AWI Newsletter: April – June 2025

NEW: Lunchtime Learning Series Takes Off!

Connecting watershed leaders through midday learning

Lunchtime Learning

Our mission is clear: advance science-driven decision making and strengthen collaboration for collective action. This April, we launched an exciting new initiative that hits both targets—our Lunchtime Learning Series. To join us for future webinars you can register here.

In just three months, we’ve brought together over 200 partners from across the watershed for dynamic 30-minute sessions with industry leaders. Here’s what our community has learned:

🔬 Science Spotlight: Dr. Barb Kleiss, AWI Board member and Research Professor at Tulane’s Center for River-Coastal Science and Engineering, revealed critical changes in Mississippi River sediment levels—and why every stakeholder should be paying attention. Watch here.

🌾 From the Field: Rodney Weinzierl, Illinois farmer and Executive Director of Illinois Corn Growers Association, shared real-world challenges of growing and shipping commodities along the Mississippi River corridor. Watch here.

💼 Economic Impact: Tracey Zea, President and CEO of Waterways Council, Inc., delivered eye-opening insights on navigation’s massive economic footprint on the Mississippi River. Watch here.

🔍Data-Driven Solutions: Dr. Larry Weber, Co-Founder of the Iowa Flood Center and Professor at the University of Iowa, highlighted the urgent need for comprehensive hydrologic and water-quality monitoring across the Mississippi River Basin—showing how high-frequency data and watershed modeling can transform flood resilience and nutrient management strategies. Watch here.

What’s next? We’re lining up speakers to cover everything from basin biodiversity to recreational opportunities. Join us for your next midday knowledge break!

👋 Welcome Our Newest Board Member!

Meet Julie Blackburn – Water Leader from the Heart of Minnesota

This June, we’re thrilled to welcome Julie Blackburn of Elysian, Minnesota, to our Board of Directors. As Water Unit Business Leader at ISG, Inc. — an employee-owned firm specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental services, and planning — Julie brings comprehensive expertise to our team.

Her watershed journey: Julie’s entire career has been dedicated to water stewardship, from her early days at MS Ag Extension’s water department to serving as Administrator of two Minnesota Watershed Districts and working in state water policy. She’s also contributed as a gubernatorial appointee to the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council and as a board member of Minnesota Waters.

When she’s not championing water policy, you’ll find Julie recharging in nature—snowshoeing through prairies, hiking forest trails, or boating on one of Minnesota’s legendary 10,000 lakes.

Sharing Watershed Expertise with the Mississippi River Commission 

This quarter delivered a valuable opportunity to share our work directly with the Mississippi River Commission. We presented testimony aboard the Motor Vessel Mississippi at Lake Providence, Louisiana—part of their annual spring public engagement tour.

The journey continued: From Lake Providence to Vicksburg, Mississippi, riding alongside commissioners and key partners to discuss river management priorities and explore opportunities for collaboration. Our road trip wrapped up in New Orleans, where we connected with our growing network of board members and partners in the Crescent City.

Bottom line: Direct dialogue with decision-makers strengthens our ability to work together with the Army Corps of Engineers and other basin leaders for our watershed communities.

A privileged preview of tomorrow’s drought monitoring tools

We were privileged to participate in a special webinar with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this spring—a demo and feedback session for their new Mississippi River Drought and Water Dashboard before its summer 2025 public launch.

Our opportunity: We had the chance to tour this innovative tool and provide direct feedback from the Mississippi River Watershed Partnership on the dashboard’s usability for communications and decision support across our region. This collaboration with NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) was an honor that ensures the final tool meets real-world needs.

Impact: Better tools for drought monitoring mean better decisions for watershed management.

🌱 Corporate Stewardship: Nature-Based Solutions Take Center Stage 

Identifying implementation challenges for nature-based solutions

AWI Executive Director Kim Lutz was invited to join a panel discussion with DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute and the National Great Rivers Research & Education Center to help identify critical implementation challenges for nature-based solutions that protect water quality and availability.

The focus: Corporate stewardship in the Mississippi River Basin faces real implementation barriers. Our panel worked to identify the key challenges:

• What data gaps are preventing corporations from adopting science-based freshwater targets?
• How can we better communicate scientific knowledge to corporate decision-makers?
• What’s the academic community’s awareness of corporate target setting?
• What pathways exist—or need to be built—to close these gaps?

The outcome: We illuminated key barriers and potential strategies for connecting corporate resources with watershed protection needs.

🎉 HISTORIC MILESTONE: First-Ever Mississippi River Day!

June 2, 2025 – A date that will live in watershed history

It’s official: June 2 is now recognized as National Mississippi River Day—a new annual celebration honoring the lifeblood of our nation and the people, land, water, and wildlife it sustains. 

This groundbreaking recognition, spearheaded by One Mississippi, a terrific partner group watershed, was supported by states and cities across the basin, acknowledges what we’ve always known: our great river deserves great recognition. The proclamation marks a watershed moment (pun intended) in elevating the Mississippi River’s critical role in American life.

This is just the beginning of a movement worthy of this magnificent river system.

America’s Watershed Initiative is building a future where science guides decisions and collaboration drives results. Join us in protecting and celebrating the Mississippi River Basin. Visit https://americaswatershed.org/