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