Leadership for Midwestern Watersheds (LMW) is a popular forum for professionals who lead projects that reduce agricultural runoff in watersheds of the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
LMW is developing a “community of practice” among conservation practitioners who work to improve water quality with landowners, agencies, and businesses, one watershed at a time.
The annual LMW meeting series features presentations and facilitated discussions on subjects essential to successful watershed projects. Examples include: farmer engagement, geospatial planning tools, project financing, and water quality monitoring. To date, more than 300 attendees from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and beyond have participated, including many watershed projects supported by state nutrient reduction programs and USDA-NRCS Landscape Conservation Initiatives.
In 2020 we completed a detailed survey of 103 watershed project leaders in the Upper Midwest. The survey explores professional development needs and learning and networking opportunities among this community. Read about the results in this blog post.
Sand County Foundation presents Leadership for Midwestern Watersheds in collaboration with the Soil and Water Conservation Society, Conservation Technology Information Center, American Farmland Trust, North Central Region Water Network, and the Iowa Soybean Association. Financial support comes from the McKnight Foundation, and state and federal agencies provide guidance.
For more information on the LMW program, view this summary, or contact Craig Ficenec at 608.729.1388 or cficenec@sandcountyfoundation.org
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Future LMW Meetings:
November 2021 in-person. Details coming soon!
Previous LMW Meetings
2020, Virtual: Effective Communication in Changing Times
2019, Cedar Rapids, IA: Conservation and Farm Profitability for Watershed Health
2018, Winona, MN: Measuring Progress Towards Environmental, Social and Economic Outcomes
2017, Moline, IL: Social Science and Farm-Level Decision Making
2016, Dubuque, IA: Economic Drivers in Agriculture and Watershed Management
2016, Milan, IL: Implementing state nutrient reduction strategies: RCPP and soil health
2015, Sycamore, IL: Beginning Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) projects
2013, Madison, WI: Project organization and governance
2012, Ankeny, IA: Engaging farmers and scaling up lessons learned from watershed projects
2012, Stevens Point, WI: Making Projects Work
2011, Ankeny, IA: Measuring results
2011, La Crosse, WI: Goals, project design, and the Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI)
2017 Meeting in Moline, Illinois
