Generations of anglers have been drawn to the banks of western rivers, historically rife with trout. But these idyllic waterways – and the fish that depend on them – are dwindling, some even drained dry. In addition to suffering the pressures of drought, wildfires, population growth, and energy production, outdated state laws actually discourage landowners from leaving water in streams – a death sentence for fish and wildlife.

Enter Laura Ziemer, who guides the legal and policy efforts of Trout Unlimited’s Western Water Project. The project’s mission is to restore healthy stream flows and habitat across seven states, work that happens both on the land and in courts and capital buildings.

Ziemer is responsible for guiding national water policy, integrating water policy initiatives across western states, and helping to forge strong collaborative relationships between organizations that support western water and western working landscapes. “To effectively address the large challenges facing Western rivers, we must address them on a landscape scale – from ridgetop to ridgetop,” said Ziemer. “Increasingly, the health of a river in Montana or Utah might depend on decisions made in Washington DC about Farm Bill conservation programs or the Bureau of Reclamation’s reservoirs.  We have to coordinate the players and resources in a way that maintains the health of our rivers and outdoor heritage.”

Through the efforts of Trout Unlimited, many leaders are setting aside age-old differences to embrace innovative solutions and win-win partnerships that balance the needs of fish and wildlife with the concerns of agriculture and communities. The result? A legacy of deep running waterways that will serve the West for generations to come.