Wild Ones Southeast Minnesota Prairie Partners Receives 2026 Outstanding Conservationist Award

The Rice Soil & Water Conservation District has selected Wild Ones Southeast Minnesota Prairie Partners as the recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Conservationist Award. The award recognizes the chapter’s efforts to promote native plants, support pollinator habitat, and provide conservation education throughout Rice County.

Barb Bolan and Nancy Schumacher receive the Outstanding Conservationist Award from the Rice SWCD at the Best of the Best Ag Awards at the Rice County Fair. From left to right: Richard Peterson (Rice SWCD Supervisor), Barb Bolan, Nancy Schumacher, Teresa DeMars (Outreach Specialist, Rice SWCD).

The Outstanding Conservationist Award recognizes individuals, conservation organizations and community partners for outstanding accomplishments in protecting and improving Minnesota’s natural resources.

Founded in 2011, Wild Ones Southeast Minnesota Prairie Partners has grown to nearly 90 members. Over the past 15 years, the chapter has worked to increase the use of native plants in gardens, landscapes, and prairies while helping community members better understand their importance in healthy ecosystems.

Members of the Wild Ones Southeast Minnesota Prairie Partners Chapter pose for a picture during a spring walk to view native ephemeral wildflowers. Photo by Wild Ones.

The chapter has become a leader in conservation education throughout Rice County. Members host presentations featuring natural resource experts, organize tours of native prairies and gardens, and offer family-friendly educational activities. Wild Ones also holds an annual native plant sale and provides grants to help local residents establish native plantings.

The organization has developed a strong partnership with the Rice Soil and Water Conservation District (Rice SWCD). Together, the two organizations launched the Lawns to Legumes program in Northfield, helping 20 landowners convert portions of their lawns into native plantings that provide valuable pollinator habitat.

For the past three years, Wild Ones volunteers have also partnered with Rice SWCD to bring the Pocket of Prairie Program to Northfield schools. Each year, volunteers visit 16 classrooms and reach approximately 300 students with hands-on lessons about Minnesota’s native prairies and the importance of pollinators.

, Jennifer Cox Johnson, a volunteer for Wild Ones, reads the book "Pocket of Prairie to third graders at an elementary school in Northfield. Photo by Wild Ones.

Visitors to the Rice County Fairgrounds can see another example of the chapter’s work at the Milkweed Demonstration Garden outside the Conservation Building. The garden introduces visitors to Minnesota’s native milkweed species and highlights the important connection between native plants, monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

The organization’s conservation efforts benefit both wildlife and agriculture. Pollinators are essential to many crops grown in Rice County, including apples, pumpkins and strawberries. Pollinators also contribute to soybean production by improving pod set and seed quality. By creating habitat for bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects, Wild Ones is helping support local ecosystems as well as the agricultural community.

The Milkweed Demonstration Garden at the Rice County Fairgrounds. Photo by Ann Poe, Partners for Pollinators.

Wild Ones was recognized for its conservation efforts in July at the Rice County Fair’s “Best of the Best” Agricultural Awards. The chapter will receive additional recognition this December at the state convention of the Minnesota Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts (MAWSCD), where it will be honored as the 2026 Outstanding Conservationist Award recipient for Rice County.

Through education, volunteerism and community partnerships, Wild Ones Southeast Minnesota Prairie Partners has made a lasting contribution to conservation in Rice County. Its dedication to restoring native landscapes, supporting pollinators and inspiring future generations has earned the organization recognition as a deserving recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Conservationist Award.