Hunters, anglers, and conservation groups applaud legislation aimed at new investments in source watersheds and resilient forests. 

On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators – including Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and James Risch (R-Idaho) introduced the Headwaters Protection Act in an effort to invest in America’s forests and watersheds by expanding support for two U.S. Forest Service Programs created in the 2018 Farm Bill: The Water Source Protection Program (WSPP) and the Watershed Condition Framework (WCF). These two programs are unique in that they are the only Forest Service authorities that specifically support efforts to identify and implement conservation and restoration efforts to improve the quality of water originating on National Forest Service lands, which provide benefits for both downstream water users and fish and wildlife.  

If passed, the bill would support critical public-private partnerships working to ensure our National Forests provide clean water to downstream communities, benefit agricultural water users, and safeguard fish and wildlife habitat that hunters, anglers, and communities rely on. 

Originally introduced in 2023, the reintroduced bill aims to make important updates that will expand participation, increase funding, and boost resilience.  

“Healthy source watersheds improve water reliability and quality, bolster resilience to drought and wildfire, and sustain the fish and wildlife habitat that hunters and anglers depend on,” said Alex Funk, TRCP’s director of water resources. “The Headwaters Protection Act will strengthen public-private partnerships to accelerate restoration and conservation of these landscapes, and we applaud Senators Bennet, Crapo, Hickenlooper, Luján, and Risch for their leadership in introducing this important bipartisan legislation aimed at keeping our forests and watersheds healthy.” 

From backcountry trout streams to irrigation canals that sustain farms, healthy headwaters are the foundation of both America’s sporting traditions and our economy. National forests supply drinking water to more than 150 million Americans and sustain countless fish and wildlife species that hunters and anglers depend on. The Headwaters Protection Act would:  

• Reauthorize the Water Source Protection Program (WSPP) and increase the authorization of appropriations for the program from $10 million per year to $30 million per year.   

• Broaden the range of water users, including rural communities and Tribes, who could participate in and benefit from the WSPP.  

• Reduce financial barriers for water users to participate in the WSPP by providing more flexible match requirements.  

• Prioritize WSPP projects that benefit drinking water quality and improve resilience to wildfire and other natural disasters.  

• Make a technical change to the Watershed Condition Framework (WCF) that ensures healthy watersheds do not become further degraded and authorizes $30 million in new appropriations per year for the implementation of locally led watershed restoration plans.   

The WSPP and WCF projects would:  

• Conserve and restore freshwater resources within National Forest System Lands and nearby non-federal lands, which supply drinking water to one in five Americans and contain much of our country’s best remaining cold-water habitat for salmon, steelhead, and trout.  

• Complement and strengthen the Forest Service’s efforts to respond to growing wildfire risk by encouraging partnerships with water users to reduce threats associated with wildfire to water supplies. 

Learn more about TRCP’s work on Habitat & Clean Water | Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

Hunters and anglers have always been the unsung heroes of conservation in America, quietly paying it forward every time we buy a license, a box of ammo, or a tank of boat fuel. We know you’re not satisfied with simply going hunting or fishing and then going home—so go the extra distance. You can take action on the conservation issues that matter right now. Click here to get started.