programs. Chile Grantham Environmental Trust, and Mexico both and founding sponsorship from have functioning JPMorgan Chase & Co. Naturewater markets, and Vest’s mission is to create and China is planning execute investable deals in a wide to establish its own variety of sectors around the trading platform. world that deliver both conservaAustralia stands tion results and financial returns out as an example for investors. Today, deals under of how these mardevelopment include marine kets could be used conservation and fisheries manto assist conservaagement in the Caribbean and tion. The western clean energy investments in Kenya.

United States is watching closely to Visit www.naturevesttnc.org. see whether the Australian experiment works, says Taylor Hawes, TNC’s Colorado River program director, who sits on the fund’s advisory committee.

But at Frenchmans Creek the results were obvious and almost immediate: Two frog species appeared right away, seemingly out of nowhere, to take advantage of the unexpected deluge. And in subsequent weeks, the number of observed bird species more than doubled and the number of individual birds increased by 250 percent—all drawn for the same reason. New green vegetation appeared within weeks, and aquatic plant species increased by nearly tenfold. If the fund works as planned, this rebirth will be the first of many.

Julian Smith is a freelance writer who reports on science, conservation and other topics. He is the author of two books: Crossing the Heart of Africa and Smokejumper.

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BY AMY CRAWFORD

Five large cities invest in upstream conservation to improve water quality for their residents.

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SINCE 2007, URBAN AREAS HAVE BEEN

home to more than half the global population—a proportion that is expected to rise. Growing cities are putting pressure on the lakes and rivers on which they depend for water. But the needs of nature don't have to be in conflict with human needs­. By funding conservation projects upstream, cities around the world are finding that they can protect the natural environment and ensure they have clean, reliable water supplies.

The approach starts with addressing deforestation, erosion and agricultural runoff in the headwaters—just as New York City conserved the land around its upstate reservoirs so it could supply its millions of residents with clean drinking water. “The basic premise is that it’s cheaper and easier to fix the problem before it gets to the cities,” explains Andrea Erickson-Quiroz. She leads The Nature Conservancy’s global effort to bring together governments, utilities, businesses and nonprofits, pooling money from downstream water users in water funds, which invest in upstream conservation.

In 2000, TNC helped set up the first water fund, in Quito, Ecuador, to protect and restore grasslands and forests high in the Andes, improving river flows and reducing erosion that muddies

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Amy Crawford is a Michigan-based freelance writer who also contributes to Smithsonian, CityLab and The Boston Globe.

OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTO: © SEBASTIAO MOREIRA/EPA/REDUX. MAP: MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD. PAGE 47: © DAVID MOLNAR

S

the water on which downstream city residents depend. The fund has a budget of more than $1.5 million per year, most of it covered by the city’s water company, which contributes 2 percent of its own budget. The project has the double benefit of improving water flow and quality while preserving and restoring vulnerable Andean habitat—about 100,000 acres so far.

Over the years, TNC facilitated the creation of 29 more water funds worldwide, and it has another 30 “in the pipeline,” Erickson-Quiroz says. Most are in North and South America, but she and her team are now turning their attention to other countries, including China, where at least a third of lakes and rivers are too polluted for human use—but where more environmentally sensitive agriculture has the potential to improve water quality.

Beyond the Source, a recent TNC report on water security for communities, calculates that nearly 700 cities—about one in six worldwide— could create water funds that would pay for themselves through savings in water-treatment costs.

Word is spreading among city leaders and utility managers that conservation is a smart investment. As cities realize the benefits, Erickson-Quiroz says, TNC encourages participating mayors to talk to other mayors about nature as a tool.

“That’s how you start the movement.”

São Paulo BRAZIL

In 2014, as Brazil prepared to host the World Cup, its biggest city faced a slow-moving disaster. Half of São Paulo, a megalopolis of more than 20 million residents, gets drinking water from a series of enormous reservoirs in the Atlantic Forest along Brazil’s southeastern coast.

Human use has reduced the forest to 30 percent of its original size, and recent growth in development, farming and ranching has accelerated soil erosion. As silt settled at the bottom of the reservoirs, it reduced their storage capacity. When a historic drought struck in 2015, reservoirs were quickly reduced to mud. Water was rationed or even cut off. More than 10 years ago, the upstream municipality of Extrema and Brazil’s National Water Agency set up the country’s first Water Producer Program. With help from multiple agencies and TNC, it raises money from water users and pays upstream landowners an annual fee of almost $40 an acre to protect or restore riverbank forests. The Conservancy is working with 14 municipalities to expand the project, which will reduce sedimentation and treatment costs for São Paulo by restoring 35,000 acres of degraded landscapes in high-priority areas throughout the watershed.

MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEMS

A rapidly growing population, frequent droughts and silt-clogged reservoirs have combined to make lines for water a somewhat regular sight around São Paulo.

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How a Water Fund Works Cities protect their water supplies and save money by promoting conservation practices upstream.

Degraded Watershed

UPSTREAM

In many cities worldwide, drinking-water supplies are greatly affected by how land is managed. Practices that clear forests, increase erosion and create pollution reduce both water quality and reliability.

1. DEFORESTATION

Clearing forests and other vegetation increases the erosion of soil. The sediment pollutes nearby waterways and makes filtration more difficult and expensive.

2. AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF

Rain washes fertilizers and other chemicals into nearby water sources, polluting the city’s drinking-water supply.

3. SOIL EROSION

Livestock entering waterways trample the riverbank, contributing to sedimentation.

Fecal waste in the water increases the risk of disease.

4. POLLUTION

Some agricultural runoff drains through pipes directly into waterways.

Oil and rubbish from roads wash into rivers.

1

DEFORESTATION 2

AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF

5. REDUCED FLOW

Agricultural soils and industrial surfaces have less ability to absorb and slowly release rain than naturally vegetated soils do. This deficiency results in less water during dry times and more flooding when it rains.

3

SOIL EROSION

6. WATER TREATMENT

4

Urban centers receive dirty water that often can be unsafe for human consumption.

POLLUTION

Healthy Watershed Improving the health of the lands around water sources improves water quality, restores reliable water flows and brings numerous other benefits, both upstream and downstream.

1

FOREST PROTECTION 1. FOREST PROTECTION

Protecting forests and grasslands sustains wildlife habitat, reduces erosion, and safeguards the quality and reliability of downstream water flows.

2. REFORESTATION

Replanting forests reduces erosion, captures carbon and expands habitat.

3. SMART AGRICULTURE

Planting cover crops on fallowed fields and fencing livestock away from the river reduce erosion and prevent pollution. Adding trees around crops and pastures can also enhance farm and ranch income.

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3

4. RESTORED WETLANDS

Wetlands help filter pollutants and provide critical habitat for plants and animals.

SMART AGRICULTURE

2

REFORESTATION 5. RELIABLE FLOW

Naturally vegetated soils hold water when it rains and release it slowly, which helps sustain more predictable river flows.

6. CLEANER WATER

A well-managed watershed delivers a clean and reliable supply of water, so cities spend less on water treatment and filtration for human use.

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RESTORED WETLANDS

ONLINE: Dive deeper into TNC’s analysis of 4,000 large cities and their watersheds at nature.org/BeyondtheSource.

$

DOWNSTREAM

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

6

Water users pay a significant cost for industrial treatment of dirty water when it reaches the city.

WATER TREATMENT

5

REDUCED FLOW

Rather than pay for expensive industrial filtration, water users pay upstream landowners to use good farming practices and to conserve or restore natural areas that protect water at the source.

5 6

CLEANER WATER ILLUSTRATIONS: © STEVE SANFORD (ALL)

RELIABLE FLOW

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Source watershed Project area 0 0

20 mi 20 km

Ta na R.

Nairobi

Thika R .

TANA RIVER

The river provides water to almost 9 million residents in Nairobi and surrounding areas. The water fund helps upstream farmers improve their lands and reduce soil runoff.

© INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR TROPICAL AGRICULTURE (CIAT)/G.SMITH. MAP: © MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD.

KENYA

Nairobi

In about 25 years, the population of Kenya’s capital city doubled to nearly 4 million people, 95 percent of whom rely on water from reservoirs in the mountainous Upper Tana River watershed. As Nairobi’s needs increase, hillside agriculture along river tributaries exacerbates erosion that periodically chokes the city’s water system with silt, stopping water service for days. “It’s something they’ve dealt with [for decades], but it’s gotten worse and worse,” says Colin Apse, who directs TNC’s freshwater conservation work in Africa. The Conservancy started working with the Kenyan government, nonprofits, utilities and corporations, including CocaCola and East Africa Breweries, to create a water fund.

It pays for equipment and training to help farmers control erosion with terraced cultivation and buffer zones along streams. Since 2015, the program has been implemented at about 15,000 farms, and in late 2016 water clarity levels approached World Health Organization standards for the first time since measurements began.

