Finding Community Among Landowners

Covering the span of nearly 600,000 acres, the St. Croix Watershed is home to thousands of landowners. Collectively, we have the knowledge to spread best practices, share successes, relay resources, and support each other. But how many landowners do you know?

Building a sense of community around our woodlands is one of the best ways to create a healthy, resilient watershed. Let me introduce you to a couple of groups working to do just that:

1. My St. Croix Woods Facebook Group

The My St. Croix Woods Facebook Group provides a safe public medium where landowners can talk to each other to discuss woodlands and recommend what worked for you to your neighbors and vice versa. Best management practices, trainings, events, and webinars are common topics of conversation within the group. Since there are professional foresters in the group as well as experienced woodland owners, this would be a great group to join if you have questions or are interested in recommendations.

All woodland owners are welcomed, from those who've owned their woods their entire lives to those who just purchased or inherited woodland property and want to learn more!

2. Minnesota Women’s Woodlands Network (MNWWN)

The Minnesota Women’s Woodland Network is a group dedicated to building a community of women woodland owners, their families and land managers to nurture a land ethic. The MNWWN creates supportive, informal, small group learning opportunities on topics that include trees, nature and caring for the land.

The MNWWN provides the opportunity to recognize and enhance the role of women in woodland management, whether they own land themselves, may inherit or purchase land in the future, or may simply be interested in supporting this effort. By joining this group, you will gain access to networking opportunities for women landowners, woodland management education and resources, and connections with professionals. Connect with MNWWN via their website, Facebook, and Instagram.

MNWWN Events

Photo Credit: Nikki Henger

3. Wisconsin Women in Conservation (WiWiC)

WiWiC is a group dedicated to connecting, empowering, educating, and inspiring women when it comes to conservation and land stewardship. They do so by bringing together Wisconsin women landowners to learn about conservation practices, resources, and funding opportunities via in-person events, blog posts, webinars, and conservation coaches.

Learn more about their learning circles, field days, webinars, happy hours and other networking events through their website, Facebook, Instagram, and newsletter.

4. Minnesota Prairie Landowner Network Facebook Group

This group is for landowners, land managers, and anyone interested in the conservation and management of prairies in Minnesota, from the largest nature preserves to the smallest boulevard footholds. Common conversations within the group consist of discussing the management and preservation of Minnesota’s prairies.

Members often share questions, articles, research, advice, tips and tricks, volunteer events, successes, failures, and works in progress. With nearly 1,000 members, this is an active group with no shortage of knowledge to share for those of you interested in learning more about prairies. Join them on Facebook.

Are you a member of a group that was not included in this post? If so, please contact Alexis Monti, Wild Rivers Conservancy’s Climate Resiliency Specialist, at amonti@wildriversconservancy.org and she can add them to the list. Thank you!