Welcome from the President
If we don’t change direction, we’ll end up where we’re headed.
Given the trends of freshwater indicators and wild fish populations, it has become clear that the traditional conservation methods engaged over the last quarter century are proving inadequate to demands placed on our ecosystems. The system of laws, procedures, and funding — while providing some key protections — has become badly fragmented at a time when we cannot afford to be anything less than efficient. Bulwarks intended to thwart reckless extraction have grown into barriers to restoration.
We have all the ingredients for success: willing landowners, well-intended agencies, capable locals, and billions of dollars of annual investment, and yet we are not gaining ground.
We must change course.
The Freshwater Trust builds and implements the tools and methods that can accelerate results for our freshwater ecosystems. As you look through these pages, you will notice our take on conservation is decidedly not more of the same. Whether technology, mergers, or innovative ways of engaging students, this ain’t your parents’ conservation group — we are interested in doing what it takes to get results on the ground. We’re not a think-tank, we’re a “do-tank”, and our singular focus is to provide the platform for practical conservation. At scale.
If you’re a landowner looking to do work, you’ve come to the right place.
If you’re a student looking to connect with your local watershed, you have too.
Regulator interested in accelerating your efforts and ensuring results? Funder looking to leverage your conservation investment? Restoration professional looking to source, qualify and execute projects? Conservationist? Trout bum? Come on in and make a difference.
Thanks for checking out our website — we hope you will find it a useful place.
Joe Whitworth
President
The Freshwater Trust