Africa’s first water fund has attracted interest—including Cape Town, South Africa—prompting TNC to create an online toolbox to help other cities set up their own.

RIO GRANDE RIVER

After an intense fire caused ash and soil to foul the Rio Grande, a water fund was created to restore forests and make them more tolerant to fires.

de

R.

Source watershed Project area

0 20 mi 0 20 km

Rio Gr an

Albuquerque

NEW MEXICO

PHOTO: © AP PHOTO/ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL, PAT VASQUEZ-CUNNINGHAM. MAP: © MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD.

In the summer of 2011, a tree fell on a power line in the Jemez Mountains, sparking a mega-fire that would burn for six weeks, destroy more than 156,000 acres of ponderosa pine forests and impair nearby municipal water systems. The fire’s intensity was compounded by drought and decades of fire suppression, which allowed the trees to grow unnaturally close to one another while dangerous amounts of flammable debris accumulated on the forest floor. A few weeks after firefighters extinguished the blaze, storms sent a torrent of soot-black water and debris down the Rio Grande, forcing communities that depend on the river for water to shut off their intakes. In the crisis, Laura McCarthy, TNC’s associate director for New Mexico, saw an opportunity to correct a century of bad forestry and expand a pilot water fund that TNC had set up with the city of Santa Fe. Today, the Rio Grande Water Fund is using public and private cash to pay for forest thinning and prescribed burns, with a goal of treating 600,000 acres of forest along the river and its tributaries by 2035. The work will restore the forest to a more natural state—and make it more resistant to mega-fires.

Santa Fe

Albuquerque

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EDWARDS AQUIFER

The Nature Conservancy helps identify—and broker deals to protect—land where water enters the aquifer. This area is known as the "recharge zone."

Aquifer drainage and recharge zones Project area

San Antonio 0

20 mi

0 20 km

PHOTO: © DSCZ/GETTY IMAGES. MAP: © MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD. OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTO: © POSNOV/GETTY IMAGES. MAP: © MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD.

TEXAS

San Antonio

The enormous Edwards Aquifer, believed to hold several trillion gallons of water, provides drinking water to more than 2 million people in south-central Texas, including the city of San Antonio. Carved from what was the bed of an ancient shallow sea, the aquifer is a labyrinth of underground chambers that collect precipitation via a network of surface cracks and sinkholes. Water then filters through porous limestone, supplying springs, streams and lakes. Replenishing the Edwards with clean water is critical for the region, but the aquifer’s recharge zones are particularly vulnerable to polluted runoff and urban sprawl. It’s a threat that San Antonio started to address in 2000, when voters approved a sales tax increase to protect land in the recharge zone and buy conservation easements from ranchers. The Nature Conservancy plays a major role in identifying and negotiating these protections, and voters have shown their support by approving three more ballot initiatives. “There’s a very high awareness within central Texas about this resource,” says Laura Huffman, TNC’s Texas state director. “It’s one of the few places in the country where you can say the word aquifer and people know what you’re talking about.” With continued public support—and help from TNC—the initiatives have preserved more than 143,000 acres, or 20 percent of the recharge zone used for city water.

Savannah

SC Augusta

GA

0

20 mi

0 20 km

.

GEORGIA

Source watershed Project area

R ah nn va Sa

Not every water fund begins with a crisis; some are designed to prevent problems. In Georgia and South Carolina, TNC, along with other nonprofits, universities and government agencies, collaborated with five municipal water authorities to create the Savannah River Clean Water Fund to address emerging water-treatment issues. The Savannah River watershed supplies water for some 550,000 people in the region that includes Augusta and Savannah, Georgia, and Beaufort and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. In recent years saltwater intrusion has begun to affect groundwater, making surface resources more important. Continued urbanization and growth could increase runoff and raise treatment costs. The fund, incorporated in 2014, will use about $1 million raised annually from the utilities to buy conservation easements for tracts of floodplain forest. “The basin is in good shape because it has all this natural land, and to wait for problems to appear and then address the challenge at that point would be too little, too late,” says Eric Krueger, who directs TNC’s science work in South Carolina.

Savannah

SAVANNAH RIVER

As coastal development grows near the mouth of the Savannah River, nearby cities are securing their water supplies through upstream conservation efforts.

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MARYLAND Natural splendor and H2Ohhh!

Renowned for our waters and sought for our shores, there’s no limit to the ways you can indulge all five senses in Maryland.

From mountaintop lakes and rivers to the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic, Maryland waterways are a welcome retreat.

