"I work in water because I've retained my childhood fascination with running water, how it moves and feels and catches light, and the life below the surface. I've combined this with an adult neurotic fear of not having access to clean water and a deep-seated sadness whenever healthy aquatic life is harmed."

"We believe water is life. It is the mamas' responsibility to get water from the river. Before this project, it took four hours to walk to the river. With the drought the river is dry, and it took another hour to dig a well in the riverbed, and then another five hours to carry the full water jugs back to the village. Then the whole day is gone and all you have done is haul water. Every day. Now, I can walk 10 minutes to this new [reservoir], and when the project is complete there also will be watering areas for our livestock and another for elephants and other animals at a safe distance. And there is water at the school now so children do not need to carry [five liters of] water to school every day. Now, the mamas can do other things."

"As a 4th generation rancher and mother, my greatest hope for water is that its value will be acknowledged today and in the future, so that it will flow naturally through our land, supporting life many generations from now. To keep it healthy, we planted trees and native grasses; and we recently completed a river restoration project to restore historic habitat for Chinook salmon and other fish and wildlife. The Wallowa River is my connection to the Earth, and it is the place where I feel safe.”

"A growing tree needs to be watered to survive. My hope for the future is for people everywhere to understand that we are like trees. We can’t live without fresh, clean water."

Wangari Maathai

"I was conducting research about fishing among riverine and indigenous people in the lower Purus River, a main tributary to the Amazon River. It was 2 a.m. and the snoring of hundreds of pescada fish marching nine feet underwater was the only sound breaking the stillness. There, in the middle of Ayapuá Lake, standing in their fragile wooden canoes, dark-skinned men checked their nets. After hours of fishing solitude, the canoes congregate. A fisherman says: 'When I stay home some nights, I feel an immense claustrophobia, and the walls of my hut seem to steal from me all the air I need to breathe. This is what I love: Here, in this silence, with the blanket of the sky and the smell of freshwater of the Purus River. I am a fisherman of the Purus River.' I shared those same feelings."

"My interest in conservation started in high school. I had the opportunity to work at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park, where for the first time I was surrounded by nature and wildlife. I became intimate friends with the Anacostia River, wetlands and great blue herons. After such exposure, how could I not be interested in conservation? I wanted to make sure that the beauty I found at Bladensburg would be around for the rest of my life."

"Hinchinbrook Island, Queensland, taught me the meaning of clean water. We immersed ourselves in the cool stream, drinking its waters as we swam. We snorkeled in its lagoon, marveling at the myriad of fish. We harvested clams from its beach, savoring their freshness. We wanted to stay forever."

"To me, clean water means undammed rivers teeming with migratory fish. To protect fresh water, I am working to conserve migratory fish such as American eel. By monitoring their numbers, we can use the data to inform fisheries managers responsible for the management of American eel coastwise. My greatest hope for water is that in 100 years there will once again be large runs of migratory fish in our rivers."

"As an explorer and story-teller, I am helping communities understand and connect with our water planet. Water is one of the defining issues of our time and my hope is to inspire people to act so that our water is one day swimmable, fishable and drinkable."

"My greatest hope for water is that we get geared up for action now. We used to say we need to save water for the next generation. But the crisis will hit us in our own times."

"Water magnifies the wonder and magic in the world - my daughters are invariably drawn to it, no matter what the occasion."

"I am blessed with warm feet. I've been known to spend hours happily wading barefoot in freezing rivers with my camera just at or under the surface of the water. My job is to photograph people working, playing and protecting the planet: I've photographed women scientists conducting critical river research and teen girls transformed by their first experiences swimming in rivers. But it wasn't until I photographed salmon up close in the chilly waters of the Shasta River that I realized what a magical world awaited me when I put my head (and camera) under the water's surface. Being lens to nose with a Chinook that had traveled far and wide to return to that spot to lay her eggs was a powerful experience - one that made me hopeful that the river can remain healthy for her returning young."

"To me, clean water means saving lives. I am excited by the potential for positive impact when conservation and human well-being organizations work together. In February, I am embarking on a 12,000-mile bike trip from Ethiopia to South Africa. My travel partner and I are teaming up with Water 1st International on this trip to raise money and create awareness about the urgent need for clean water around the world. At the Conservancy, I am working with corporations to help them determine their impacts on freshwater and reduce their impacts so that there's enough clean water for everyone."

"Our challenge is to reconnect people to rivers. The Colorado River is our lifeline - we depend on the river just like any other species. And we are the only species planning for its future, so it's up to us to get it right. We're all in this together. We can make a difference."

