Skills and Connection for Neighbors, Ag Landowners, and Project Coordinators in Ag Watersheds
Channel: Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Date: 2017-04-19

In 2016 and 2017, Fishers & Farmers Partnership For the Upper Mississippi River Basin piloted the Watershed Leaders Network. Two three-day, experiential workshops drew leadership teams from locally-led watershed groups in agricultural sub-basins of five Upper Mississippi River Basin states. The teams learned from each other, practiced communication skills, heard from experts, built relationships, and had time to identify an action plan for successful long-term work at home. Now, they are scheduling local meetings, requesting and using on-farm water test kits, speaking to neighbors and presenting to groups, organizing farmer advisory and leadership teams, talking with legislators, perfecting on-farm practices, using innovative watershed planning processes, and drawing on the stories of peers to scale up action close to home.