TAKING ACTION. This year's Red Cedar Watershed Conference focuses on agricultural land management – roughly 50% of the watershed is farmland – with numerous breakout sessions and networking opportunities offered throughout the day-long event. (Photos via UW-Stout)

Watersheds are networks of streams, lakes, rivers, and precipitation that converge in the same place. They bind communities together through the flow of water.

Every year, the Red Cedar Watershed Conference brings together over 200 people from the Chippewa Valley and beyond to foster dialogue about local water quality.

The 14th annual conference will be held from 8:30am-4pm on March 12 at the UW-Stout Memorial Student Center (302 10th Ave. E., Menomonie).

The Red Cedar Watershed is an 1,893-square-mile expanse which stretches across parts of Barron, Chippewa, Dunn, Polk, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, and Washburn counties.

The 2026 Red Cedar Watershed Conference schedule includes talks on aquatic invasive species, the state's local food system, federal policy and more.

Conference Committee Chairperson Dan Zerr said this year’s conference will highlight agricultural land management, as roughly 50% of the watershed is farmland.

“The whole goal for improving  water quality is about getting water to infiltrate where it falls rather than let it run off into the creeks and eventually into rivers and lakes,” Zerr said.

According to Zerr, the watershed has a long history of poor water quality, as pesticides in the soil cause an influx of phosphorus to leach into the water. He said the conference started in 2012 as a way to educate people about this issue and broader methods of improving soil and water quality.

This year’s conference will feature a variety of talks and events, including a discussion with UW-Madison economist Jeff Hadachek about the pending Farm Bill that may be passed and a panel discussion about local foods and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Registration is now open through March 12. The conference costs $20 for students and $35 for non-students through March 6, after which the price will increase to $45.

UW-Stout Administrative Coordinator Scott Revoir said students from around the area are encouraged to attend, and that in the past, the conference has hosted middle school groups as well as college students.

“It's always a nice treat to have young folks there learning about what's going on,” Zerr said. “It’s a great event. It’s an opportunity to build connections with people doing this work and learn a lot about the watershed.”

To register for the 2026 Red Cedar Watershed Conference – slated for Thursday, March 12 from 8:30am-4pm in Menomonie – and learn more, visit www.uwstout.edu/outreach-engagement/community-connections/red-cedar-watershed-conference.