Success Leads to Success: Documenting Best Practices for Water Quality Preservation.

Minnesota Waters is a non-profit organization with a vision to create an engaged citizenry working to protect and restore Minnesota’s natural assets. They value the ability of citizen participation, and their efforts to manage water quality. While the members of Minnesota Waters have experienced many successes in water conservation and preservation, they have often gone unrecognized and undocumented. By recognizing these successes, others may become more informed about the steps they can take to protect and preserve water. The objective of this study was to collect accounts of practices used by citizens to protect and preserve Minnesota’s waters and determine the level of success of each account. Information was collected through print and electronic inquiries and in-person and phone interviews. This information was compiled and formatted for evaluation. A judging panel was then assembled and criterion were developed to evaluate the success of each account. Those accounts deemed successful were selected for acknowledgement within Minnesota Waters’ promotional and educational programs, including an interactive website and newsletter publications.