$30 Million Donated to Fund TNC River Conservation Efforts

The Nature Conservancy, a long-standing conservation non-profit, is creating a 5-year plan that will help to improve rivers and watersheds all across North America and Europe. This effort to manage water resources can benefit upwards of 150 million people worldwide.

The Enterprise Rent-A-Car foundation has made a hefty donation towards the conservancy’s efforts. They have given a grand total of 30 million dollars to help. The project is known as “Routes & Roots: Enterprise Healthy Rivers Project.” This is meant to help rivers in Mississippi, Colorado, and even as far as Canada and Europe.

The Nature Conservancy will help restore watersheds in the Colorado River basin in areas hit by drought. They will also work in the Mississippi River’s watershed. Their main work there concerns the dead zones created by the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico.

In Canada, they are going to work with First Nations in Manitoba to help give them a voice in how their land will be used. In Europe, the main focus will be on promoting and helping hydroelectric power plants.

“Part of the evolution of the Nature Conservancy is figuring out how to do conservation to achieve our mission of protecting our lands and waters, but also doing it in such a way that incorporates the needs of the people and communities who are involved,” Said Kacky Andrews, the Nature Conservancy’s director of conservation for North America. “To go in with a foundation and think big thoughts and dream big dreams, and to connect that to our evolution of people and nature, has been fun.”

Enterprise is working to give back to the communities in where their service operates. In their own words: “We’re thrilled to support and partner with a world-class organization like the Nature Conservancy in this effort to help ensure that healthy rivers continue to enrich our lives for generations to come.”