2025 Annual Report

In 2025, public-private partnership models like the Joint Venture proved essential. Through strong collaboration, we maintained stability during a period of significant change, ensuring conservation efforts continued to deliver meaningful and lasting impact for stakeholders. Stakeholders like agricultural producers to everyone who benefits from clean water, healthy soils, and a sustainable food system. In short, that’s all of us.

This is the third annual report I’ve had the privilege to introduce. The first highlighted innovative work, including methods to measure carbon storage, drone technology for monitoring ducks, and the use of precision agriculture that incentivizes landowners to farm their best acres while conserving their marginal ones. The second report emphasized the critical role of our federal partners like the U.S. Geological Survey, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Habitat and Population Evaluation Team. Their work provides scientific expertise and delivers on-the-ground conservation.

This edition focuses on the contributions of our non-federal partners, particularly those represented on the JV Management Board. Working alongside federal partners, these organizations provide complementary conservation services and actively lead efforts in conservation delivery, outreach, and education.

While the JV provides small amounts of funding, scientific support, and communications expertise to our partners, it is their dedication that keeps conservation moving forward across the Prairie Pothole Region. This report cannot fully capture all they do, but I hope it conveys their importance in conserving birds, wetlands, and grasslands. We salute their efforts.

This year we bid farewell to one of our long-standing Management Board members and a most valuable non-federal partner. Jim Faulstich has been a steadfast advocate for working lands conservation for decades. His contributions and achievements are too numerous to list, but it’s worth emphasizing that Jim has been among the very best partners we could ask for. Thank you, Jim, for your unwavering commitment and service to South Dakota, the Prairie Pothole Region, and beyond.

Finally, we also bid farewell to Jacquie Evans, who served as the JV Science Integration Specialist. Jacquie’s talent for translating complex science into compelling stories and graphics is evident throughout JV publications and stories. We already miss her expertise, energy, and passion for birds, pollinators, and native plants. Thank you Jacquie!

— Lauri Hanauska-Brown, PPJV Coordinator