Izaak Walton League - national conservation organization

About Us

Our Recent Work

Seeking the Source: What Could Be Causing Salt Pollution in the Spring?

When waterways are polluted with salt in the winter, it’s usually obvious where the problem is coming from: excessive use of de-icers on roadways and parking lots. When volunteers continue finding chloride contamination in the spring, they have to do more detective work. Our clean water advocates in Cleveland are continuing to see toxic levels of salt as the weather warms, and we’re investigating why.

Three Things You Can Do Right Now

Celebrate the Upper Mississippi Refuge Anniversary

The modern conservation movement was kick-started in 1924 when Will Dilg, the first president of the Izaak Walton League, created a campaign to save fish and wildlife habitat along nearly 300 miles of the Upper Mississippi River. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of what would become the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, performer Steven Marking created a film, “A Visit from Will Dilg."

Learn about film screening opportunities

Strategies To Reduce Nutrient Pollution

Nutrient pollution in surface water and groundwater is a huge issue, but there are practices that are proven to help. Dr. Lindsay Pease, University of Minnesota Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Nutrient and Water Management, will take us on a tour of the strategies that farmers and landowners use to reduce nutrient loss. We’ll learn how these in-field and edge-of-field practices work and discuss some of the challenges and benefits associated with them.