ROI | Restore the ozarks initiative
Introducing ROI: Restore the Ozarks Initiative
Watershed's Vision to restore and protect land in the Ozarks to ensure healthy lands and Clean Water for Life.
What is R.O.I.?
Your land is vital to the Ozarks and our water supply. That is why we launched the Restore the Ozarks Initiative, or “ROI.” It brings home a nationally proven model, blending watershed protection and sustainable land ownership.
Our region is renowned for its beautiful landscape of streams, rivers, and lakes. Through this initiative, we aim to restore and protect these resources into the future, because we want to see the Ozarks thrive so that all residents can work and play for the generations ahead.
ROI revives land suffering from degradation and disasters, rehabilitating it to desirable economic and community value. Damaged properties are environmentally dangerous and they create significant shortfalls in our local economy. However, land rejuvenation leverages the power of the marketplace for the 3 P’s: profit, people, and planet.
We noticed that land ownership in our community is changing rapidly; property is being sold to people outside the region, and the costs of maintaining land for locals are increasing. The Restore the Ozarks Initiative is a solution to multi-generational, sustainable land ownership. Please contact us to learn about the initiative, why we brought it to the Ozarks, and discover what land conservation and watershed protection projects neighbors in your watershed have already implemented.
How it works
Watershed and our partners seek land and water health for future generations using a three-part approach –
- Identify property in need of rehabilitation, work with existing landowners or acquire available land.
- Restore the land adding value – forestry, farming, hunting, solar, and more.
- Protect it to ensure long-term health & community support, including local ownership for employees. Ranching, Farming, Solar Forestry Hunting/ Recreation Carbon Farming
This is a proven strategy. In 2021 alone, $338 million were disbursed across the nation by the United States Department of Agriculture for 86 projects to restore and improve the land and its soil health.