2026 marks the 10-Year Anniversary of the Iowa Watershed Academy! The Academy was first offered in 2016 to a small group of newly hired watershed coordinators, most of whom were leading short-term pilot projects. Since then, the conservation workforce has expanded and become more permanent, adding roles like conservation agronomists. In the past ten years, hundreds of conservation professionals have attended the Watershed Academy to learn, be inspired, and build their professional network.
We began the festivities on May 12 with a celebration in Des Moines. You can find Catherine DeLong's powerpoint presentation, that briefly outlines the history of the Watershed Academy, here.
The Spring 2026 Watershed Academy was focused on precision conservation and gathering lessons learned from the Batch and Build model for edge of field practice adoption.
Full agenda: Spring 2026 Watershed Academy Agenda.pdf
The first day began with a short preview of the Iowa Conservation Professional Interactive Map. Dr. Haleigh Summers from the Sand County Foundation presented on a new tool, GeoProfit, that can be used to assess field profitability. A link to all files including her presentation can be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IomU_dRnJL1N7E6Yzarp6ET0EtEJKfgi&usp=drive_fs
Next we heard from Stephanie Nelson and Bailey Klein from Pheasants Forever. They presented on their precision conservation work with farmers and landowners. Their powerpoint can be found here: Pheasants Forever PACS Watershed Academy.pdf
We then had a panel discussion with Erin Ogle, Ashley Brincks and Caleb Mattox who work together as part of the Iowa Working Lands team. Their work is centered on helping farmers assess the profitability of their current management choices, and if shifting land to pasture or other uses is a profitable and environmentally sound option.
On Day #2, we first heard from Keegan Kult with the Ag Drainage Management Coalition covering an overview of the Batch and Build model. Dr. Laurie Nowatzke with Iowa State University presented her finding from multiple interview with Batch and Build stakeholders like landowners, contractors, and conservation professionals. Clare Lindahl with the Soil and Water Conservation Society closed out there session by discussing resources and her own conservation journey. Their presentation can be found here: Batch and Build Watershed Academy.pdf.
Before moving into our facilitated session we heard from Dr. Gabriel Johnson with Iowa State University on best practices for edge of field site selection and design: Johnson Watershed Academy 2026 B&B Research Updates.pdf.
Jeremy Bril and Tanner Puls with IDALS presented on lessons learned from lots of edge of field practices over the years: Bril Watershed Academy.pdf
