Resources
Documents & Websites
EPA Watershed Academy Learning Modules and Webcasts
EPA’s Watershed Academy holds a variety of learning modules, webcasts, and watershed management resources.
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EPA Webcast Archives
Previous webcasts covering topics including: agriculture, climate change, lakes, monitoring and tools, nutrient management, oceans and coastal waters, protection and planning, rivers and streams, water research, and wetlands.
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Addressing Nonpoint Source Pollution – Webcast Recording
Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution encompasses a wide range of sources and is the prevailing cause of the nation’s water quality problems. The vast extent and continuous nature of NPS pollution is a challenge that requires problems to be addressed through a variety of approaches using multiple funding sources.
You can access EPA’s Watershed Academy webcast to learn more about the national nonpoint source program and the various ways this program helps restore water quality across the United States.
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Nutrient Pollution Module by Watershed Academy
This module is intended to provide an overview of nutrient pollution and the associated water quality and human health impacts. This module covers the science behind the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, the impacts of nutrient pollution on human health and the environment, the sources of nutrient pollution, and federal, state, tribal, and territory actions underway to mitigate nutrient pollution impacts. It also includes the current science on how climate change may impact nutrient pollution. Finally, the module covers the tools, opportunities, and activities available for the public to get involved in these issues.
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Jumpstarting Conservation Drainage Practices in Illinois
Project Summary
The Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC), along with American Farmland Trust (AFT), Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association (IL LICA), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and The Wetlands Initiative (TWI), were recently awarded a National Fish Habitat Partnership Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Fishers & Farmers Partnership. With these funds, this coalition of partners from the IL Sustainable Ag Partnership (ISAP) is working in central Illinois to identify sites where (1) conditions are suitable for conservation drainage practices, and (2) there is local interest in gaining hands-on experience with the evaluation, design, and installation steps associated with conservation drainage practices. This “learning by doing” experience is critical for successfully installing conservation drainage practices, and it helps build momentum to deliver tile treatment practices at the pace and scale that can impact water quality. ISAP invites your participation and engagement in this effort to “jumpstart” conservation drainage practice installation in Central Illinois.
Who can provide more information?
Keegan Kult, Ag Drainage Management Coalition: kkult@admcoalition.com
Adrienne Marino, The Nature Conservancy, adrienne.marino@tnc.org
Jill Kostel, The Wetlands Initiative, jkostel@wetlands-initiative.org
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Precision Conservation Management: The Business Case for Conservation
Precision Conservation Management (PCM), is a program of IL Corn and Illinois Soybean Association. PCM released their annual “Business Case for Conservation” that offers data highlights gleaned from farmers in Illinois. The results are useful for farmers across much of the Midwest in regard to nitrogen application, cover crops, and tillage management.
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National Cover Crop Survey Report 2022-2023
From increasing yield to improving soil health, find out why farmers use cover crops. Since 2012, SARE, CTIC and other partner organizations have periodically conducted a national survey of farmers on their experiences with cover crops.
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Cover Crop Seed Dealers Directory
Click here to access a searchable, filterable live version of the directory.
Click here to add your business to the directory by completing our submission form.
ISAP does not endorse any particular program or company. Our goal is solely to share information among our farmer networks. The information in this directory was accurate at the time of publication (August 2023), but we encourage you to contact the service providers listed for the most up-to date information. If there is information in this directory that needs to be updated, please contact ISAP at hello@ilsustainableag.org
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An Overview of Voluntary Carbon Markets for Illinois Farmers
ISAP compiled “An Overview of Voluntary Carbon Markets for Illinois Farmers” to assist farmers and farm advisors in their evaluation of multiple market opportunities available in Illinois. This update includes additional carbon market opportunities available to Illinois farmers, summaries of 15 different voluntary carbon markets, a glossary of key terms, and a list of relevant resources.
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Guide to Water Quality, Climate, Social and Economic Outcomes Estimation Tools
The guide features multiple approaches, methods, and tools available to quantify environmental, social, and economic outcomes associated with farm conservation practices. All of the tools can be used by farm conservation project managers without the need for complex computer modeling.
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