Collaborative Outreach and Demonstration of Farm-based Tile-Treatment Wetlands for Water Quality Improvement

During the two-year North-Central SARE grant period (November 2022–October 2024), TWI and our partners worked to increase knowledge of and accelerate implementation of tile-treatment wetlands on working farmland in Illinois through the following education and outreach activities. This project had an initial geographic focus on seven counties in north-central Illinois where there are existing farmer networks and TWI has built ag-sector relationships. Map of Project Focus Areas. Due to partnership opportunities that emerged during the grant period, the Smart Wetlands project is now developing a much broader, truly statewide reach for outreach activities, far beyond the originally targeted geographic area.

• Collaborative landowner/adviser outreach via field days, webinars, meetings, and other events.

Over the past two years, TWI further built out two major new collaborative partnerships with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (PFW) in Illinois (https://www.fws.gov/partners/) and with the national nonprofit Ducks Unlimited (DU). These partnerships are aimed at reaching a broader range of landowner prospects with the tile-treatment wetland practice. DU is pursuing strategies to spread more wetlands to provide waterfowl habitat across the Midwestern Farm Belt with a focus on aiding/amplifying the existing work of local groups. Meanwhile, USFWS is working with TWI to implement “hybrid” wetlands that create more wildlife habitat on marginal farm ground while still capturing and removing excess nutrients to meet water quality improvement goals.

In 2024, the Smart Wetlands team also began two new collaborations with the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Land and Water Resources and the City of Springfield.

• The Bureau of Land and Water Resources connected with TWI via Ducks Unlimited ag-focused staff and subsequently collaborated with TWI, DU, and PFW on a successful grant proposal to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Conservation Partners Program for a three-year project that will seek to collaboratively increase use of conservation practices that improve water quality across Illinois, including wetlands. Their four regional representatives will assist with outreach and technical assistance on wetlands and other water quality practices across Illinois’ 97 Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
• The City of Springfield’s City, Water, Light, and Power utility recently received a Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) grant for land management practices to reduce sediment and nutrients entering Lake Springfield. In early 2024, TWI Field Outreach Specialist Jean McGuire presented on Smart Wetlands at several machine-shed meetings around the Lake Springfield area. This outreach opportunity led to TWI assessing six properties in that region for a Smart Wetland and two wetland designs moving forward that can receive RCPP funding for implementation.

These major collaborations made it possible to organize several field events over 2023–24 and to attract a larger number of attendees than originally anticipated. These well-attended events allowed participants to view tile-treatment wetlands first-hand, talk with knowledgeable advisers/agency staff on ag conservation topics, and/or talk with their peer landowners who have already implemented practices. Field events and workshops that were either organized by TWI or in which the SW team had a major role included:

