Scaling Conservation: Three Local Examples Go Big

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Conservation practitioners are finding novel approaches to scaling conservation practices while saving time and money. During this session, participants will hear about three unique ways SWCS members are going from “random acts of conservation” to watershed scale. 

1. Dubuque County Watersheds' 2026 Cover Crop Program has covered 20% of the county in cover crops! Utilizing technical assistance, technology, incentives, and monitoring, the program continues to recruit and retain farmers. 

2. The Missouri USDA NRCS is utilizing rapid response teams to add technical assistance capacity where it is needed. Mimicking emergency response methods and tactics, rotating technical assistance goes where it is most needed to accomplish conservation activities. 

3. To increase the adoption of edge-of-field (EoF) practices like saturated buffers and bioreactors in the Midwest, a “batch and build” approach is being used so practice planning and implementation can occur at greater scale. This approach has accomplished a massive feat of increasing Iowa’s number of EoF practices by over 200 in just five years across over 20 counties while saving money and time and exceeding national implementation numbers. Concepts from the “batch and build” approach have been used to manage practices and are being applied to the planning and implementation of urban conservation, too. 

Join these three conservation leaders as they discuss how local partnerships, creative delivery models, and targeted technical assistance are helping conservation efforts go big in their counties, states, and regions. Attendees will gain insight into how they too can get more practices on the ground to reach their conservation goals. 

Speakers

• Clare Lindahl, CEO, SWCS (Moderator)
• John Swanson, Water Resources Supervisor, Polk County
• Eric Schmechel, Watershed Program Director, Dubuque County SWCD
• Aaron Rives, Acting Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations – Area 1 Missouri, USDA-NRCS

What You’ll Leave With

• Creative approaches to scaling conservation from county to regional levels
• Practical models for deploying technical assistance faster and more effectively
• Proven strategies that save time, reduce costs, and increase practice adoption

Cost

• Free for SWCS members
• $15 for nonmembers

Bonus: Need CEU credits? A certificate of attendance will be provided upon request. Just email events@swcs.org after the webinar.