Climate Land Leaders

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Climate Land Leaders

The Climate Land Leaders Initiative provides community and support for land stewards creating climate resiliency. https://linktr.ee/climatelandleaders

The Climate Land Leaders Initiative helps farmland owners tackle the climate crisis with an extremely valuable resource: the farm and forest land they own. Through this peer-to-peer network and with expertise from scientists, Climate Land Leaders develop leadership skills and practical plans for implementing land stewardship changes that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon in the soi

l and develop the resiliency we need to address the climate emergency. Learn more at https://climatelandleaders.org

06/03/2026

Sisters Deb Paulson and Gail Harrison (MN) have a clear vision for their family farmland this year. At Climate Land Leaders, we ask land stewards to write down their conservation goals at the start of the year, and Deb and Gail's reflect a deep, steady commitment to the land and the people farming it.

In 2026, they're focused on monitoring and maintaining 7 CRP contracts of native prairie plantings, supporting their renters (including young and beginning farmers), and resuming research on conservation easements for their creek and forested lands. "We feel so blessed to be stewards of this land at a time of our lives when we have some time and energy to devote to it," says Deb.

06/01/2026

Martha McFarland (IA) is juggling bison, bees, blog posts, and a whole lot more in 2026! At Climate Land Leaders, we ask land stewards to write down their conservation goals at the start of the year and Martha's list covers a lot of great ground.

This year she's focused on improving oak savanna by mowing multiflora, adding waterlines for rotational bison grazing, using cover crops to rejuvenate heavily used areas, maintaining trees planted last year, and improving a creek crossing to handle intense storms. She's also working toward Audubon Society certification, considering a windbreak in her northeast pasture, and plans to write two blog posts on climate impacts at the farm.

05/28/2026

At Climate Land Leaders, we ask land stewards to set conservation goals at the start of the year, and Sue and Don Kissinger (WI) are working at every scale, from backyard fruit trees to 65 acres of Wisconsin woodlands.

Their 2026 goals include building out their small fruit orchard (with a little help from grandson Clayton), establishing an asparagus bed, creating wildlife openings and encouraging oak regeneration on an adjacent 65-acre forest, and assisting with updated forest management plans on newly purchased land. Stewarding woodlands across generations is pretty wonderful.

05/26/2026

The Acreage at Osceola is a nonprofit arts and environmental organization in the St. Croix Valley and their 2026 conservation goals are something to celebrate! At Climate Land Leaders, we ask land stewards to set SMART goals at the start of the year, and The Acreage came prepared.

They've already overseeded a 10-acre area with a forbs seed mix to boost pollinator habitat. Still ahead: installing native plantings in collaboration with the Pollinator Friendly Alliance, removing buckthorn through goat browsing and mechanical work with Polk County Land Management Services, and expanding their native prairie from 25 to 45 acres through prescribed burns, shallow discing, and cover cropping in partnership with US Fish and Wildlife Services. These photos speaks for themselves and there's so much more to come in 2026!

05/20/2026

Kathy Jones and Sherwin Skar (MN/IA) spent time last year walking their woods with a forester and they're putting that knowledge to work in 2026. At Climate Land Leaders, setting SMART goals at the start of the season helps land stewards turn their vision into action.

This year, Kathy and Sherwin are focused on successfully managing 21.3 acres of newly planted forbs and grasses, and implementing a 22-acre State Wildlife Grant to support and strengthen three stands of oak in their woods. Exciting goals, Kathy and Sherwin!

05/18/2026

Sylvia Spalding (IA/HI) knows her land and the plants that grow there well - here she is with her daughter Zarah and some towering mullein between them! At Climate Land Leaders, we invite land stewards to put their conservation goals into writing and Sylvia's 2026 goals list is impressive.

This year Sylvia is continuing prescribed burns and invasive species removal through her EQIP grant, maintaining 15 acres of CRP prairie grass and forbs, working toward a 40-acre CRP renewal that could include converting some acres to woodland, pursuing timber stand improvements on 50 acres of forest, collaborating with neighbors on gully remediation along the South Skunk River, monitoring the property through farm cams, and working to get the county road to the property opened and maintained. Oh, and she's staying active with local pipeline issues too! Way to go, Sylvia!

05/15/2026

2,000 woody perennials + 7.5 acres = one big spring planting! Reuben Peterson (IA) stewards land alongside his family with minimal tillage and no pesticides and this year he's transforming a hay field into a thriving windbreak. At Climate Land Leaders, we ask land stewards to write down their conservation goals at the start of the year, and Reuben's speaks for itself.

The planting will be mostly shrubs, designed with high biodiversity in mind, weaving together prairie strips, wildlife habitat, and human-harvestable plants into one ambitious system. Way to go, Reuben!

05/13/2026

A warm welcome to new Climate Land Leader Miriam Skrade (IA) of Driftless Rock Farm! Miriam stewards her land with grazing goats and pastured chickens, building a farm rooted in regenerative an

We're glad you're here, Miriam!

05/11/2026

Small pines, but big plans! At Climate Land Leaders, we invite land stewards to put their conservation goals into writing at the beginning of the year. Bernadine Joselyn (MN) has a full year of forest care ahead in woodlands that have been in her family's care since the 1970s.

By June of this year, Bernadine plans to plant 20 red pine, 20 white pine, 20 white birch, and 15 tamarack seedlings. By November, she'll cage all 60+ young trees to protect them from deer browse. She'll also conduct the first audit of her 2025 RIM (Reinvest in Minnesota) conservation easement with Crow Wing County SWCD staff. Planting trees is an admirable way to spend 2026!

05/08/2026

Garlic is sprouting, plum trees are blooming, and Teresa and Jay Peterson (Dakota/MN) have a big year ahead on their Minnesota River Valley bluff! At Climate Land Leaders, we ask land stewards to share their SMART conservation goals each year because goals have a way of becoming real when written down.

Teresa and Jay's 2026 goals include planting bur and chinkapin oaks, working with the local fire department on prescription burning, experimenting with native prairie grass seeding, and continuing the long work of removing invasive cedars, buckthorn, and honeysuckle, pile by pile, acre by acre.

Address

3129 36th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN
55406

Website

https://climatelandleaders.org/

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