• “Connecting Tile to Conservation” (June 29, 2023) – The SW team collaborated with our partners to hold this field day at Marshall County’s first tile-treatment wetland (see attached flyer). Approximately 50 people attended the event. Speakers on current trends in agriculture, resources for farmers, and progress on a new Farm Bill were a draw for attendees. Guests could peruse a “wetland walk” with a series of banners placed along the wetland that explained its design and function. Due to a severe storm that moved through in the afternoon, a planned evening event was postponed and held in August 2023 instead.
• Midwest Caucus of Environmental Legislators (June 12, 2023) – As part of the Mississippi River Network coalition’s River Days of Action, TWI and our partners gave a tour to members of this legislators group at the new Livingston County wetland site.
• “Ag and Conservation Family Night” (August 2, 2023) – SW project staff participated in this field event hosted by the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership at Illinois Central College's East Peoria campus on ICC's Demonstration Farm. Visitors got an up-close view of farmers’ many practices and technologies to improve soil health and protect water quality on their farms. Dr. Kostel presented on the Smart Wetlands project and constructed wetlands at a tent next to ICC's TWI-designed constructed wetland. Other event field stations included a rainfall simulator, soil pit and cover crop plot, and a demonstration of drain tile installation. Approximately 30 people attended the event.
• “Wildly Beneficial” (September 14, 2023) - TWI worked with landowner cooperator Wes Lehman and partners to organize this field event at Wes’ Livingston Co wetland (see attached flyer). This unique event focused on drawing audiences with an interest in hunting and other recreational opportunities created as secondary benefits by installing a tile-treatment wetland. It featured a hunting dog training demonstration along with expert speakers on Illinois waterfowl and practices on private lands that benefit bird conservation. Approximately 75 people attended.
• “Cultivating Conversations: A Panel Discussion and Communications Training for Edge-of-Field Farmers” workshop (June 25, 2024) – This event was sponsored by University of Illinois Extension and the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership (ISAP) at the Knox County Farm Bureau and Extension offices in Galesburg, Illinois. Landowner cooperator Jim Fulton was one of four farmers on the roughly two-hour panel and was involved in the training session that followed. The Smart Wetlands program also had a table at the event hosted by Jean. Approximately 60 people attended.
• ILICA Annual Picnic (July 20, 2024) – This annual event for Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association (ILICA) members was held at Feather Prairie Farm, landowner cooperator Wes Lehman’s property in Livingston County. Dr. Kostel presented about his dual, hybrid Smart Wetland system, which ILICA built in partnership with TWI in 2022. Approximately 35 land contractors/operators attended—an important adviser audience.
• Livingston County Summer Field Tour (August 27, 2024) – Livingston County’s first Smart Wetland was one of two stops on the tour, which was sponsored by Livingston County SWCD. Dr. Kostel and landowner cooperator Jim Fulton presented on his wetland, which was built six years ago, and they shared research results on nutrient-removal rates from the two Bureau County wetland sites. Attendance was 32 farmers, landowners, and ag advisers.

In addition to these field events, the Smart Wetlands team either organized or had a major role in the following webinars and other events that reached landowners and ag professionals:

• “How to Do Ag Field Days” virtual presentation (February 6, 2024) – TWI Field Outreach Specialist Jean McGuire presented on TWI’s experience with hosting successful field events to the Illinois Farmland Managers of Forest Preserve Districts. Online attendance was 12 conservation professionals who work with ag audiences.
• “The Conservation Planning Process” webinar (June 5, 2024) – Together with TWI, the Marshall-Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff sponsored this Zoom webinar. It provided an overview of how to use the NRCS 9-Step Conservation Planning process to develop a comprehensive conservation farm strategy. Online attendance was 12 landowners.
• “Using CSP and EQIP to Achieve Your Farm’s Conservation Goals” webinar (June 12, 2024) – This second webinar was also co-hosted by TWI, Marshall-Putnam SWCD, and NRCS staff. Both webinars were recorded and are now available on the Smart Wetlands YouTube channel and on the SW website with links to additional resources. Online attendance was 15 landowners.
• “Cultivate Connections” luncheon at the Illinois State Fair (August 9, 2024) – TWI Field Outreach Specialist Jean McGuire took a significant role in the planning and execution of this ISAP event, which focused on building relationships among conservation professionals in the ag space. This highly successful event drew nearly 100 attendees and gave important exposure for the SW project. It was one of the activities Jean pivoted to when construction of the Buffalo Trace/Champaign Co Forest Preserve wetland was delayed and no field construction expo could occur in summer 2024.

Public and private advisers are a critical avenue for reaching new landowner prospects, as they have trusted relationships with large networks of farmers. The following 21 public and private advisers are new contacts who are helping to disseminate the tile-treatment wetland practice to their farmer/landowner contacts:

