The Mississippi and Atchafalaya River Basins (MARB) Watershed Leadership Network was an inclusive group of farmer and non-farmer leaders who are working in their communities and states to reduce nutrient pollution to the Mississippi River and shrink the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. This project ended in the fall of 2022.
Read the final project report >>
Through the network, members built their capacity for leadership in watershed management in the following ways:
- Build and strengthen relationships with other agricultural leaders and watershed professionals within government agencies, nonprofits, and land grant universities across the region who are also helping to implement state nutrient reduction strategies
- Expand their knowledge in both the research and practice of agricultural and watershed management
- Participate in improving the coordination and delivery of educational programming across the region
The network represented the 12 states that are part of the Hypoxia Task Force: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
Our work is connected, from Heartland to Gulf
Farmers, fishers, and watershed professionals across the region are working together to address Gulf hypoxia. Watch this video and learn why this matters.
This video showcases the 2019 Great Lakes to Gulf Watershed Leadership Summit, an activity of this network.
The Confluence Newsletter
We shared the latest news, perspectives, and opportunities related to watershed management, policy, research, and funding in the Basin through a quarterly email newsletter called The Confluence. We sunset The Confluence with the last 2021 issue to prepare for the launch of an exciting new initiative. While you stay tuned for that initiative’s launch, we invite you to read the past issues:
- October 2021 newsletter
- July 2021 newsletter
- April 2021 newsletter
- January 2021 newsletter
- October 2020 newsletter
- July 2020 newsletter
- April 2020 newsletter
- January 2020 newsletter
- September 2019 newsletter
- May 2019 newsletter
Resources and Opportunities
Tap Your Potential: A Training to Grow Farmer Leadership in Watershed Management. This curriculum is designed for use by outreach professionals and educators who work in agricultural watersheds and seek to empower more farmers to get involved in efforts to improve water quality and soil health. Learn more >>
Life Hacks over Lunch: A Meet-Up Series for Watershed Professionals: This free, virtual, monthly meet-up series is a peer-learning opportunity for watershed professionals to share ideas and advice for solving real-life challenges of watershed projects.Learn more >>
Human Capital blog series: Gain insights and learn stories that will help you tap your full potential for watershed leadership through this new monthly blog series. Read >>
Training Needs for Farmer Leaders: The network produced a needs assessment of training and programs to cultivate leadership among farmers and farm advisors in promoting and implementing practices that reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loading to waterways in the Basin. Download the report >>
Great Lakes to Gulf Watershed Leadership Summits: The network has hosted two summits for representatives from across the region to share practical approaches and develop strategies for increasing farmer and farm advisor engagement in watershed management and conservation practices.
Summit Materials: