The Yakima Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan is a 30-year, $3.8 billion plan that restores ecological integrity to the region and provides assurances for meeting agricultural water needs even in the face of ongoing climate change. The plan includes key elements to help protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife habitat and improve the reliability of the region’s water supply.

USGS Western Geographic Science Center led the project to examined the effects of gabions (wire baskets filled with rocks used as dams) on vegetation in the Ciénega San Bernardino, in the Arizona, Sonora portion of the US-Mexico border, using a remote-sensing analysis coupled with field data.

The Heritage Reach is a portion of the Santa Cruz River that runs through a highly urbanized portion of Tuscon, Arizona. This area used to support a variety of wildlife but has severely degraded from urban development. In 2019, Tuscon Water began releasing treated effluent into the Reach to restore river flows. 

In response to the increased wildfire risk and spread of invasive species, the Sandia Pueblo Environment Department and ranch staff from Galloping Goat Pumpkin Patch Ranch, with funding from the Forest and Watershed Restoration Act through the New Mexico State Forestry Division, implemented a goat grazing program in 2021.

Since 2004, A.T. & Lucinda Cole, founders of the Pitchfork Ranch in New Mexico, have been working to restore the ciénaga habitat that had been degraded by overgrazing. They constructed over 200 in-channel and 800 drainage grade-control structures, implemented sustainable gazing, replanted tree and vegetation, and reintroduced endangered wildlife species.

Forests in Arizona are increasingly affected by persistent drought conditions due to global warming. The Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) researched the effects of climate variability and accelerated forest thinning on watershed-scale runoff, aiming to improve water flows and reduce forest mortality. The focus was on ponderosa pine forests.

To recharge water into the groundwater basin, the Stockton East Water District (SEWD) led the Farmington Groundwater Recharge Program (Farmington Program), which replenishes groundwater through excavated fields called spreading basins. These basins capture stormwater and enhance precipitation infiltration into the aquifer.

Through a collaboration with USGS, the San Carlos Apache Forest Resources Program (SCAFRP) completed an analysis of aerial photographs and remote sensing data that help them develop baseline, historical extent of these ecosystems. Their goal is to restore the ecosystems by actively managing grasslands and savannas for prevention and reversal of woody species encroachments.

Until it was added to Red Rock Canyon State Park in 1989, the South Flat area had been heavily used by off-higway vehicles (OHVs) as a campground with large motor homes, leading to significant vegetation damage. The project goal was to revegetating the area with perennials.

Multiple organizations are working with public and private landowners to restore the riparian woodlands and enhance grassland habitats throughout the Terlingua Creek watershed. The project involved revegetating riparian plants (specifically Fremont cottonwood and Goodding’s willow), increasing sediment retention and riparian aquifer recharge, and establishing nurseries to generate sustainable native plant material for harvest.

The Yakima River Basin in Washington State supports municipalities, tribal communities, environmental uses and agricultural uses. Droughts have historically impacted the basin's water quality and availability, and their frequency is projected to increase under climate change conditions. A working group was formed to develop a climate change water resource management plan.