Soil Health & Watershed Groups

Connect with people who are protecting places they care about with neighbors, right now, where they live

Search to Find Peers and Shared Interests

Do you have questions about how to start a local group? Want to connect with farmer-led groups in your state, or network with larger watershed projects that can help you succeed? Check the activity you’re interested in below to bring up groups that share your interests. Then connect!

States:
  • All 5 States
  • Illinois
  • Iowa
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Wisconsin
Growing a Group:
  • Active group 5+ years
  • Book sharing
  • Farmer-led group
  • Formed a new group
  • Fundraising
  • Grant writing
  • Member-led project planning
  • Neighbor to neighbor mentoring
  • Personal invitations to neighbors to grow the group
Collaboration:
  • Actively participated in local watershed planning process
  • Collaboration with agriculture or conservation organizations
  • Collaboration with local ag retailers and/or crop advisors
  • Collaboration with local civic groups
  • Collaboration with local college or university
Outreach:
  • Engage local schools
  • Media interviews
  • Presentation to groups
  • Promotion to media outlets
  • Social media cultivation
  • Video Development
  • Website Development
Land & Water:
  • Bioreactors
  • Cover crops
  • Crop diversification
  • Floodplain restoration
  • Grass waterways
  • Grazing
  • Nutrient management & retention
  • Perennial crops
  • Prairie strips
  • Saturated buffers
  • Stream buffers
  • Stream restoration
  • Water retention basins
  • Wetlands
Assessment & Data:
  • Agronomic data collection
  • Field edge data collection
  • Field walkovers
  • Stream monitoring
Events:
  • Fishing event
  • Farm field days
  • Paddle event
  • Upstream or downstream connections/visits
  • Booth at local event
Fishers & Famers Partnership Program Participation:
  • Workshop
  • Neighbor to Neighbor Radio Podcast
  • Boots on the Ground Online Conversation
  • Group Presentation
  • Project Tour
  • Featured in a Story
  • Featured in a Video
  • Meetings

Coon Creek Community Watershed Council

Coon Creek Community Watershed Council was founded after the devastating flood of 2021, and is a community-led, producer-led group involving all facets of the community and a range of occupations and professions dedicated to research-based and data-driven flood and climate resilience.

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Mower County Watersheds

Mower County includes the upper reaches of two significant streams: the Root River and the Cedar River. Mower Soil & Water Conservation District is building collaborative soil health and water protection initiatives to engage both urban and rural people across the county.

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Friends of Trempealeau Lakes

Friends of Trempealeau Lakes aims to manage invasive aquatic plants and reduce nitrogen entering three natural, spring-fed lakes adjacent to the Mississippi River near Trempealeau, Wisconsin, to improve water quality and recreational value.

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Mitchell County Conservation Board

This group oversees the health and general welfare of county museums, parks, preserves, parkways, playgrounds, recreation centers, county forest, wildlife and other conservation areas to promote and preserve the health and general welfare of people.

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Midwest Healthy Ag

Midwest Healthy Ag is a farmer-initiated research project of Regeneration Midwest, a group of Midwest agricultural advocates dedicated to listening to farmers and farming communities about agriculture, the environment, climate, community and health.

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Clean River Partners

Our mission is to inspire people and organizations to value, protect, and improve the Cannon River Watershed’s land and water.

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Yahara Pride Farms

Yahara Pride Farms is a farmer-led, not-for-profit organization working to improve soil and water quality. We strive to help advance new ideas and technology that balance water quality improvement with farm sustainability and profitability.

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Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil – Healthy Water

Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil – Healthy Water is composed of farmers from Dodge County who work together to educate other farmers on conservation methods. Our mission is to…

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Huzzah/Shoal Creek Woodlands for Wildlife

Huzzah/Shoal Creek Woodlands for Wildlife is a bottom-up, self-organized farmer-led committee that began with a conversation between landowners and conservation organizations in 2008.

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Iowa Rivers Revival

A statewide nonprofit leading Iowans to protect, restore, and enjoy our rivers. We envision healthy, free-flowing rivers that connect Iowa’s communities and provide access for all to use and enjoy.

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Stream Teams United

​Stream Teams United promotes and supports Missouri Stream Teams and Stream Team Associations. We facilitate education to build appreciation and knowledge of Missouri stream resources, and support stewardship projects to improve the health of Missouri’s rivers and streams.

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Dry Run Creek Watershed Improvement Project

The Dry Run Creek Watershed Improvement Project addresses two state-designated water quality impairments—stream biology and bacteria—by engaging landowners in urban and rural areas to adopt beneficial conservation practices and sustainable land-use management.

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Vermillion Headwaters Watershed Partnership

American Farmland Trust is working with local stakeholders through the Vermilion Headwaters Watershed (VHW) Partnership to support the adoption of well-managed conservation cropping systems, leading to improvements in water quality…

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Turkey River Headwaters & Chihak Creek Water Quality Project

We work with farm operators & landowners in the Turkey River headwaters & Howard County to implement conservation practices and techniques to eliminate nutrients entering our water bodies. News &…

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Silver Creek Water Quality Project

Silver Creek Watershed is a 22,410 acre sub-watershed of the Upper Iowa River in northeast Howard County and northwest Winneshiek County. This project began in 2012 and since has invested…

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Shell Lake-Yellow River Farmer Led Watershed Council

Working as a non-profit organization to improve soil health and water quality through outreach, education, and conservation practices that improve sustainable agriculture.

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Seven Mile Creek Watershed | Eastern Nicollet County

Our group is composed of local partnering organizations and farmers who are pursuing opportunities to improve water quality, fish habitat, soil health, and community through practices that are beneficial to…

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Sauk Soil & Water Improvement Group

We are improving soil health and water quality through regenerative agricultural practices and education, to build resilient family farms and thriving rural communities, including healthy soils and clean waters.

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Middle Cedar River Watershed

Our project is aligned with state goals to reduce nutrient pollution we contribute to the Upper Mississippi by 45%. We work in collaboration with federal, state, county, private and local…

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Maquoketa River Watershed Management Authority

The Maquoketa River WMA formed in 2017 with 34 member cities, counties and SWCDs. The watershed spans nine counties and includes just over a million acres. In collaboration with the…

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Le Sueur River Watershed Network

The Le Sueur River Watershed Network exists to encourage collaboration, empower citizens, and nurture a land stewardship ethic amongst those that live, work and recreate in the watershed. News &…

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Jo Daviess County Soil & Water Health Coalition

The mission of the Jo Daviess County Soil & Water Health Coalition is to invite individuals into a farmer-led conversation about soil health and water quality. The Coalition uses the…

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Ioway Creek Watershed Management Authority

Our mission at Prairie Rivers of Iowa is to promote economic development through the restoration and conservation of Iowa’s cultural and natural resources. Advocate: We support ecological and natural resource…

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Friends of the Fox River

Friends of the Fox River is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the natural resources of the Fox River watershed by connecting people with nature through education, research,…

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Dubuque County Watersheds

Dubuque County Watersheds is a collaboration between Dubuque County, the City of Dubuque, and the Dubuque Soil and Water Conservation District. We are working to increase conservation measures and profitability…

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Central Turkey River Water Quality Initiative

To encourage and implement practices in the watershed that reduce soil loss and improve water quality.

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Boone River Watershed Project

Farmers, Iowa DNR, The Nature Conservancy, Iowa Soybean Association and county SWCDs are restoring stream oxbows to reduce nutrient runoff and create habitat for the endangered Topeka shiner minnow.

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Want to see your group in this directory?

Fill out and submit this form to our coordinator, who will review it and contact you to confirm details. We look forward to hearing from you!