If you trace the path of your water it might just lead you to a special place.
A place that's cared for to sustain the gifts that come to us naturally
Places that are there for you to explore and connect to a part of yourself
And to sustain the ecosystems we have always relied on to nourish ourselves
and our spirits
Places like forests, mountains and grasslands that capture and keep the
snowfall and rain we need to thrive and that cleanse and shape the waters that
we are all drawn to. Pure waters that invite us to explore, play and pursue.
Rich waters teeming with fish and aquatic life that symbolize their
health and who play their own part in keeping these waters clean as they move
downstream.
Vibrant waters that embody the wealth of our natural world and some of the very
best of these waters flow from lands that are yours.
The U.S. Forest Service stewards nearly 1/10 of the total land and watershed
area in the United States, nearly a quarter million miles of rivers and
streams and over 10 million acres of lakes, ponds and reservoirs
And all of these lands are managed in part for the water they capture, cleanse
and store. Waters from your national forests improve lives and livelihoods
far beyond their boundaries, and are used throughout the nation's farmlands,
rural communities and cities. Consider the fact that one-fifth of the nation's
public drinking water originates on national forests. That in the West over
half of the water used by cities, agriculture and recreation comes from
national forests, and national forests and grasslands provide vital habitat for
more than half of the country's threatened and endangered freshwater
fish, mussels and amphibians. That Alaska's national forests support a
billion dollar salmon fishing economy and vital subsistence fisheries to local
communities. But nearly all of the country's 26 native trout species rely
on the cool clean waters of our national forests. That more than half of the
nation's Wild and Scenic Rivers flow through our national forests and grasslands.
And that some of the nation's best research in fish and aquatic ecology is produced
by Forest Service scientists.
The gifts of our natural world are invaluable
and like all gifts that we inherit, they are easy to take for granted.
The U.S. Forest Service and many partner agencies, organizations and tribal governments
across the country have worked to steward these lands and balance their
natural and societal values for over a hundred years, and are working to ensure
that future generations will continue to inherit those precious gifts like
healthy rivers and clean water. Go to your national forests and grasslands
find your best waters. They just might lead back to you.