BWSR Academy Registration Open
BWSR Academy will be held Oct. 20-22 at Cragun’s near Brainerd. Registration for BWSR Academy will remain open through 4:30 p.m. Sept. 21. For more information and to register visit the 2026 BWSR Academy webpage. Hope to see you there!
Complete Your 2026 Individual Development Plan
The Individual Development Plan (IDP) cycle begins each year with identifying local conservation priorities. These local priorities could be identified in Local Work Group meetings, One Watershed One Plan plans, watershed assessments or by other methods. This process will identify the local priority resource concerns and the conservation practices that will treat them.
Once the local priorities have been established, managers and technical staff should work together to assess the local capabilities to perform assessments as well as plan, design and install the priority practices identified. If technical staff lack technical skills and/or conservation practice credentialing, such as Job Approval Authority, these missing capabilities become the priority training needs for those employees.
This year we are asking everyone to complete or update their IDP by Friday, Oct. 2.
Have you previously completed an IDP? Please review your technical training requests to ensure they are up to date. For the coming year, we will not consider any training needs dated prior to Jan. 1, 2026. Having an accurate assessment of technical training needs is critical to ensure our training delivery will address local needs. There are a couple of things you can do to improve the accuracy of your training needs:
- Review and update your existing training needs. You identified a training need last year, but is it still a training need? It only takes a few moments to either remove outdated training needs or to update them as a current request.
- Be as specific as possible. When requesting training, there is a space to enter additional comments to identify the topic or content of the training you need, such as specific wildlife species or plant regimes.
- When identifying a practice as a training need you can select which phases – planning, design, construction – you are requesting training on. There is also an option to identify On the Job Training (OJT), classroom, field or virtual training preferences.
- If you are a newer employee and need some examples of typical practices by land use, check out the common practices by land use tab in the New Employee Training Guide.
To assist both managers and technical staff in completing IDPs, we have put together several resources. This includes two short videos that have bookmarks so you can jump to the specific section you need help with.
Do you prefer visuals and written instructions? Check out the IDP User Guidance resources.
If you have questions or need further assistance, please contact us.
|
Conservation Cohort: Herbaceous Vegetation Establishment
Build confidence in herbaceous vegetation establishment and take your seeding skills to the next level through this four-month, small-group On the Job Training (OJT) Cohort. Working with experienced facilitators and peers, you’ll develop the skills needed to independently plan, design and certify herbaceous vegetation establishment practices, including Conservation Cover (327), Wildlife Habitat Planting (420) and Restoration and Management of Rare or Declining Habitats (643).
Participants will complete a real project that can be used to demonstrate competency for Job Approval Authority (JAA) while receiving individualized coaching throughout the cohort. Reserve all cohort session dates on your calendar before registering. The sessions build on one another, and consistent participation is essential to getting the full benefit of this hands-on learning experience.
Additional information, including scheduled dates and a link to register, can be found on the Seeding Practices Cohorts page. Today is the deadline to register!
Conservation Cohort: Nutrient Management
Ready to expand your knowledge of soil fertility, industry trends and build a strong foundational understanding of nutrient management planning?
This cohort, facilitated by Ryan Buetow (NRCS State Agronomist), Courtney Cheever (NRCS State Water Quality Specialist), and partners, runs September 2026 through February 2027 including a review session in March. Attendees that complete all parts of this cohort pilot will receive Job Approval Authority (JAA) for nutrient management: Planning (Level III), Design (Level II), and Certification (Level III). Don’t miss your chance to be among the first to participate in this pilot training built around a flexible format. Share insights, expand foundational knowledge, solve challenges and expand your network. This training is your launchpad, nutrient management is a dynamic practice that connects and interacts with every aspect of management.
This cohort includes virtual sessions, classroom activities and self-guided learning. A full list of dates, times, additional details and a link to register can be found on the 2026-2027 Nutrient Management Cohort page. Registration closes Sept. 18.
Windbreak & Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation Workshop
Ready to build your windbreak planning and design skills? This interactive field and classroom workshop will be offered in four locations statewide, and will cover windbreak and shelterbelt design, establishment, evaluation, maintenance, and renovation through real world site visits and hands-on design exercises. The first two prerequisite webinars, Tech Talk: Conservation Tree Shrub Groups (CTSGs) and Tech Talk: Windbreak/Shelterbelt Design are available for replay, and the final Tech Talk on Living Snow Fences is coming up on Oct. 5. The workshop is also the required first step for those interested in participating in the Windbreak/Shelterbelt Cohort that will be offered later this year or in early 2027.
You can find additional workshop details, prerequisite requirements, and a link to register on any of the Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation pages.
