AMERICAN NATURE STRATEGY
Water
A 10-year Strategy for Durable Conservation
The Goal
Secure durable federal water policy and funding outcomes by 2035 that materially improve U.S. water quality, water security and resilience.
The Shift
To
America’s water policy is operating in a fundamentally different political and institutional environment than the one in which most of today’s federal strategies were built. Public support for clean, abundant water has held across party lines; durable federal policy has not. Our approach to securing it must change, too.
Washington-driven water policy
States First
Build toward federal outcomes through state-level success.
Bipartisan
Elevate messengers trusted by decision-makers across ideological lines: hunters and anglers, agriculture, utilities, water-dependent industries, conservative elected officials, and conservation groups.
From
State-led innovation that builds toward durable federal outcomes
Isolated state successes
Connected proof points that build national momentum
Nationwide policy fights
How USNI Works
Pragmatic state and locally driven solutions that improve water quality, security, and resilience for people and nature
Campaign-Oriented
Invest in strategic campaigns, not simply organizational infrastructure.
Built to Scale
Connect successful campaigns and translate lessons into federal policy.
The Theory of the Case: States First
Durable federal water policy is built from the states upward.
Win and implement pragmatic state policies.
Identify high-impact state opportunities and build bipartisan coalitions around real water challenges.
Capture proof, lessons, and communications insights and elevate successful models to federal decision-makers.
Support credible local and state messengers and campaign leaders.
Build durable federal water policy.
Strategic Priorities for Durable Water Policy
1
Fund Water At The Scale Of The Challenge
Invest in nature-based clean water solutions, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and water security and resilience.
2035 Outcome
Communities can secure and deploy the resources needed for reliable, affordable drinking water and wastewater systems, and major watersheds are more resilient to scarcity, flooding, and other water-related risks.
2026-2027 Priority Campaigns
Missouri: Support conservation and agricultural collaboration to increase tate funding for land protection and water quality improvement.
Ohio: Support agriculture, business, and conservation collaboration to secure transformative state funding for the H2Ohio program
Iowa: Engage business, sporting voices, and land trusts to fund the Iowa Water & Land Legacy fund, contributing to land protection, conservation practices, and water quality improvement
Utah: Build bipartisan support in Congress for at least a billion dollars to restore the Great Salt Lake
2
Deliver Results Faster; Invest In Systems
Modernize technical assistance and project delivery so communities can move from funding to implementation more quickly and effectively while also building power for durable water policy and funding.
2035 Outcome
Funding reaches communities faster and more effectively, including through improved technical assistance.
2026-2027 Priority Campaigns
Texas: Build durable bipartisan power around the state’s Proposition 4 water investment, converting that investment into tangible projects and proof points
3
Modernize Water Policy And Management
Advance performance-based water quality approaches, address flow-impaired waterways, and strengthen state, Tribal, and local groundwater management.
2035 Outcome
Waterways are healthier, and states and Tribes have stronger tools, resources, and capacity to lead water management and innovation
2026-2027 Priority Campaigns
Montana: Support the leadership role of hunters and anglers in state in-stream flow policy for fish, wildlife, and recreation.
North Carolina: Pilot an integrated water management approach to water quality permitting with development, agricultural, municipal, and conservation allies.
Today’s water challenges require a conservation community that can turn individual state successes into a coordinated pathway to federal action. In addition to the strategic approach laid out above, this means pursuing state and federal policies in three mutually reinforcing strategic priority areas.
Looking Ahead