Protecting water quality through nutrient and sediment management is not only important for the health of our watershed, but also improves the health and productivity of our soil. Learn more about the work being done to improve our water quality, how you can help, and stories from local farmers below.
Learn More About Your Watershed
Find Your Watershed
Click the link below to identify and learn more about the health of your watershed.
East Branch Little Calumet River Story Map
Learn about the history, challenges, and conservation efforts on the East Branch Little Calumet River and its surrounding watershed. At one time among the most polluted rivers in the world, organizations like Shirley Heinze and our partners are working hard to protect this unique waterway and the habitats it supports.
Kemper Ditch Water Quality Story Map
In 2014, Shirley Heinze Land Trust collaborated with the Porter County Soil and Water Conservation District and other conservation partners to complete a study investigating the impact of agricultural input on water quality in the watershed.
Water Quality Work
SHLT Water Monitoring Program
Click the link below to hear Hannah Enabnit, a previous intern at SHLT, talk more about the Water Quality Monitoring Program at SHLT.
Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program
Each year, Shirley Heinze provides monitoring equipment and resources for volunteers committed to helping protect Northwest Indiana waterways. Click the link below to fill out the volunteer application and learn more.
Porter County Water Quality Work
The Porter County SWCD began surface water monitoring in the East Branch of the Little Calumet river in 2016 to evaluate the relationship between land management and surface water nutrient chemistry. Click the link below to learn more about the Porter County SWCD and thier work with water quality.
Best Management Practices
And What You Can Do
Agricultural Land Resources
Shirley Heinze Land Trust is a resource for land management, conservation planning, and connecting farmers with technical and financial programs to support their goals in these areas.
10 Ways to Reduce Nitrogen Loads from Drained Farmland in the Midwest
Excess nitrogen can cause problems for our water quality downstream when it runs off of farm fields. However, conservation practices can reduce the amount of runoff and even improve the quality of the soil.
Soil Health Practices
Improve your crop productivity and your profitability while improving the quality of our soil and water.
Partners in Water Quality Work
Interview with Valparaiso Farmer Tom Murphy
Tom Murphy, a Northwest Indiana farmer, partners with Shirley Heinze Land Trust on the Agricultural Land Program. Murphy generously offered to sit down with us to answer any questions we (and our social media followers) had about what farming looks like in Valparaiso and the greater Northwest Indiana region.
Porter County Soil and Water Conservation District: Partnerships Make an Impact
Learn more at the link below about the work that the Porter County Soil and Water Conservation District is doing with their cover crop cost share program, water quality monitoring program, and elementary classroom program.
Connecting Rural Communities to Nature
Tom Murphy shares about his partnership to Shirley Heinze Land Trust and the importance of conservation agriculture practices. View the full video at the link below.