• Madie McFarland, Biologist, Ducks Unlimited. Ms. McFarland is helping to spread the word about the conservation and wildlife benefits of wetland practices.
• Harrison Chumley, Agriculture Conservation Specialist, Ducks Unlimited, co-located at the IL Department of Agriculture office in Springfield, IL. Mr. Chumley works directly with private landowners to implement regenerative ag practices. 
• Evan Newton, Benjamin Crockett, and Kyle Maple of USAG LLC, a private ag investment company. USAG LLC assists with building farmland portfolios and implementation of farm management plans.
• Jessica Grissom, Resource Conservationist, Mercer County Soil and Water Conservation District. Mercer County is a potential area of expansion for the project.
• Ryan Green, Manager at Pinion/DIGS Associates, who designs new subsurface drainage systems and is working with landowners to incorporate a tile-treatment wetland when planning new tile drainage for their properties.
• Andrew Fulton, Sangamon County NRCS
• Andrew Philipps, Sangamon County SWCD
• Shelly Seman, Sangamon County SWCD
• Sarah Lindholm, Springfield City, Water, Light, and Power. Ms. Lindholm is managing Springfield CWLP's Regional Conservation Partnership Program award to accelerate the use of conservation practices in Sangamon County.
• Staci McGill, American Farmland Trust. Ms. McGill is the new leader of the Vermilion River Headwaters watershed group and will be managing several other new farmer-led watershed groups forming in Illinois.
• Angie Doucette, Farmland Protection Program Manager, American Farmland Trust
• Shay Laager, Springfield Plastics, Inc. Mr. Laager is a tile drainage system designer who believes strongly in incorporating conservation practices into tile drainage system designs. He is promoting the use of Smart Wetlands as one of those practices with his clients.
• Richard Rappley, Natural Resource Specialist, Bureau County NRCS.
• Emily Hansen, University of Illinois Extension Commercial Ag Educator for LaSalle, Bureau, Marshall and Putnam counties.
• Jared O’Brien, Private Lands Biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Northwest Indiana.
• Cara Morgan, the regional representative for the Great Lakes Region of the US for ALUS. This is a Canadian organization that works with farmers to develop ecosystem services at the local level that can be sold to their corporate clients (https://alus.ca/).
• Alex Landwehr, Soil Conservationist, Marshall-Putnam County NRCS
• Hope Dermott, wetland scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, in the Wetland Science Program in partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation to support wetland delineation efforts across the state.
• Catherine Delong, Water Quality Program Manager, Iowa State University Extension. She invited Jean to speak at the Iowa Watershed Academy in 2024. Ms. DeLong connects researchers with practitioners and the general public and helps to translate water quality science to a broad audience. She also builds coalitions and new programs to meet current and future needs.

Finally, TWI is supporting the development of farmer-led groups in watersheds such as the Vermilion Headwaters. We will continue to work with similar farmer peer-learning groups as opportunities arise. One of TWI’s longest partnerships in a watershed group took a new turn in 2024. The Vermilion Headwaters Watershed Partnership is now prepared, with support from our partner American Farmland Trust, to form a fully farmer-led group. This group will provide leadership to implement the water quality improvement practices needed to achieve the Vermilion Headwaters Watershed Plan. The Wetlands Initiative was a primary contributor to creating this report. Due to her research and experience with farmer decision-making around conservation practices, our Field Outreach Specialist has agreed to help organize and support the farmers leading this group as they formally organize and start work in 2025.

• Technical assistance to help farmers implement wetland demonstration sites in new counties or subwatersheds.

For the first tile-treatment wetland site(s) in each watershed or county, TWI seeks to partner with farmers who are active, well-known leaders in their community. Each “first-adopter” landowner will collaborate with TWI and other partners to host field events during wetland construction and site visits after installation, facilitating peer-to-peer learning. For the six existing wetland sites, most of the landowners and/or farm managers are already actively engaged as cooperators in disseminating the practice. As described in the lists of outreach activities, our landowner cooperators assisted on the project over the past two years by hosting field days, giving presentations, and participating on panels to talk about their experience and motivations in installing a tile-treatment wetland on their property.

After connecting with TWI staff, farmers interested in exploring a tile-treatment wetland for their property move through TWI’s four-step process toward implementation, which includes:

• An off-site initial assessment of their property for potential suitable locations;
• An on-site visit and more detailed assessment;
• Preparation of a preliminary wetland design if there is a suitable location; and
• Final wetland design prepared with an environmental engineering firm with landowner and agency approval, as needed.

