America’s Watershed Initiative and The Nature Conservancy recently convened leaders from across the Mississippi River Watershed for the latest MRWP workshop. The gathering, held in St. Louis with a hybrid option for virtual participation, brought together over 60 participants. The hybrid space allowed for meaningful conversations both online and in the room while offering flexibility for partners across the watershed.
The workshop focused on advancing ten priority actions from the MRWP Goals and Actions list—steps that were identified as having the greatest potential for early progress and were prioritized by partners in our survey sent earlier this year. Participants worked in small groups to build out roadmaps by identifying data and resource needs and exploring opportunities for coordination across geographies and sectors.
In addition, the workshop built on January’s conversations around shaping a lasting structure for the partnership as well as intermittent steps to get us to that lasting structure. Participants discussed models for governance, roles for leadership and committees, and approaches to ensure that the MRWP can both guide and support meaningful action.
A full Workshop Report is now available [here], providing additional background, key takeaways, and a deeper look into the discussions that will help chart the path forward.