Kids connecting with the Mississippi & each other

The WILL DILG CHAPTER in Winona, Minnesota of the IWLA 

Working hard to inspire the next generation to be stewards of clean water, air, and soil in our community within the Mississippi River Watershed around Winona.

Your contributions will support youth and family programming in nature! Swamp Oak Wanderers program offers community science projects that uplift and protect local ecosystems, exploring understanding of nature through art, foraging activities, engaging efforts in conservation like invasive species removal, and native plant restoration.

With your help, we can continue mentoring youth leaders in conservation work and community engagement. A keystone program of the IWLA, Save Our Streams, gets folks into lakes, streams, and rivers of our region to learn what health looks like and how to know if a system is at risk.

 Discovering & sorting macroinvertebrates!

Through the Prairie Island Adventure Club, we engage elementary aged youth in building community, through experiential social emotional learning opportunities in nature and on adventures.

 

Youth Green Crew engages middle and high school aged youth in becoming leaders in stewardship through connecting with core stewardship values, learning about how to take action in conservation, and being part of engaging community in that process.

In our Save Our Streams (SOS) program, Chapter volunteers have been monitoring 7 sites along cold water streams, rivers, and lakes, and uploading that data to the Clean Water Hub. In order to expand monitoring to more streams in the Winona area, we are planning to grow the program to 18! These efforts are made possible through collaboration with local schools, other environmental organizations, and support from the IWLA National Endowment Grant program for our Youth Green Crew.

The Crooked Slough Sugar Bush invites the community, families, and school groups to be in the floodplain forest towards the end of winter and enjoy one of the sweetest gifts, maple syrup. Knowing that many hands make for light work, the community is invited to be part of the whole process - from tree tapping to syrup finishing.