Water Quality Summit | Great Outdoors Foundation

The Great Outdoors Foundation recently announced that it will host Watershed26, a two-day summit focused on advancing water quality initiatives in the Mississippi River Watershed. Organized in partnership with ICON Water Trails, the conference will feature keynote speakers and breakout sessions and develop actionable strategies to address conservation and agricultural challenges. The conference is set for June 30 and July 1, 2026. According to a news release, Watershed26 is meant to complement the foundation’s existing efforts, including the Conservation Acceleration Fund, which finances voluntary conservation practices on private agricultural land across Iowa.  “The Great Outdoors Foundation has acted as a convener throughout its existence. We don’t have all of the answers, resources, or capacity, but we can certainly act as a connector for those who do. Urban and rural. Upstream and downstream. Right and left. Ag and conservation,” Hannah Inman, CEO of the Great Outdoors Foundation said in a prepared statement. “It will take radical collaboration to move the needle on water quality at the pace and scope that these circumstances demand. And we’re ready for the challenge.” To get updates on the conference, sign up for the Great Outdoors Foundation newsletter.