River Otter Ecology Project

Education about the linkages among healthy otters, healthy watersheds, and healthy communities is as important as scientific research and discovery, and perhaps more important and useful to a wider range of people. As Wendell Berry says, "If we were sincerely looking for a place of safety, for real security and success, then we would begin to turn to our communities - and not the communities simply of our human neighbors but also of the water, earth, and air, the plants and animals, all the creatures with whom our local life is shared." That message resonates deeply with people who are offered concrete examples of nature's resilience, and our human capacity to mediate environmental mistakes. Our conservation goal is always to support and expand the public's understanding of and passion for the natural world. We provide education for adults and children on the importance of watershed health, using river otters as ambassadors, with the goal of helping support restoration and conservation of wetlands and watersheds.

We engage people in supporting waterways in their own communities. Otters for Waters is a nationwide conservation initiative, aiming to protect and support waterways across the country, with river otters as charismatic ambassadors. Building on more than decade of community science, research, education, and advocacy, we are expanding our Otter Spotter program, which mobilizes people to document otter sightings, enabling them to take an active role in local conservation efforts. The Intent: To use the skills, knowledge, and technical expertise gained through the Otter Spotter program nationally, in order to increase our reach and influence throughout the United States in support of watershed conservation. The Vision: We envision a national web of connected projects using our collective data and the appeal of river otters as ambassadors for healthy waterways. River otters are indicators of waterway health and symbols of the success humans can achieve in restoring ecosystems for all species, including ourselves. The Plan Partner with local NGOs across the nation dedicated to watershed conservation. We have launched pilot programs in Virginia, Arizona, Utah, and Louisiana. We use their on-the-ground knowledge and connections along with our platform and expertise to help partners achieve their goals. The initiative's expansion is rooted in collaboration. Partnering with local organizations, Otters for Waters provides training, technical support, and tools to empower partners in their conservation goals. Partners provide the on-the-ground knowledge of the needs of local waterways. Our expansion vision is to create a national network of conservation advocates, leveraging the appeal of river otters to spark public interest and support waterway restorations and policies. Like all changes, it starts with a few drops that grow to ripples then waves of change.