Ripples of Conservation: Conserving Water and Wildlife Across the Plains
As the NWTF celebrates its 5th Annual Conservation Week, the spotlight turns to the Great Plains region, and so does the focus to the region’s crucial initiative, Waterways for Wildlife. Water — a resource fundamental to the health of ecosystems, wildlife and people — shapes landscapes, sustains communities and is crucial to the NWTF’s mission to conserve the wild turkey and preserve our hunting heritage.
NWTF Western Water Specialist Travis Smith often puts it simply: “To talk about conservation and not talk about water is just dry conversation.”
The Great Plains tells a story of both abundance and loss. Once spanning more than 2 million square kilometers of grassland, the ecosystem has dwindled to less than half its former reach, and today the water challenges that overlay this shrinking landscape are as complex as they are urgent. Many riparian ecosystems are in poor condition due to various causes — increased water demands, disrupted floodplains and changes in land use. Meanwhile, development continues to cover floodplains with concrete and asphalt, and rising water consumption strains already-limited supplies. These shifts not only threaten clean water and diminish habitat for wild turkeys, pollinators and countless other species — they also disrupt the balance of the entire ecosystem.
To address these challenges, the NWTF launched the Waterways for Wildlife Initiative in 2022, a collaborative effort to improve wildlife habitat while restoring watershed health across the region. Since its launch, the initiative and its partners have invested more than $27 million into conservation efforts. This year alone, $2.7 million is being directed to 13 new projects across seven states.
The initiative’s 10-year goals are ambitious: enhance 1,500 stream miles of critical waterways and improve 75,000 acres of riparian-related habitat within 10 Great Plains states. In just four years, the work is already showing measurable progress, with 211 stream miles improved and more than 45,000 acres of adjacent habitat enhanced through completed and ongoing projects.
Projects vary in scope and impact but share a common goal of clean, high-quality water and fully functional ecosystems. Efforts include removing invasive species, reestablishing native vegetation, restoring streambanks and reconnecting floodplains. These practices strengthen waterways, improve water quality and expand essential habitat for wild turkeys and hundreds of other species that rely on riparian areas.
The NWTF’s work in the Great Plains is part of a larger recognition that water is inseparable from conservation. Whether through the Waterways for Wildlife Initiative, the Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative, Habitat for the Hatch or projects supporting the Forest Service, water remains essential to sustaining landscapes, wildlife and the quality of human life.
“I think the NWTF has long recognized the strong connection between healthy forests, healthy watersheds and clean, reliable water supplies downstream,” Smith said. “I think it's always been recognized, but especially in the last few years, the water connection, whether it's in the West about water shortage and water quantity, or in the East, certainly water quality issues are very important and deeply connected to the work that the NWTF has embraced.”
As the initiative continues to expand, its impact reaches far beyond streams and riparian zones. It is building resilience in ecosystems, restoring balance to the Great Plains, and ensuring that future generations — of wild turkeys, other wildlife and people — can thrive.
Water is the foundation of life. By working together to conserve it, we ensure not only the future of wild turkeys but the health of the landscapes that sustain us all.