Through the site evaluation process, TWI works to identify the best solution for water quality improvement for each farm given its unique setting and characteristics. Landowners that are implementing the Constructed Wetland standard can enroll in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) or Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to receive federal cost-share if they wish. As an added incentive for these first adopters, TWI covers the remaining cost of building the wetland after the farmer receives their cost-share payment from EQIP or CRP. If a wetland proves not to be appropriate for their farm, we will work with our partners to refer the landowner to an alternative tile-treatment practice. TWI has partnered with the Illinois Land Improvement Contractors’ Association (ILICA) or an ILICA operator to build six constructed wetland sites in north-central Illinois, and ILICA associates (another group of trusted farmer advisers) have built a familiarity with treatment wetland installation over the course of our partnership.

In 2023, we identified that increasing demand from prospective farmers for wetland design had outpaced TWI’s staff capacity on the Smart Wetlands project. Consequently, in fall 2023 TWI hired a full-time Engineer to assist in designing new tile-treatment wetland sites. Brendon de Rosario has a degree in Civil Engineering and comes to TWI with significant experience as a water resources engineer with several environmental engineering firms, where he managed projects and developed design plans for green infrastructure, including stormwater drainage improvement and constructed wetlands. This key new staff member added to the team will help facilitate further project growth in the years to come. Over 2024, Brendon completed several preliminary wetland designs and conducted a number of on- and off-site assessments.

The Smart Wetlands team’s collaborations with partners, staff from local Soil and Water Conservation District offices, and other contacts led to performing 7 wetland site assessments in 2023 and nearly 15 site assessments across six counties in 2024. These initial site evaluations in turn led to identifying eight solid landowner prospects for a tile-treatment wetland; TWI is working through the 4-step implementation process with them on candidate sites. Unfortunately, external factors have delayed the anticipated implementation of new tile-treatment wetland sites beyond the SARE grant period. These factors included a death in a landowner family, permitting approvals and review timelines, and the pending installation of other features on a landowner’s property. Nevertheless, five wetland designs have been completed over the grant period, and at least three of these are anticipated for installation in 2025.

One of the new wetland sites will be located on a popular forest preserve property and treat the drainage from adjacent farmland through a new collaboration with the Champaign County Forest Preserve District. This opportunity developed after FPD staff visited the Livingston County wetland construction expo in 2022 and were interested in siting a wetland to address water quality on their property. The target location will receive the surface and tile drainage runoff from adjacent farmland, which is run by a well-known local farm operator who is enthusiastic about the project. This will be the largest Smart Wetland built so far, on a highly visible public site adjacent to a popular trail and close to a major university/research campus and state agency offices. The Champaign County FPD, TWI, and the USFWS Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program are all contributing toward the installation costs. Construction is anticipated for summer 2025 as part of a conservation expo.

• Dissemination of five-plus years of water quality monitoring results.

We have found that local proof that tile-treatment wetlands work is critical to spreading the practice to “middle-adopter” landowners who are more risk-averse. From 2016–19, TWI partnered with the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) to gather water quality monitoring data using autosamplers at the two Bureau County wetland sites. This robust dataset shows the practice’s effectiveness at capturing and removing excess nutrients from tile drainage. In 2024, the Smart Wetlands team and TWI Development/Communications staff worked with TWI’s social media and web consultant, Megan Hargrove (Megan Victoria Studio), to create an online and print infographic on Smart Wetlands’ effectiveness at improving water quality. The final product can be viewed on the Smart Wetlands Resources web page, and a print version will be used as a handout at future field events and landowner meetings. The goal of the infographic was to communicate the findings of the UIC Bureau County wetland research in a readily understandable and visually appealing format.

