Webinar Library
Upcoming
May 2026
Planting for Impact: How Farmers Reduce Nutrient & Sediment Loss in the Mississippi River Basin – Megan Dwyer
A brief look at how Illinois corn growers integrate practical, field-level decisions at planting like cover crops, reduced tillage, and precision nutrient management to reduce nutrient and sediment loss across the Mississippi River Basin while navigating real-world challenges like weather variability, tight margins, and operational complexity.
Friday, May 8, 2026
12:00 -12:30 PM CT
June 2026
Using Chatbots to Collect Data on Visitor Perceptions of the Mississippi River – Dr. Bonnie Keeler
This project aims to assess how visitors to the Mississippi River perceive water quality and the activities and uses that shape their relationship with the River. Using SMS chatbots to survey river visitors, the project has collected data from over 4,000 respondents at over 100 river locations. The survey data suggest regional trends in perceived water quality and the suitability of the River for fishing and swimming. Survey responses also reveal an enduring reverence for the Mississippi River despite visitor-reported threats from agriculture, industry, and development.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
12:00 -12:30 PM CT
Past
April 2026
Implications of Water Loss from the Lowermost Mississippi River
March 2026
New Mississippi River Basin Drought and Water Dashboard
Molly Woloszyn presents the Mississippi River Basin Drought and Water Dashboard, developed by NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) in collaboration with partners across the region to improve access to critical drought and water information. Hosted on the U.S. Drought Portal (drought.gov), the Dashboard offers curated data, tools, and resources to support communication and decision-making across the basin. The platform features real-time maps and downloadable graphics that illustrate historical, current, and projected conditions, along with an educational overview of drought, water management, and impacts in the Lower Mississippi River Basin.
February 2026
Floodplain Restoration along a Midwestern Big River: The Nature Conservancy’s Illinois River Program
Randy Smith presents an overview of The Nature Conservancy’s Illinois River Program, highlighting restoration efforts on one of North America’s historically most productive river systems. The webinar focuses on TNC’s work at the 1,000-acre Spunky Bottoms Preserve and the nearly 7,000-acre Emiquon Preserve, which demonstrate how former agricultural and levee districts can be restored to functional floodplain wetlands and reconnected to the Illinois River.
January 2026
The CISWRA Project: A Water Quality Report and Call to Action in the Des Moines and Raccoon River Watersheds
Dr. Elliot Anderson presents findings from the Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment (CISWRA), one of the most comprehensive water quality studies ever conducted on the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. He highlights how the multi-year, county-commissioned research provides a clear “state of our rivers” and outlines practical pathways to improve source water quality for Polk County and the region.
November 2025
The Great River Road: Uniting Communities, Driving Growth
Susanne Thiede-Barnet, Managing Director of the Mississippi River Parkway Commission, focuses on the Great River Road – a National Scenic Byway and All-American Road spanning 10 states along the Mississippi River. She highlights how the Mississippi River Parkway Commission drives tourism, supports local economies, and preserves the cultural and natural heritage of river communities.
October 2025
CTIC – Four Decades of Connecting and Championing Conservation Agriculture
Ryan Heiniger, Executive Director of CTIC, introduces the Conservation Connector — an innovative online platform that helps farmers, ranchers, and advisers easily compare conservation incentive programs and connect with technical support in one place.
September 2025
The Role of Endangered Pallid Sturgeon in Missouri River Recovery
Dr. Robert Jacobson, adjunct professor at the University of Missouri School of Natural Resources and former USGS research scientist, focuses on advancing Missouri River conservation by shifting from pallid sturgeon–driven management toward flood-risk reduction, with species recovery as a secondary benefit.
August 2025
Projecting Climate-induced Changes in River Discharge and Water Temperature Across the Mississippi River Watershed
Jason Knouft, director of Freshwater Policy Institute at NGRREC, discusses model predictions for water temperature and river discharge changes in the Watershed.
July 2025
In a Changing Climate: The Need for Comprehensive Hydrologic and Water Quality Monitoring in the Mississippi River Watershed
Larry Weber, director of Hydroscience & Engineering at the University of Iowa, will discuss the need for hydrologic and water quality monitoring data across the Watershed.
June 2025
The Nation’s Inland Waterways: A Washington Perspective
Tracy Zea, President/CEO of Waterways Council, Inc., will discuss the organization’s mission, its legislative priorities, and the critical importance of the nation’s inland waterways to its many beneficiaries.
May 2025
The Importance of the Inland Waterways to Illinois Farmers
Join the executive director of the IL Corn Growers Association and IL Corn Marketing Board, Rodney Weinzierl as he addresses drought and high water issues and their impact on Illinois farmers.
April 2025
The Silt is Gone-
Where’d them Muddy Waters go?
Join AWI Board of Directors member and Tulane University Research Professor, Dr. Barbara Kleiss as she discussed the decline in the sediment load of the Mississippi River over the last 100 years ago. Learn about the factors that have caused the change and its impact on the Gulf and Louisiana.