NEWS RELEASE

NACD Holds 2025 Summer Conservation Forum and Tours in Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin – This week, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) held its 2025 Summer Conservation Forum and Tours in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Hosted in partnership with Wisconsin Land + Water, this summer’s meeting gathered conservation leaders from across the country for learning, with a spotlight on natural resources conservation in Wisconsin. Participants were welcomed by Governor Tony Evers and Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

“Wisconsin is a leader in farmer-driven conservation and water quality initiatives,” said NACD President Gary Blair. “The state shines with strong local and state collaboration and provides us with great examples of partnerships to grow the future of voluntary, locally led conservation.”

Remarks from Mike Strigel, the Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, emphasized how central agriculture is to Wisconsin and pride in the state’s conservation heritage. Several breakout sessions explored conservation delivery in Wisconsin through programs like Wisconsin’s Producer-Led Watershed Protection Grant Program, partnerships to build more resilient landscapes, and a unique structure that fosters a strong connection between local efforts and state-level conservation goals.

During the meeting, attendees heard from the Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt, about strengthening service to our nation’s agricultural producers. “This is an opportunity to reimagine NRCS, and we’re flipping the business model for what we need to be for the next 90 years,” said Bettencourt. “Join us in imagining that future and creating it for ourselves.”

Lance Irving, Vice President of the Leopold Conservation Award® with the Sand County Foundation shared with attendees the research, outreach, and education the 60-year-old Wisconsin-based nonprofit does to inspire and empower landowners and managers to adopt conservation-minded land management for improved water resources, soil health and wildlife habitat.

Mike Lessiter, President of Lessiter Media, an agriculture media company with brands that include No-Till Farmer and Cover Crop Strategies, shared with attendees key elements of no-till history. Lessiter reflected on why that history is a blueprint for future change, critical success factors to sustain and grow conservation practices, and the role of conservation districts in making successful conservation transitions and adoption a reality.

Earlier in the meeting, a panel of national conservation partners, including NACD, NRCS, the National Association of State Conservation Agencies, the National Conservation District Employees Association, and the National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils discussed ways partners will be implementing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s conservation investments. The Act integrates remaining Inflation Reduction Act conservation investments into Farm Bill conservation programs. This has been a top priority for NACD.

The meeting also provided attendees with the opportunity to see conservation in action in the City of Milwaukee as well as in Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth Counties with tours to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, Case Eagle and Pritchard Parks in Racine County, and Starry Nights Farm where the topics of soil and water health, habitat restoration, stormwater management, and regenerative agriculture were explored.

Throughout the meeting, attendees heard from conservation leaders from Wisconsin and across the country who shared their experiences addressing natural resource challenges and getting conservation on the ground through collaboration.

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About the National Association of Conservation Districts: 

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state and territory associations and the 17,000 individuals who serve on their governing boards. For 90 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit: www.nacdnet.org.