Meanwhile, project manager Dr. Jill Kostel continued to work with partners on water quality monitoring at the Illinois Central College (ICC) constructed wetland site, a TWI-designed wetland installed on ICC’s Demonstration Farm in 2019. Through a separate SARE grant, Illinois Corn Growers and ICC are funding water quality monitoring on the farm. Waterborne Environment is responsible for operation and maintenance of the automated equipment and collecting all flow and water quality data; ICC staff/students collect the samples, which are being analyzed at Illinois State University; and TWI is assisting with sampling methodology and determining the results for the in-field and tile-treatment practices. Data has been analyzed through 2022, but further trends analysis is needed. Drought conditions often resulted in zero nitrate leaving the system, as evaporation was greater than flow into the wetland.

Beginning in 2023, TWI scientists are also working to map the evolving vegetation in existing Smart Wetlands sites to guide their future management. Plant surveys were conducted by TWI ecologists in 2023 and 2024 with the goal of continuing these surveys annually in the future. The most dominant plant species were found to be common water plantain, common arrowhead, prairie cordgrass, and rice cutgrass. The findings to date pointed to the need to introduce more native forbs and sedges to boost biodiversity in the wetlands, as well as to target patches of invasive plants for invasive species management.

In addition to the new water quality infographic, TWI project staff are disseminating all these monitoring findings via presentations and on the Smart Wetlands website. This blog post is one example of how findings are being shared: https://www.smartwetlands.farm/smart-blog/2023/2/8/the-proof-is-in-the-wetland-water-quality-monitoring-shows-smart-wetlands-effectiveness. Meanwhile, more details on the plant surveys can be found in this article on the TWI website: Plant power: Ecologists map vegetative makeup of Smart Wetlands to guide ecosystem management — The Wetlands Initiative

Finally, an opportunity for new wetland monitoring research developed in fall 2024. Hope McDermott, a first-year Master’s student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (and a wetland soil scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey) contacted the Smart Wetlands team with interest in studying the existing Smart Wetland sites for her Master’s research. She is investigating the influence of wetland age on nitrate removal rates within constructed wetlands to understand how these processes could be optimized and better incentivize wetland implementation, which strongly aligns with the Smart Wetland program’s goals. Hope will begin data collection at four TWI Smart Wetland sites in spring 2025.  

• New outreach/educational tools and other dissemination of tile-treatment wetlands:

From fall 2022 through 2024, TWI’s Field Outreach Specialist Jean McGuire deployed a multi-modal communication strategy to raise awareness and increase understanding about the Smart Wetlands project with ag audiences. This included generating a blog series on the Smart Wetlands website, producing videos on key elements of the tile-treatment wetland practice and success stories to date, and cross-posting on social media. These communication efforts were partially funded by Mississippi River Network. An example video can be viewed on TWI’s Smart Wetlands YouTube channel here: Siting, Designing, and Building a Smart Wetland. The blog series can be found here: https://www.smartwetlands.farm/. In total, 26 blog entries have been posted on the Smart Wetlands website since November 2022.

The following outreach and educational resources were developed during the SARE grant period and are attached as grant products:

• An updated general brochure on the Smart Wetlands program;
• Two new fact sheets on tile-treatment wetlands, one targeted for farmers and landowners and one for their advisors;
• Infographic presenting water quality monitoring results from wetland sites in a readily understandable format;
• Two new videos, including a narrated overview of the Smart Wetlands program to be shared online and a short video on wetland construction (without narration) to be shown by a SW team member to farmers and landowners planning to build a wetland.
• A “lookbook” for use at in-person meetings with farmers that illustrates the purpose and function of Smart Wetlands with large photos from several already-built wetland sites.

During the grant period, the Smart Wetlands project was featured twice in the TWI e-newsletter, which has a reach of 3,500 subscribers, and nine media articles:

