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.

Executive summary here (4 pages)

Full survey results and analysis (134 pages)