And that’s only the beginning. Historic towns, wildlife refuges, waterfront villages, parks and gardens, and, of course, the best seafood are yours to enjoy.

water access In Maryland, you’re never far from wonderful water.

World-class rapids course through our western mountains.

Wild horses mingle with the ocean surf on Assateague Island. And, of course, the radiant Chesapeake Bay forms Maryland’s heart. But why not explore an underwater treasure? Paddle the Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay National Marine Sanctuary on the Potomac River. This final resting place of more than 90 WWI steamships is home to hauntingly beautiful scenery where nature reclaims man-made hulks from a distant era.

Mallows Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Charles County, Maryland

nature From Atlantic shores to the lush green Allegheny Mountains, Maryland brings all the ecosystems of the continent close at hand, but none can surpass the unrivaled beauty of the stunning Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. This “Everglades of the North,” it is home to a seemingly endless succession of unspoiled vistas where tidal salt marshes mingle with the broad waters of Chesapeake Bay. An essential stop along the great Atlantic Flyway, in spring and fall, countless eagles dot a landscape unchanged over time.

Blackwater Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge, Maryland

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Ladew Topiary Gardens, Monkton, Maryland

byways Maryland’s scenic byways offer a welcoming window into our rich history, eclectic culture, and unforgettable wildlands. Meet an American hero and icon of freedom along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. Or get to the heart of it all on the Chesapeake Country Byway. Beginning in welcoming Chesapeake City at the top of the bay, take in the length and breadth of America’s Estuary from the foot of the iconic Turkey Point Lighthouse, then lose yourself to Chesapeake charm along your way.

Turkey Point Lighthouse, Cecil County, Maryland

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Kilgore Falls, Harford County, Maryland | Photo Credit: OTD, Clark VanderGrift

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Chesapeake City, Cecil County, Maryland | Photo Credit: OTD, Clark VanderGrift

From downtown Chesapeake City, hike, bike or bring your horse and ride the trail along the C&D Canal. Ride the town ferry and crisscross the canal for shopping, dining, or just a change in the beautiful scenery. Just don’t forget to try the local seafood. In this welcoming getaway, the roots of Chesapeake waterman culture run deep, and the delectable, traditional Chesapeake fare is a point of local pride.

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FO L LOW US O N SO C I A L M E D I A

member guide

thenatureconservancy nature_org I NSTAGRA M : nature_org

FAC E B O O K : TW I TTE R:

Your Conservancy

The conservation work featured in this issue is made possible by you and through the generosity of supporters around the world.

Thank you for your commitment to protecting nature.

UNITED: Tens of thousands of supporters marched for science in Washington, D.C., and 600 other cities on April 22. The Conservancy was a sponsoring partner of the event.

EXPLORE

GIVE

1. WASHINGTON

Go birding at Fir Island Farms Snow Goose Reserve, where snow geese winter each year. wdfw.wa.gov/lands/ wildlife_areas/skagit 2. WASHINGTON, D.C., AREA

Bike the recently developed Anacostia River Trail from Bladensburg Waterfront Park. outdoors.pgparks.com/Sites/ Bladensburg_Waterfront_Park 3. ARIZONA

Take in the views at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona by rafting down the river that carved it—the mighty Colorado. nps.gov/grca

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NAT URE CON SER VAN CY SUMMER 2017

VOLUNTEER

Be a part of local conservation projects.

Learn how at nature.org/volunteer.

2

Miles of trail constructed in 2016 at TNC’s Kings River Preserve in Arkansas by members of a local club, Ozark Off Road Cyclists. The volunteers contributed more than 700 hours to build the new trail, which connects a guest cabin to an overlook above the river.

Your gift protects and preserves nature in your backyard and all around the world.

THREE WAYS TO GIVE: 1. Use the envelope in this magazine or donate online at nature.org/donate.

2. Learn about benefits of including the

Conservancy in your will or estate plan, or giving charitable gifts of stock or real estate at nature.org/legacy.

3. Make a direct connection with nature

and Adopt an Acre at nature.org/adopt.

ONLINE: Share why you’re

passionate about protecting nature at nature.org/whyigive.

© LAWRENCE JACKSON

Visit the places in this issue you help protect. Learn more at nature.org/travel.

FIND MORE ONLINE

Find out more about the work of the Conservancy at nature.org.

RENEW

MISSION

MAGAZINE

Browse our photo galleries, videos and archives of past stories.

Make sure you never miss an issue of Nature Conservancy magazine.

