#17: SWCDs and Pheasants Forever: Partners in Conservation, August 26, 2026
For this Minnesota Women in Conservation Welcoming Wednesday Webinar on August 26, 2026, we learned how Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) and Pheasants Forever can work together as partners with you in conservation.
August 26, 2026
Webinar Topic:
SWCDs and Pheasants Forever: Partners in Conservation
Webinar Hosts:
Allison Rian, North East Regional Coordinator
Conservation Professionals:
Veronica Lundquist, Aitkin County SWCD, Soil Health and Outreach Specialist
Jamie Horton, Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologist
Bios:
Veronica Lundquist works full-time at Aitkin County Soil and Water Conservation District as a Soil Health & Outreach Specialist. Veronica has had multiple internships and opportunities throughout Minnesota anywhere from researching potatoes for the Agricultural Research Service to conducting invasive species removal in the cold MN winters! Now she focuses on Soil Health Practices, Pollinator plantings, writing articles, updating the social media, battling with the website design, & outreach events throughout Aitkin County. She has been with the district for almost four years. She has a degree in Natural Resource Management and Agronomy Crop Production from the University of MN Crookston. In her free time, she loves being outdoors every chance she can, whether that is snowshoeing in the winter or out kayaking in the summer. If she is indoors, she loves working on puzzles, doing embroidery, and searching for new projects to complete in her home.
Jamie Horton is the Farm Bill Biologist with Pheasants Forever (PF), working in Aitkin and Carlton counties. She grew up in northeastern Illinois, very close to the Wisconsin border, on a 7-acre hobby farm. Time spent with her family camping and fishing nurtured her appreciation for natural resources from a young age. After her Bachelor’s program at the U of M – Twin Cities, Jamie spent a few years working on upland bird wildlife research projects all over the Midwest. She then went on to earn a Master’s in biology at Bemidji State University, studying Greater prairie-chickens. When she’s not working as a private lands biologist, she enjoys baking, learning watercolor, and spending time outside (hiking, fishing, swimming, hunting, etc.)!
Links to Resources Shared in the Webinar:
National Association of Conservation Districts: https://www.nacdnet.org/
MN Board of Water and Soil Resources: https://bwsr.state.mn.us/
Aitkin SWCD: https://www.aitkincountyswcd.org/
Aitkin County: https://www.co.aitkin.mn.us/
US Fish & Wildlife: https://www.fws.gov/
Minnesota Forestry Association: https://www.minnesotaforestry.org/
Big Sandy Area Lake Watershed Management Project: https://bsalwmp.org/
Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts: https://www.maswcd.org/
Long Lake Conservation Center: https://www.longlakecc.org/
Natural Resources Conservation Services: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
Pheasants Forever: https://pheasantsforever.org/
MN Pheasants Forever Chapter: https://minnesotapf.net/
BWSR Conservation Easements: https://bwsr.state.mn.us/conservation-easements https://bwsr.state.mn.us/what-programs-are-available; https://bwsr.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/2026-01/BWSR_Easement_Programs_Poster.pdf
Buffer law: https://bwsr.state.mn.us/minnesota-buffer-law
Directory of MN SWCD offices: https://elink.bwsr.state.mn.us/public/directory/swcd/list
One Watershed One Plan: https://mnatlas.org/resources/watersheds-1-watershed-1-plan/
Private Lands Conservation: https://pheasantsforever.org/what-we-do/private-lands-programs/private-lands-conservation/
Find a PF Biologist: https://pheasantsforever.org/get-involved/find-a-biologist/
Find your local SWCD: https://elink.bwsr.state.mn.us/public/directory/swcd/list
Locate your NRCS office: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/state-offices/minnesota
Find your Pheasants Forever chapter: https://www.pheasantsforever.org/get-involved/find-a-chapter/
Contacts:
Veronica Lundquist: lundquist.aitkinswcd@gmail.com
Jamie Horton: jhorton@pheasantsforever.org
About Minnesota Women in Conservation
Minnesota Women in Conservation (MNWiC) is a project of Renewing the Countryside in partnership with the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). MNWiC's mission is to engage women in conservation conversations, connecting them with the tools and resources needed to develop their own goals. We facilitate Regional Networks to help all women of every experience level to learn and to implement practices in their own spaces, both urban and rural. We are here to nurture land and community. Join us!
Content Disclaimer
While the MNWiC project strives to make the information provided to individuals as timely and accurate as possible, we make no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the content of our webinars. The information presented is solely the speakers’ expressed views and MNWiC expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in content.
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