Session Schedule: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026
| Time | Fiscal Management Track | Organizational Capacity Track | Outreach Track | Programs Track | Technical Track | Wetland & Soils Track | Workshops |
| 8:30-10:00 | Get Ready to Reconcile! | Bringing Your Board to the Next Level | The Human Side of Conservation: Motivating Landowner Action | Supporting Pollinators through Resilient Landscape Programs | Private Wells and Performing a Well Inventory | Setting Up Successful Field Days and Field Trials | Managing Neonics to Support Productive Crops and Pollinator Habitat |
| 10:30-12:00 | Fiscal Management | HR Compliance: What You Need | Planning and Facilitating Effective Meetings | Funding Conservation, One Agreement at a Time | Making the Most of Each Acre: Crops + Livestock | WCA Enforcement | N/A |
Session Descriptions
Thursday, Oct. 22 - 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
- Fiscal Management Track: Get Ready to Reconcile!
Description: This session will provide a high-level overview of the Grants Administration Manual, how to determine BWSR billable rates, time tracking requirements and what to expect during a financial reconciliation. Participants will leave the session with a better understanding of grantee fiscal responsibilities and grant reconciliations.
Trainers: Laura Godfrey - BWSR, Becca Reiss - BWSR, Shanae Fortson - BWSR
- Organizational Capacity Track: Bringing Your Board to the Next Level
Description: Effective board governance is the foundation of a high-performing organization. This session reviews essential board structures, roles and responsibilities needed for efficient operation, while moving beyond the basics to focus on strengthening overall board performance. Participants will explore practical strategies to elevate engagement, accountability and decision-making. The session will also examine real-world scenarios that can create immediate challenges but, when managed effectively, lead to long-term organizational strength. Designed for those ready to expect more from their boards, this presentation will provide tools and insights to help you build a more effective, resilient and forward-thinking board.
Trainer: Moriya Rufer - BWSR
- Outreach Track: The Human Side of Conservation: Motivating Landowner Action
Description: Why do we approach conservation implementation by trying to change the land, rather than the people managing it? Traditional land management often misses this critical distinction. Effective conservation depends on influencing landowner behavior, but human behavior is complex and shaped by individual motivations, social norms and community context. In this session, we’ll explore key questions to ask, observations to make and insights to consider when working to shift behavior. Participants will leave with practical strategies to better engage land managers and adapt their own approaches to support meaningful, lasting conservation outcomes.
Trainer: Jason Weinerman - BWSR
- Programs Track: Supporting Pollinators through Resilient Landscape Programs
Description: Building a pollinator program can feel overwhelming — but it doesn’t have to be. This session walks through how organizations can develop impactful, locally relevant programs that support pollinators and communities alike. Learn how to start where you are, leverage partnerships, access funding and grow your efforts over time. Walk away with ideas and tools you can put into action right away!
Trainers: Erin Loeffler - BWSR, Rhyan Schicker - Lac qui Parle SWCD
- Technical Track: Private Wells and Performing a Well Inventory
Description: This session explores the role of private wells in protecting drinking water, an area receiving increased attention. Presenters will discuss how private wells fit into broader source water protection efforts and share practical ways to include them in local and state work plans. Attendees will learn about real-world examples and simple, scalable activities that support better understanding and management of private well risks. The session will also include a hands-on exercise demonstrating how to conduct a county-level well inventory, with a focus on collecting and using data to inform protection efforts.
Participants should bring a laptop.
Trainers: Anne Nelson - Minnesota Department of Health, Beau Kennedy - Goodhue SWCD, Savannah Domnie - Goodhue SWCD
- Wetlands & Soils Track: Setting Up Successful Field Days and Field Trials
Description: Producers want locally-based soil health information to make sure it’s relevant and applicable to their own operations. State staff can play a role in creating and disseminating this information. This session will provide local government staff with the tools they need to set up successful research trials and field days. These tools are useful for engaging producers in soil health topics, learning more about soil health in your area and providing an avenue to interact with local producers.
