American Farmland Trust is coordinating with multiple regional agencies, agricultural associations, and universities to provide leadership training for watershed managers and professionals. Since 2011, Leadership for Midwestern Watersheds (LMW) has brought together watershed project directors and other stakeholders to compare notes and share lessons learned about watershed projects. American Farmland Trust, Sand County Foundation, Iowa Soybean Association, and North Central Region Water Network sponsor LMW meetings to encourage the exchange of information and im prove watershed project performance in the Midwest. For the last two years, the meetings have been focused on comparing and contrasting nutrient loss reduction strategies from states in the region to learn successful strategies.
The Leadership for Midwestern Watersheds is a community of practice—a group of conservation practitioners who work to improve water quality at a watershed scale. The group’s meetings are focused on topics that are essential to the success of watershed projects, and presentations support facilitated discussions that are the meetings’ core. Subjects have included engaging farmers, target ing conservation practices for the greatest impact, measuring results, governing projects, and scaling up lessons learned. The last LMW meeting in 2016 was held in November in Dubuque and included eight people who work in Illinois watersheds.