"The Potomac watershed is my home. It's where I've lived for 15 years now, where I get my water and where I'm raising my children. It's a place I'm deeply committed to. Being able to live and work in your own backyard is a very gratifying thing."

"Throughout my travels, I've collected thousands of photos of women in different parts of the world carrying water. But women and girls aren't only tasked with collecting water, they're often responsible for everything it takes to keep a household running - from processing food, to cleaning, to taking care of livestock and gardens. All of these tasks involve water. And when family members become ill from water-borne diseases, women are the ones who take care of them. Despite these facts, women are still excluded from decision-making about water in many places around the world. To make a real difference for water on a global scale we need ministers of environment to be focused on water issues, but we also need ministers of finance, agriculture and energy thinking about water - and we need more of them to be women."

"As a fly fisherwoman, my greatest hope for water is that we can keep it healthy enough to support the kind of game fish populations that I and so many others love angling for. Nothing beats fly fishing for steelhead on Northeast Ohio's gorgeous Grand River!"

"Living in the middle of a high-elevation desert, it seems the places with water are sources of everything good - an abundant diversity of wildlife, rich soil and irrigation for growing food, clean drinking water and fantastic recreation. The success of all life largely revolves around water."

"Nature sustains my spirit the way the flow of the mighty Colorado River sustains the West. Supporting conservation through philanthropy is a powerful way to ensure the future of all species; it's also my way of being thankful for what nature gives me."

"Thanks to my experience with The Nature Conservancy, I see fresh water as far more than just an environmental matter. I'm able to make connections with social and political aspects of it as well. As a New Yorker, I’m lucky to have such good water available. But too many people don't have that luxury. It shouldn't even be a luxury; it's a human right to have fresh water available to sustain basic life."

"As a volunteer coordinator for The Nature Conservancy, my greatest hope is to connect people with their local environment and show how hands-on projects like stream sampling and forest restoration help protect our rivers and the fresh water we all need to survive."

"To me, clean water means healthy rivers and healthy people. To protect fresh water, I am working to reconnect river and ocean habitats for migratory fish and enhance public safety by removing outmoded dams throughout Massachusetts. My greatest hope for water is that we'll make decisions now that allow us to have enough fish for people and ecosystems in the future."

"The freshwater resource I most want to protect is Lake Champlain and its tributaries. I feel a sense of connectedness when navigating the quiet waters of the Poultney River, which flows into Lake Champlain. I share my love of this area with students, perhaps future stewards, by exploring the rich biodiversity of these waters."

"To me, clean water means a healthy ecosystem. A healthy ecosystem is a more resilient one: more resilient to non-native species and more resilient to any pollution that might enter it...because in the coldwater world, a healthy ecosystem includes trout - and will for many years to come."

"Why care? Because we are losing what we love. Controlling invasive weeds and restoring native plants is an opportunity to do something meaningful in my life and beyond."

"At one point, we were actually running door to door in close to 100-degree heat. It was nuts, but a lot of fun too, and it sure got the attention of those answering their doors. A common question people asked us was: 'Do you want a cold drink of water?' The water district measure failed by a narrow margin, but we made a lot of people more aware of the need to safeguard their water."

Holly Richter and four other women walked 174 miles in the suburbs of Sierra Vista, Arizona last fall to encourage voters to approve a new water district that could help sustain the flows of the San Pedro River. They met their distance goal, which was to walk farther than the San Pedro River is long.

"To protect fresh water, I wade into swamps at The Conservancy's Disney Wilderness Preserve to take water readings that help ensure wetlands - once ditched and drained for pastureland - are restored. As a native Floridian, I want Florida's water to be clean and plentiful to support the amazing plants, animals and people that need it."

"I grew up exploring Mississippi's Pascagoula River, its myriad of fine blackwater tributaries and its backswamps. I've boated, swam, fished, hiked it and traversed its banks on horseback. It has entertained me, fed me and now I make my living working to protect it. I have a tie to this river system. My family has lived along it for well over a hundred years, and my ancestors made their living rafting logs down it. I want to inspire others to work to protect those special waterways that they love and that are important to them."

"Seeing the springs - the actual birthplace of the Verde River - gives people a deep connection to this place. Suddenly they understand why it's so important to protect it. I wake up every morning and look outside at this beautiful view, and I think how lucky I am to partner with the Conservancy to protect this extraordinary place."

Ann's B & B, which is a short hike from the Conservancy's Verde River Springs Preserve, has become the preserve's unofficial headquarters and point of access.

"Recently I found myself traveling through a winter storm, wondering about my sanity. In the middle of a whiteout on I-80 near Wyoming's Elk Mountain, it's hard to imagine the hot dry months when water runs scarce. But the hazards of winter provide hope for another year of good water, whether you irrigate, fish or just hope to have water in your tap. In fact, without the snowpack from winter's storms, we'd be hard pressed to live here at all."

