About Priority Waters | Trout Unlimited Priority Waters

About Priority Waters | Trout Unlimited Priority Waters
About Priority Waters | Trout Unlimited Priority WatersTrout Unlimited Priority Waters
Priority Waters
Caring for and Recovering America’s Trout and Salmon Waters
Trout and salmon are at a pivotal moment.
The threats are enormous, and so are the opportunities.
Native trout populations and wild salmon runs are at risk of disappearing. Climate change is upon us. More than 1.5 million miles of America’s trout and salmon waters are degraded.
But by working together—collaboratively, strategically, tirelessly—on watersheds across the country, we can rise to the moment.
This is the promise of Trout Unlimited’s focused approach to conservation.
We are optimists. We see a way forward.
We are identifying rivers and streams where we can have the greatest impact, and we are throwing our energies into building trout and salmon strongholds for the long term.
It’s not just about fish, of course. The work we do provides healthy water for communities and agriculture, supports ecosystems that are key to biodiversity and climate resilience, helps landscapes adapt to and recover from flooding and wildfire, creates family-wage jobs, and boosts America’s multi-billion-dollar recreation economy.
What are Priority Waters?
They are the 200+ rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds where TU is directing our energies to care for and recover wild and native trout and salmon watersheds. Rooted in science and developed in collaboration with TU volunteers and trusted partners, these shared Priority Waters are the foundation of an ambitious strategic roadmap.
We’re at our best when we pull together and focus.
Add up the numbers — hundreds of experienced staff working in their local communities, hundreds of thousands of supporters, six decades of history, tens of millions of dollars invested annually — and we are having an impact at a national scale.
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We're Getting to Work.
Trout Unlimited has deep experience in the entire suite of conservation tactics, and we’re strategically deploying them on our Priority Waters.
Restoring rivers. Shoring up streambanks. Removing dams. Reconnecting habitat. Keeping water in streams at key times of the year. Defending important trout and salmon habitat. Securing protective designations for coldwater strongholds. Pushing for smarter and more effective management of wild and native populations.
We’re pulling out every stop to protect and recover these waters, these fisheries, and the communities and people who depend on them.
How We Work
Here's the Good News: You Can Help.
We have a vision: Conservationists and communities of people who fish and people who simply love their waters, all hard at work—pulling out dams, reconnecting rivers, changing policy—united behind a vision of healthy fish and clean water.
That’s the ambitious vision of Priority Waters.
It will take all of us to get there. We all have a part to play. A tree planted, a stream cleaned up, a letter sent to a decision-maker, a water sample collected, a dollar raised—it all adds up to impact at a national scale.
How You Can Help
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How We Work
Priority Waters
Featured Priority Waters
East
Connecticut
Maine
Frost Gully Brook
Massachusetts
Deerfield River
Michigan
Coaster Brook Trout Waters
Great Lakes
Minnesota
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Ohio
Rhode Island
Vermont
Battenkill River
Wisconsin
Driftless Area
Appalachians
Georgia
Maryland
New York
Delaware River Basin
Battenkill River
Great Lakes
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Delaware River Basin
Great Lakes
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Potomac Headwaters
West Virginia
Potomac Headwaters
Rockies
Arizona
Colorado River Basin
Colorado
Colorado River Basin
Montana
Clark Fork River
Yellowstone River Basin
Nevada
Colorado River Basin
Ruby Mountains
New Mexico
Colorado River Basin
Upper Rio Grande
Utah
Colorado River Basin
Bear River Watershed
Wyoming
Colorado River Basin
Bear River Watershed
Pacific
Alaska
Bristol Bay
Tongass National Forest
California
Klamath River
North Coast California
Terminal Lakes
Kern River Basin
Idaho
Bear River Watershed
Oregon
Klamath River
Washington
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How We Work
Protecting Waters
Recovering Waters
Building Partnerships
Building Communities Who Care
Rooting Conservation in Science
Creating Healthy Fisheries
Building Climate Resilient Waters
Making an Impact
Supporting Rural Economies
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