Starting Oct. 26: GIS Tech Talks
Reserve the fourth Monday of each month for a GIS-based Tech Talk. TTCP staff, NRCS and others will take turns covering specific GIS tasks each month. These trainings will be a chance to ask questions and learn a task that may apply to your everyday GIS usage. This first session will be on the NRCS Engineering Watershed Toolbox, and cover where to download the toolbox, how to install it in ArcGIS Pro, and some tips on how it can be used. Session topics and descriptions, a link to join the live session, and links to replays can all be found on the Tech Talk page.
Feel free to submit your ideas for future GIS Tech Talks.
New Goals. New Tools. A Renewed Strategy for Cleaner Water.
Core Competency Water Quality Module 6: Minnesota’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy has been substantially updated to reflect the 2025 strategy, including new nutrient reduction goals, current science, expanded groundwater protection, and greater emphasis on nutrient sources, transport pathways, targeted implementation and conservation systems. New graphics and interactive activities have also been added. Even if you completed the previous version, we encourage you to revisit the module to explore the updated content and consider how it applies to conservation planning and water quality work across Minnesota.
Tyler’s Three Things: Individual Development Plans
Individual Development Plans (IDP) can be completed at any time.
IDPs collect training needs from conservation professionals in Minnesota.
To be included in the planning of the 2027 Training Calendar, IDPs need to be updated by Oct. 2, 2026.
Want to learn more? Visit the IDP portal.
2026 Shared Training Calendar
An updated working version of the 2026 training calendar is available. This 12-month view of training offerings is regularly updated and provides information about upcoming training events, including potential dates and locations. Please see the legend at the top and note that the further out a training is proposed the more likely adjustments will need to be made. The dates, locations and other details are always tentative until the event is posted on the Training Calendar.
BWSR Sponsored Training Events
October
 |
|
Minnesota Wetland Professional Certification Program |
Upcoming Minnesota Wetland Professional Certification Program Course Schedule:
Sept. 14-18 - Introduction to Wetland Delineation & Regulation - Brainerd
Oct. 13 & 14 - Functional Assessment Method - Shoreview
Nov. 18 - WCA Rule Virtual Training (registration opens summer 2026)
Dec. 8 - New Normal?: Emerging Topics in the Wetland World - St. Paul
MWPCP Registration Information:
Registration for Introduction to Wetland Delineation & Regulation opens March 9: Registration Link
Registration for all remaining courses opens March 16 (unless noted otherwise): Registration Link
Technical Training & Certification Program Trainings
Tech Talk Webinars: Mondays at 1 p.m.
- Sept. 21, Individual Development Plan Tool
- Sep. 28, Interim Practice Plant Biostimulant and Microbial Applications (CPS 833)
- Oct. 5, Living Snow Fence
- Oct. 19, P-Index
- Oct. 26, GIS: NRCS Engineering Watershed Toolbox
- Nov. 16, Technical Training Resources
September
- Sept. 15, Seeding Practices Cohorts 2026 (Registration deadline), Online
- Sept. 15, Nutrient and Pest Management Administrative Review Training, Marshall
- Sept. 15-17, 2026 Agroforestry Institute, Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
- Sept. 16, Nutrient and Pest Management Administrative Review Training, Owatonna
- Sept. 18, 2026-2027 Nutrient Management Cohort Pilot (Registration deadline), Online
- Sept. 21, Seeding Practices Cohorts 2026, Online
October
- Oct. 1, Critical Area Planting Seeding - Shoreland Cohort, Fall 2026 (Registration deadline), Online
- Oct. 7, On Farm Communications Training Series – Beginner, Staples
- Oct. 8, On Farm Communications Training Series – Advanced, Staples
- Oct. 13, 2026 Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation Training, Dodge/Olmsted
- Oct. 14, 2026 Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation Training, Litchfield
- Oct. 15, 2026 Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation Training, Hawley
- Oct. 16, 2026 Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation Training, Sleepy Eye
- Jan. 13-Oct. 13, SFEC’s 2026 Webinar Series, SFEC, Online
- Feb. 9-Oct. 29, Livestock 101 Webinar Training Series - Part II, Conservation Webinars, Online
- Sept. 22-24, River Ecology Unit 2026 Workshop, MN DNR, Marshall
- Sept. 23, Timber Sale Preparation and Administration, SFEC, Two Harbors
- Sept. 29, Climate Ready Trees, UMN Extension, Watonwan
- Oct. 7-8, Forest Management and Wildlife Habitat Symposium 2026, SFEC, Cloquet Forestry Center
- Oct. 13-14, Minnesota Water Resources Conference, Water Resources Center, Saint Paul RiverCentre
- Oct. 27-28, 2026 Salt Symposium, University of Minnesota, Online
Not all training takes place in a classroom. Check out the links below to learn at a time and place of your choosing.
We’ve also put together a searchable library of recorded modules, webinars, videos and other resources to help our staff and partners find professional development information on a variety of topics. You can visit BWSR’s Online Learning page to find web-based technical training resources sorted by category
New:
Program Contacts
|
