From The Nature Conservancy – “This guide provides land trust staff and other land acquisition practitioners with information about key aspects of water rights.  It presents a suite of important tools to protect environmental water assets in order to maximize the ecological outcomes of lands acquired and/or managed for conservation purposes.  Like land, water rights are real property that can be bought, sold, and encumbered. If an organization acquires a land interest (e.g., through a conservation easement or fee simple acquisition of a property) with conservation values that depend on water resources which are impacted by the way water is used, it is important to understand the type and status of water resources and water rights associated with the property and the surrounding watershed. In addition, it is becoming imperative to take action and utilize tools to align water and land management, to ensure that properties protected in perpetuity are resilient enough to endure the increasing pressures of climate change and the human population on the landscape.” (more).