Workshops on Watershed Capacity Building

From February 2009 – March 2011, Prairie Rivers Network co-hosted a Watershed Capacity Building Workshop Series with the Illinois Lake Management Association (ILMA).  Our workshops and networking opportunities were designed to build the technical capacity of people and groups working to protect and improve our rivers and lakes in Illinois.

We also partnered with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the  U.S.  Environmental Protection Agency.  Experts from both agencies offered their time to share knowledge about the most current resources and tools available for watershed planning and management efforts.

Our workshops were funded by Illinois EPA and U.S. EPA through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.   CWA 319 grants provide money for non-point source pollution projects throughout the country.  Our Final Project Report provides detailed information about, and an evaluation of, our workshop series.

In 2008, we evaluated the priority needs of watershed groups in Illinois by using an on-line survey.  View our Survey Results, which determined the topics for our 2009-2011 workshop series.  We held a total of 10 workshops, covering the following 6 topics.  Valuable information and tools were provided to increase knowledge and skills for success in watershed management and to foster collaboration among the diverse entities involved in watershed planning.  Please read on to learn about those topics and resources that are of interest to you:

• Grant Opportunities and Funding Options for Lake and Watershed Projects
• Using On-Line Data & Tools for Your Watershed
• Getting in Step:  Building Partnerships and Conducting Watershed Outreach Campaigns
• How to Write a Fundable 319 Grant
• How to Prepare a Third-Party TMDL for the EPA
• Key Internet Tools for Watershed Management

Map of Workshop Locations

List of Participating Watershed Groups

The Watershed Capacity Building Workshop Series, hosted by Prairie Rivers Network and the Illinois Lake Management Association, was designed to increase Illinois watershed groups’ capacity to protect and improve their local water resources.  Capacity Building Workshops were funded through an Illinois EPA and U.S. EPA CWA 319 Grant.

Top photo:  David Lamb, a horticulturist with the City of Bloomington, talks about the conceptual plan for a park and community center at The Grove on Kickapoo Creek during our 319 Grant Writing workshop in central Illinois.

Middle left photo:  Ed Lochmayer and Nick LoPresti of the Bangs Lake Advisory Committee work together during a group exercise at our Lisle workshop on Building Partnerships in watershed groups.

Middle right photo:  Lucy Stanfield, a GIS Specialist with U.S. EPA Region 5, teaches at our On-Line Data & Tools workshop in Chicago.

Bottom photo:  Kris Bachtell, Vice President of Collections and Facilities at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, starts the tour of the Arboretum’s pervious parking lot during our 319 Grant Writing workshop in northern Illinois.

updated page – July 2011