KEEPING IT CLEAN. UW-Stout is involved in several initiatives to improve water quality in the Menomonie area. This photo shows participants in the annual LAKES Research Experience for Undergraduates, which brings students from around the country to conduct water research. (UW-Stout photo) 

The annual Red Cedar Watershed Conference at UW-Stout will bring together farmers, landowners, recreational users, students, and others local water lovers on March 9 with the goal of improving the quality of water in the Red Cedar River and its associated lakes and tributaries

The conference, now in its 11th year, is titled “Red Cedar: Land, Water and People Coming Together,” and is dedicated to Dr. Rod Olson, a longtime water quality advocate from Rice Lake who died last year.

The conference was created as a way to engage the community at large, local government entities, as well as students in water quality issues, said Professor Tina Lee, who serves on the conference planning committee and co-directs the LAKES Undergraduate Research Experience, which also focuses on water quality. The Red Cedar Watershed – which covers nearly 1,900 square miles in west-central Wisconsin – is impacted by high phosphorus levels that cause toxic algae blooms and other problems that impact the environment as well as agriculture, recreation, and more.

Addressing these issues involves broad collaboration, including with farmers and county conservationists, Lee said.

“We really would love it if more folks from the agricultural community came – more land owners, more farmers – because we try to have some programming that addresses land management practices, programs that help them become both profitable and sustainable,” she said.

The conference will be 8:30am-4pm on Thursday, March 9, in the Memorial Student Center at UW-Stout in Menomonie. Registration is $35 through March 8. For full details, find a link by visiting uwstout.edu.