"To me, clean water means people's health and nature's health and beauty. To protect fresh water, I am learning as much as I can about the Earth's water and volunteering to help keep it clean and safe. My greatest hope for water is that someday people won't have problems getting clean, fresh water."

"As a conservationist and a mom, my greatest hope for water is that we learn to not take it for granted. In the Great Lakes, I am sometimes troubled by language that reduces water to a commodity; it may be that, but it's also life-sustaining. My favorite water quote: 'If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.' -Loren Eiseley"

"In Harrisburg, the Susquehanna River is nearly a mile wide. It supplies drinking water for millions and generates electricity for northeastern cities. Bald eagles fly overhead. Mayflies indicate good water quality; some evenings, they cover my screen door. I walk to work along the river, grateful to contribute to its recovery."

"I volunteered to help remove tamarisk on the San Miguel River because what happens within our watershed affects the whole Colorado River system. It was so satisfying to be part of a project that demonstrated how ordinary people can make a difference."

"My greatest hope for water is that one day, by the grace of God and the efforts of many compassionate people, all of God's children will have clean, healthy water to drink. To protect fresh water, I am working with Living Waters for the World, a ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA), training and equipping mission teams to partner with communities in the developing world to decontaminate their water and reduce future contamination of its source."

"As a healthcare professional, my greatest hope for water is better comprehension, understanding and appreciation of its value. Clean water means a good healthy life. The Everglades provides South Florida, my home and that of millions of people, fresh water-our most valuable resource-which I strive to protect daily through water conservation."

"To protect fresh water, I want my daughters to know water is a thread that ties all people together. I share with them memories of playing in creeks as a child and canoeing in college, and now pride of the work I do to help safeguard the waters of Georgia."

"To me, clean water means a place for aquatic species to survive and thrive. To protect fresh water, I work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conserving endangered fish, mussels and their habitats. My greatest hope for water is that we'll work together to find sustainable solutions to share water."

"To me, clean water means freedom. As a lover of nature, my greatest hope for water is that we'll value it as much as we do oil. The water resource I most want to protect is the Mississippi River."

"To me, clean water means a lake to swim in, a stream to fish in and a river to paddle along. To protect fresh water, I am working to protect and restore floodplain forests that slow down floodwaters, filter storm water, protect our cities and towns and provide a home for many of our biggest trees. As a mother, my greatest hope for water is clean lakes, rivers and streams for my children to play in and to gain inspiration from."

"When my daughter Meg was a baby we would dip her toes in each body of water we encountered in our travels - sort of a baptism in the outdoors that we hoped might lead to a reverence for nature. It seems to have stuck: Meg loves to go creeking, kayaking and swimming. As her dad, I hope she'll always be able to dip her toes - and her daughter's - in clean fresh water across the country."

"As a physician, I know that water is life-sustaining, and access to it is critical to improve health care delivery worldwide. Many public health efforts are undermined by poor local infrastructure and mismanagement of watershed resources, resulting in exposure to infectious agents and toxins. My support for The Nature Conservancy targets watershed protection in Massachusetts and the Colorado River Basin, and I know that the Conservancy's scientific approach in these places extends to projects around the globe."

"To protect fresh water, I am teaching the next generation its relevance at our shores, where it attracts our native freshwater-loving seaweeds and repels invasives. The freshwater resource I most want to protect is the mist, which calls Hawaii's native lowland forest home at dawn and dusk."

"To protect fresh water, I am working to reduce sediment entering the Mississippi River. My greatest hope for water is that people will realize how small changes in how they manage their land can have large, positive impacts on our water resources. The freshwater resource I most want to protect is Bayou du Chien, home of the Relict Darter.

"The body of water I most want to protect is my own body. People are more important than money, more important than the stock exchange, more important than corporations so I hope water remains a part of the commons, owned and accessible by all. The body of water I watch over is the Altamaha River in Georgia. To care for it, I am singing its praises and protecting forests that keep silt out of the water, asking people not to pollute and eating as much local and organic food as possible to reduce the chemical load in water and use less irrigation. My watershed address is Slaughter Creek @ Altamaha River @ Altamaha Sound @ Atlantic Ocean."

"As a mother, my greatest hope for water is that the women I met in Kenya will no longer have to live knowing their children are thirsty. That's why our work to protect freshwater in Georgia and globally is so important."

Shelly recently traveled to Kenya on a women's leadership trip through the University of Georgia and met many women who have been struggling to provide water for their families since a drought that began in 2000.