Trainers: Gabi Bolwerk - University of Minnesota Extension, Bailey Tangen - University of Minnesota Extension
- Workshop: Managing Neonics to Support Productive Crops and Pollinator Habitat
Description: This 90 minute session provides conservation staff with a practical understanding of neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticide use in cropland systems and strategies to integrate high‑quality pollinator habitat into landscapes where pesticides are used. Participants will learn how neonics work, when they provide economic value and where they pose risk to beneficial insects. The session covers exposure pathways, habitat‑siting strategies, integrated pest management considerations and real‑world case studies. Attendees will leave with tools to assess local risk, support producers and design habitat that maximize both conservation and agronomic goals.
Trainers: Karin Jokela - Xerces Society, Claire LaCanne - University of Minnesota Extension
Thursday, Oct. 22 - 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Fiscal Management Track: Fiscal Management
Description: The Office of the State Auditor (OSA) oversees local government financial activity in Minnesota by performing audits of local government financial statements and by reviewing documents, data, reports and complaints reported to the office. OSA staff will share information to help local government staff with audit preparation, project and program budget tracking, tools for managing budgets and fiscal accountability.
Trainers: Lisa Young - Office of the State Auditor, Aaron Tri - Office of the State Auditor
- Organizational Capacity Track: HR Compliance: What You Need
Description: This session, led by Minnesota Counties Intergovernmental Trust (MCIT), provides an accessible and practical update on key human resources laws affecting local government employers. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of recent legal developments, emerging risks and common compliance challenges unique to public sector organizations. Drawing on MCIT’s expertise in risk management and employment practices, the session will highlight how laws intersect with day-to-day supervision, hiring and employee management. Attendees will leave with increased confidence in recognizing legal pitfalls, asking the right questions and applying current HR requirements to protect both their organization and staff.
Trainer: Sonya Guggemos - Minnesota Counties Intergovernmental Trust (MCIT)
- Outreach Track: Planning and Facilitating Effective Meetings
Description: Meetings are a pain point for most people in most organizations, and that makes sense. Schools, universities and most professional development programs do not typically teach the planning and facilitation skills that turn a “meh” meeting into an engaging one. So how do we become better meeting planners and facilitators? The answer is part skill, part practice. You will learn tools and methods for preparing meetings, engaging participants, dealing with conflict and getting buy-in, including what works best in-person, virtual and hybrid meetings.
Trainer: Moriya Rufer - BWSR
- Programs Track: Funding Conservation, One Agreement at a Time
Description: Think you have a good handle on financial assistance agreements, amendments and vouchers? Test your skills and gain a greater understanding of the nuisances that accompany agreements and processing, when and where it is important to be critical, and the assurances gained with accurate agreements and financial assistance records.
Trainer: Brett Arne - BWSR
- Technical Track: Making the Most of Each Acre: Crops + Livestock
Description: The training will involve a series of presentations to explore the many dimensions of crop and livestock integration. After the training, participants will be able to 1) Explain the agronomic and economic benefits of integrating crop and livestock systems, 2) Design a cover crop mix that fits grazing needs and herbicide regulations, 3) Understand forage chains and stocking density calculations to create a year-round grazing plan that includes cropland.
Trainers: Gabi Bolwerk - University of Minnesota Extension, Claire LaCanne - University of Minnesota Extension, Sabrina Florentino - University of Minnesota Extension
- Wetlands & Soils Track: WCA Enforcement
Description: Have you ever wanted to know what happens when unauthorized impacts to wetlands are discovered? BWSR and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff will explain the process per the Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) as well the roles of the Minnesota DNR enforcement, soil and water conservation district and TEP involvement. Participants should be able to walk away from this session understanding the enforcement process and feel more comfortable informing landowners of the WCA rules.
Trainers: Lynda Ponting - BWSR, Matt Johnson - BWSR, Rob Haberman - Minnesota DNR Enforcement