Conserving water in California for wildlife and people

Water conservation in California poses complex challenges, to be sure, but also incredible opportunities for public-private partnerships.

With nearly 40 million residents, California ranks as the nation's most populous state. Its economy dwarfs that of nearly every nation in the world. It serves as a global leader in technology, research and entertainment.

This one state produces about a third of U.S. vegetables and nearly three-quarters of its fruits and nuts.

California also holds a special place in the annals of conservation. Its magnificent landscapes - granite peaks and alpine meadows, stands of towering redwoods, otherworldly desert landscapes, rugged coastlines - inspired President Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and other giants of American conservation.

Behind it all, one resource has shaped, and continues to shape, California's fortunes: fresh water.

Without plentiful supplies of fresh water, flowing as streams and rivers on the surface and stored in natural aquifers, ecological and economic systems could collapse.

NFWF works with federal agencies and private-sector partners throughout California to advance a variety of conservation strategies. Some focus on healthy forests and wildfire prevention. Others focus on coastal marine ecosystems and wildlife. But in many places, water conservation remains the overarching priority.

Such is the case in Northern California, where NFWF's Klamath Basin Forests and Watersheds Restoration program continues to advance voluntary water conservation across a mosaic of public and private lands.

Projects supported by NFWF in 2025 focused on private-land efforts that augment and amplify work being done by federal partners. Many projects will help willing farmers make operational improvements that generate healthier flows in headwaters and streams that sustain economically and culturally important runs of salmon.

Such investments in water conservation benefit much more than fish. They will also help ensure that California's cities, agricultural producers and industries continue to thrive in the modern world.

Contributing Partners: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation

This story originally appeared in NFWF's 2025 Annual Report.