On a local level, residents are sometimes looking for ways to help improve and protect their watersheds. However, it’s important to not just recruit volunteers, but to share information with them on key issues in nearby waterways. These well-informed stewards can take leadership roles in their communities on a variety of projects, including beach and stream cleanups, ecosystem restoration, and natural resource education.

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s Illinois-Indiana Master Watershed Steward Program (MWSP) provides an opportunity to educate residents interested in natural resource issues and to grow a cadre of volunteers. Through eight sessions for a total of 20 hours, Purdue and Illinois Extension educators, along with our specialists, trained six residents in Porter County, Indiana in 2024. In Illinois’ Boone County, 10 residents took part in stewardship training and another 35 were trained through a newly developed Watershed Leadership Program.

In 2024, each of five new Indiana stewards engaged in 35 volunteer hours to complete stewardship requirements and six continuing stewards volunteered 240 hours. These volunteers engaged in beach cleanups at the Indiana Dunes National Park and other locations, pulled invasive plants and planted native ones, and engaged with local planning committees. The total volunteer efforts contributed 415 hours and nearly $14,000 to the northwest Indiana economy. Since MWSP’s inception in 2019, stewards have participated in over 1,900 volunteer hours.