Renew your membership at nature.org/renew.

nature.org/magazine SCIENCE

Stay up to date on conservation science news and analysis with original posts several times a week. nature.org/coolgreenscience LEARN

Read about the latest conservation successes, challenges and issues.

nature.org/conservancytalk EXPLORE

Find inspiration for the whole family while exploring nature with your children.

nature.org/connectwithnature

CONTACT US

4245 N. Fairfax Drive Suite 100 Arlington, VA 22203 (800) 628-6860 member@tnc.org ON LIN E: nature.org/contactus CA LL:

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Nature Conservancy magazine is a benefit of membership in The Nature Conservancy. Allow up to eight weeks to process new memberships. To notify us of a change of address, visit nature.org and select “Contact Us” or call (800) 628-6860. Nature Conservancy assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. The opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect those of The Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy does not endorse advertisers’ products or services. The Nature Conservancy is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer. Copyright © 2017 The Nature Conservancy. All rights reserved. Nature Conservancy is printed in the United States on Forest Stewardship Council®-certified paper from well-managed forests and controlled sources.

The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

VISION

Our vision is a world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfill our needs and enrich our lives.

B OA RD O F DI REC TO RS

Chair Thomas J. Tierney President & Chief Executive Officer Mark R. Tercek Vice Chair James E. Rogers Treasurer Joseph H. Gleberman

Charitable Solicitation Disclosure Language

Financial information about The Nature Conservancy may be obtained by contacting us at 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203; (800) 628-6860; nature.org; or as stated below: FLORIDA - A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, A DC-BASED NONPROFIT CORPORATION (REGISTRATION NO. CH 694), MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OR VISITING THEIR WEBSITE WWW. FRESHFROMFLORIDA.COM. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Maryland - Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies from the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401; Michigan: MICS-6446; Mississippi - The official registration and financial information of The Nature Conservancy may be obtained from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office by calling 1-888-236-6167. Registration by the Secretary of State does not imply endorsement; NEW JERSEY: INFORMATION FILED WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CONCERNING THIS CHARITABLE SOLICITATION AND THE PERCENTAGE OF CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHARITY DURING THE LAST REPORTING PERIOD THAT WERE DEDICATED TO THE CHARITABLE PURPOSE MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY BY CALLING 973-504-6215 AND IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/ocp.htm#charity. REGISTRATION WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT; New York - Upon request, a copy of the latest annual report can be obtained from the organization or from the Office of the Attorney General by writing to the Charities Bureau at 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271; North Carolina - Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 1-888-830-4989. The license is not an endorsement by the State; Pennsylvania - The official registration and financial information of The Nature Conservancy may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement; Virginia - Financial statements are available from State Division of Consumer Affairs, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, PO Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218; Washington - From the Secretary of State at 1-800-332-4483. West Virginia - Residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from: Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305. CONTRIBUTIONS ARE DEDUCTIBLE FOR FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW. REGISTRATION IN A STATE DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION OF THE NATURE CONSERVANCY BY THE STATE.

Secretary Shona L. Brown

B OA RD M E M B E RS

Gretchen C. Daily Laurence D. Fink Senator William Frist Calestous Juma Jane Lubchenco* Jack Ma Claudia Madrazo Craig O. McCaw Thomas J. Meredith Ana M. Parma Stephen Polasky Vincent Ryan Rajiv Shah Brenda Shapiro Moses K. Tsang Frances A. Ulmer Margaret C. Whitman* Ying Wu *Currently on leave of absence

NAT UR E .ORG /MAG AZI NE

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dispatch

Matt Miller

Science Writer at The Nature Conservancy

Ranching With a Smaller Hoofprint ALL DAY LONG, NATALIE HAS BEEN A BULLY—KICKING,

biting, exploiting my weaknesses and terrorizing all who get too close. Natalie is a quarter horse, and I’m just trying to stay upright while we ride 15 miles into the Idaho mountains.

I am headed to see how one rancher is grazing cattle more sustainably, by spending more time with his herd.

We emerge into a meadow after a steep slope. I breathe a sigh of relief to be in open grass, but then another horse pulls up alongside. Natalie lunges for a bite on the rider’s leg. She misses, then turns and lands a kick on the other horse, then begins spinning in rage. I try not to let my body go ragdoll.

I’m desperately trying to find an exit strategy, when I see rancher Glenn Elzinga emerge through the mist on his own horse. “It looks like it might be time to get you on a different horse,” he says, almost too calmly. He helps me down and passes me the reins to his horse, Ginger. He hops up on Natalie, who doesn’t seem to give him any trouble.

