Climate Land Leaders,

It’s conference season, so there is a lot of activity to report. But first, we want your feedback on the Climate Land Leaders Initiative! Please fill out our annual survey by Jan. 25.

Congratulations to Climate Land Leader Liz Garst and others, who had this editorial published in the Des Moines Register: We’ve done the research and we oppose CO2 pipelines. Liz also was showcased in this video on the history and evolution of farming in Iowa and what we need to do for its future. Liz points to soil health and structure as one of the main links between Iowa’s deteriorating water and health.

Fridays with a Forester: For the schedule of webinars and to register, click here. Recordings of past calls are here.

In-person workshop on alternatives to growing corn and soybeans for export markets, Jan. 27, Rochester, MN. Register here.

A webinar on beavers as land stewards: Jan. 20, noon

Midwest Grains and Cover Crops conference, March 4, 2026, Washington, IL

Helen Gunderson created this video celebrating urban farms and the solstice.

From Wendy Johnson:

–Recording of a webinar on hydrologic and crop production impacts of drainage district improvements. Says Wendy: “This webinar helped take me down a rabbit hole on wetland construction and drainage districts.”

–Inside the perennial grain revolution

–Ecological myopia: the blind spot holding back climate action. Says Wendy: “I like how this article shares how we, as a collective of landowners, can talk to others about climate change by helping them connect to the Earth.”

From Kate Moos and Maggie McQuown:

Study retracted that found Roundup wasn’t a human health risk despite evidence of a cancer link.

From Jackie Armstrong:

“Arctic Alchemy”: A  documentary about a climate scientist looking for the source of a mysterious phenomenon poisoning watersheds while reckoning with fatherhood, personal tragedy, and the  power of wilderness.

From Sarah Hunt:

Colorado becomes first mountain in the US to own itself

From Ruth Rabinowitz:

Hazel’s annual storytelling on our wild times, by Siskiyou Permaculture