MCWD Administrator James Wisker Receives Izaak Walton League National Honor Roll Award

Bloomington, Minn. – Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) Administrator, James Wisker, received the Izaak Walton League of America’s (IWLA) 2026 National Honor Roll Award, and was honored at the Minnesota Division Awards Celebration on Friday, October 23, 2026. 

For over 100 years, the IWLA has led conservation efforts across the country, linking outdoor enthusiasts and environmental professionals to protect and preserve natural spaces. The National Honor Roll Award is one of the IWLA’s highest recognitions for non-members and is awarded to up to 10 individuals or groups each year who have made extraordinary contributions to conservation. 

The award recognizes Wisker’s more than two decades of visionary conservation leadership at MCWD. Under his direction, the District has become an innovative leader in watershed governance by advancing a vision of Balanced Urban Ecology (BUE), which recognizes land and water partnerships are critical to achieving lasting environmental benefits and fostering thriving communities. 

“James has guided MCWD to realign its policies, programs, staffing, and partnerships to deliver this integrated vision,” said IWLA Minnesota National Director Jill Crafton. “This shift has made the District a local and national model of collaborative watershed governance, by positioning water as a central organizing element and catalyst for land use, infrastructure, housing, economic development, and sustainable communities.” 

Joining MCWD in 2005, Wisker served across the organization’s programs before becoming the District’s first internally-selected Administrator in 2018. Since then, Wisker has led MCWD’s realignment around its BUE vision, by building multi-agency coalitions to achieve high-impact capital projects and reorganizing the District’s programs to support integrated land and water planning. With BUE as a guiding philosophy, Wisker has stewarded public and private partnerships across the watershed to significantly improve water resources and support broader community needs.

MCWD’s transformation of the Minnehaha Creek Greenway is a cornerstone of this work. Through catalytic partnerships, MCWD has revitalized what was the most degraded stretch of Minnehaha Creek into a nearly 2.5-mile linear park in Hopkins and St. Louis Park that treats regional stormwater, restores the Creek corridor, enhances the local economy, and connects people to renewed natural systems.

Over the past decade, MCWD and its partners have reduced 1,200 pounds of nutrient pollution annually, restored over 100 acres of wetlands, and created 300 acres of publicly accessible greenspace, improving water quality, reducing flood risk, and connecting people to healthy natural systems. MCWD’s collaborative planning approach has delivered natural resource improvements, while supporting local job creation, facilitating critical housing, expanding access to public transportation, and enhancing valuable park spaces. 

“James’ dedication to innovation, quality, and partnership empowers the whole MCWD team to achieve the highest standards of excellence,” said Sherry White, President of MCWD’s Board of Managers. “Under his leadership, the District has achieved unprecedented results and created beloved public spaces where water becomes an essential element of local community identity.”  

As MCWD develops its 2027 Watershed Management Plan to guide the next 10 years of implementation, the District is carrying forward this partnership approach, to further improve water quality, reduce flood risk, preserve and enhance natural habitats, and cultivate sustainable, thriving communities alongside its partners. 

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The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) collaborates with public and private partners to protect and improve the 178 square miles of land and water within its boundaries, including Minnehaha Creek, Lake Minnetonka, the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, and Minnehaha Falls. Through collaborative planning and project implementation, MCWD seeks to create a landscape of vibrant communities across the 27 cities, two townships, and two counties (Hennepin and Carver) within the District. For more information, visit www.minnehahacreek.org.