• TWI’s May 2023 e-newsletter article – “Smart Wetlands: Coming to a farm near you!”
• TWI’s April 2024 e-newsletter article – “Plant power: Ecologists map vegetative makeup of Smart Wetlands to guide ecosystem management” (also on the TWI website)
• “Smart Wetland Featured at Field Day,” AgriNews, June 10, 2023.
• “Lawmakers See Wetlands’ Benefits,” AgriNews, June 26, 2023.
• “River Days of Action Tour Visits Wetland,” AgriNews, June 26, 2023.
• “Smart Wetland Highlights Farm Conservation Efforts,” AgriNews, July 21, 2023.
• “Wetland, conservation farming efforts are a group project.” AgriNews, July 21, 2023 (Q&A with Dr. Jill Kostel)
• “ ‘This place wanted to be a wetland’: How a farmer turned his fields into a wildlife sanctuary.” The Guardian, October 22, 2023.
• “How Tiny Wetlands in the Midwest Are Combating the Gulf of Mexico’s ‘Dead Zone’,” Reasons to Be Cheerful, November 6, 2023.
• “Constructed Wetlands Meet Expectations,” AgriNews, November 20, 2024.
• “Resources Ease Wetlands Process,” AgriNews, November 20, 2024.

Meanwhile, TWI Senior Environmental Engineer Dr. Jill Kostel and TWI Field Outreach Specialist Jean McGuire gave the following presentations on the Smart Wetlands project to ag advisers, conservation peers, and other audiences:

• “Innovative Approaches to Scaling Up Conservation Practice Adoption in Tile Drained Landscapes.” Co-presenter with Adrienne Mario of The Nature Conservancy and Keegan Kult of the Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition, Illinois Association of Drainage Districts Annual Meeting, January 20, 2023, Bloomington, IL.
• “Smart Wetlands.” Innovation Station: Chesapeake Bay, Secretary’s Office of Global Woman’s Issues, U.S. State Department, February 9, 2023, Webinar. This presentation was recorded and can be listened to on Apple Podcast here or on Spotify here.
• “Growing Relationships and Partnerships for Accelerating Tile-Treatment Wetland Practice Adoption.” Co-presenters with Livingston County wetland landowner Wes Lehman. Fishers & Farmers Partnership, April 20, 2023, Webinar.
• “Tile-treatment Wetlands from Outreach to Implementation.” Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts Annual Meeting, July 17, 2023, Springfield, IL.
• “Making the Case for Expanded Use of the Ag Conservation Planning Framework in Illinois.” Co-presenter with Adrienne Mario of The Nature Conservancy, Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts Annual Meeting, July 17, 2023, Springfield, IL.
• “Growing Partnerships and Relationships for Increasing Wetland Practice Adoption.” Presented by Dr. Kostel. 78^th Soil and Water Conservation Society International Annual Conference, August 6-9, 2023, Des Moines, IA.
• “Applying Social Science to Motivate Farmers and Landowners to Adopt Water Quality Practices.” Presented by Jean McGuire. 78^th Soil and Water Conservation Society International Annual Conference, August 6-9, 2023, Des Moines, IA.
• Fluddles premiere at Illinois Central College, November 8, 2023.
  Attendance: 40 people. Wes Lehman and Jean McGuire participated in a panel discussion following the premiere showing of the Fluddles documentary, which includes interviews with TWI Executive Director Paul Botts and landowner cooperator Wes Lehman about the Smart Wetlands project. Fluddles was created in 2023 to chronicle the wildlife of agricultural wetlands in Illinois (https://www.turnstoneimpact.com/fluddles.html). The film is being screened throughout Illinois over 2023–24 at libraries, colleges, and nature centers.
• Fluddles screening at Chicago’s Music Box Theater on May 9, 2024. Together with the Chicago Parks Foundation, TWI hosted the screening followed by a panel Q&A session moderated by the filmmaker. The panel included Dr. Kostel and Wes.
• Soil and Water Conservation Society National Conference, July 22-24, 2024, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dr. Kostel attended and was recognized with the annual Harold and Kay Scholl Excellence in Conservation Award, given to “individuals who work on the ground to provide direct and personal delivery or conservation planning and technical assistance.”
• Iowa Watershed Academy Wetlands training workshop, December 24, 2024. Jean presented on tile-treatment wetlands to a statewide audience of 42 conservation professionals and watershed coordinators.
• In early 2025, Dr. Kostel and Jean are scheduled to present on Smart Wetlands at the Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference in St. Louis and the North American Conservation & Drainage Expo in Indianapolis.