AUTHORS: Jill Kostel, PhD, Water Resources Program Director, The Wetlands Initiative; Jean McGuire, Field Outreach Specialist, The Wetlands Initiative; Jason Bleich, Private Lands Biologist, USFWS – Partners of Fish & Wildlife Program
ABSTRACT: The Wetlands Initiative’s Smart Wetlands program focuses on empowering farmers and agricultural communities to voluntarily reduce their nutrient loss into local drainageways and streams through the implementation of tile-treatment wetlands. To be effective at scale for water quality improvement, tile-treatment wetlands must one day become routine practice across the Midwest. Unfortunately, the adoption of this practice has been slow due to several challenges: lack of familiarity with the practice and its suitability for their farm, high up-front cost of implementation, and absence of a clear/direct incentive for the farmer or landowner in terms of productivity or profitability. To overcome these barriers, the Smart Wetlands team has been developing both targeted individual and advisor outreach approaches and strategic partnerships with both conservation peers and ag-sector organizations to reach a range of audiences. Our collaborative, data-driven outreach strategies provide a model that can be replicated in tile-drained areas across the Midwest to increase adoption of wetland practices and other edge-of-field practices for cleaner water. Tile-treatment wetlands typically are located at the intersection of subsurface drainage and land at the edge of row-crop fields, where they provide a natural long-term and effective solution to the critical issue of ag nutrient runoff, which impairs waterways and harms fish habitat. Typically, these wetlands are located on less-profitable farmland acres; however, the adjacent unfarmable landscape may provide additional site opportunities. The adjacent landowners can improve downstream water quality, while the wetlands provide enhanced wildlife habitat for recreational activities. A case study from north-central Illinois, outreach strategies, and management tools will be presented for conservation outreach professionals and technical experts who implement practices that address water quality and natural habitat resource concerns. The case study will focus on a tile-treatment wetland constructed on land next to a row-crop field. The project design focused on improving water quality while creating wildlife habitat for hunting and dog training. To accomplish this project, we created a collaborative community of wetland conservation professionals, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and the Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association. The talk will outline how these partnerships came together to successfully build both a tile-treatment wetland and a restored wetland for the landowners and to host three individual outreach and education events at the site in 2022.