Elzinga, owner of the Alderspring Ranch, is leading this tour today for a group of conservationists and federal land management staff. Tall, with a bushy mustache and worn chaps, he looks like he stepped out of an old-school Western.

Elzinga has partnered with The Nature Conservancy, working to acquire a ranch and develop management plans for grazing on public lands. He started ranching, he says, because he wanted to produce high-quality beef while being a good land steward. His beef has been purchased by fivestar restaurants and heralded by food writers.

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Like many Western ranchers, Elzinga grazes cattle on public lands at least part of the year. But some ranchers leave their animals unchecked for long periods, allowing them to cause problems, including severe erosion of stream banks, overgrazing, tromping through aspen groves, defecating in water and pounding the vegetation with their hooves.

Elzinga says the traditional model is to move cattle when they stray into sensitive habitats. “I had a realization that instead of trying to keep cattle out,” he says, “we could be much more active herders—moving cattle to where we want them.”

Unlike many operations, Elzinga and his team of cowboys work with the cattle every day. They herd them to the best grass. They herd them away from sensitive habitat. And they herd them away from wolves and other threats. “That’s a shift from [modern] ranching,” he says. “But in reality, it’s “ If we want going back to the oldest ways of ranchto share the ing. Herding cultures around the world range we actively move their animals where can’t just they want. If we want to share the turn our range with wildlife and with other cattle loose and hope for people, we can’t just turn our cattle loose and hope for the best.” the best.”

Today, we look at a healthy stand of aspens and a lush area of wetlands along a high mountain meadow. Elzinga, like many ranchers, believes he is a steward of these public lands, not just a user. He plans to continue working with the staff of federal agencies and TNC to monitor the lands he grazes, including tracking the health of vegetation and whether it provides adequate habitat for other species.

Out here, Elzinga must consider the needs of the horses and cattle and wolves and bull trout. “But really, the toughest is humans. If your team is not working together and working effectively, the in-herding won’t work.”

For these cowboys, it’s just another day on the range.

But I appreciate everything they must go through, because I barely survived their average ride. Not only do they have to stay atop their horses, they must also protect a large herd of cattle, and wildlife, and the land. I’m glad that ranchers like Elzinga are able to be such devoted stewards. But I’m even more glad to be off Natalie’s back.

ILLUSTRATIONS, FROM LEFT: © STAN FELLOWS; MICHAEL HOEWELER

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outtakes DAILY LIFE: A ferry boat takes residents across the Magdalena River at sunset.

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was taught to avoid the Magdalena River because of its strong currents. Little did he know that years later he would find himself traveling the length of the river for a story (“Saving Great Rivers,” page 26), documenting community life along the river from its headwaters in the Andes Mountains to its mouth on the Caribbean Sea. “I grew up reading Gabriel García Márquez’s stories, and there’s a part [on the journey] where you start to see what he describes,” he says. “There’s a Caribbean culture that is very rich. It’s full of myths. People are very relaxed and friendly.”

People also expressed their appreciation of the river. “‘You wouldn’t take the river for granted.’ That’s what you would hear these fishermen say.”

It was the depth of that relationship with the river that most struck Arredondo.

“They know when it’s going to overflow, when something’s happening—all these little nuances that just because they grew up next to the river, they understand,” he says. “That was very rewarding to see.”

© JUAN ARREDONDO

PHOTOGRAPHER JUAN ARREDONDO GREW UP FISHING IN COLOMBIA, BUT HE

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The Nature Conservancy’s Great Western Checkerboard Project in Montana. © Steven Gnam

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NATURE SUMMER 2017

C O N S E R VA N C Y

READ

© JORDAN SIEMENS/GETTY IMAGES; ANDREYKUZMIN130200016

THE REPORT AT nature.org BeyondtheSou/ rce

Meet Your Water Filter What happens to nature outside a city often affects the drinking water in that city. A recent TNC report on 4,000 cities found that 80 percent of them could improve their drinking water by protecting forests, restoring habitat and improving agricultural practices near their water sources.

1.7 BILLION

Blue

REVOLUTION RETHINKING WATER ON A THIRSTY PLANET

city dwellers get their drinking water from sources far outside the urban area, where increasing development and agricultural production can pollute the water supply.

CITIES SAFEGUARD THEIR SOURCES

C1_Spine_Cover_SUM17_SPRDWithSpineAND16th_FF.indd 1

RIVERS REIMAGINED

INVESTORS BET ON CONSERVATION

5/5/17 10:16 AM