About Us
Headwaters of the Minnesota River
Located at the headwaters of the Minnesota River, the Upper Minnesota River Watershed District was formed by petition by Big Stone County in 1967.
The District now covers parts of Big Stone, Traverse, Swift, Lac qui Parle and Stevens counties. Our district covers 505 square miles and includes lakes such as Big Stone, Marsh, Long Tom, Lyseng, Thielke, Bentsen, Barry, Shible, and Otrey.
The Board of Managers requires that permits be secured from the District prior to the start of all planned
works of improvement. The request for permits is not intended to be a denial or a delay of any project.
The permits are necessary for the Managers to be informed of planned projects and to insure the orderly
development of the natural resources in accordance with the Overall Plan.
Click HERE for a map of our legal watershed boundary
Board of Managers
The UMRWD Board consists of five managers,
appointed by our local county boards to represent the watershed.
Appointed to represent Big Stone County:
Wanda Holker, Terry Gillespie and Travis Sandberg
Appointed to represent Traverse County:
Jon Bork
Appointed to represent Swift County:
Gene Meyer
Click HERE to find Board Meeting Agendas and Minutes for past meetings
Meet our Executive Director, Amber Doschadis
Amber began her career with the Upper Minnesota River Watershed District in 2017.
Amber supports the UMRWD by assisting our stakeholders with permitting and proper land use changes, to uphold our locally adopted Rules and Regulations.
She also manages the development of our large-scale water quality and flood control projects, beginning by gathering local stakeholder input, then facilitating design work and following each project through to construction.
“I enjoy working with landowners in the UMRWD to create projects that coincide with our mission while helping landowners accomplish their goals as well. It is through grassroots partnerships like these that we are able to reduce erosion and control flood impacts within our District all while improving water quality downstream in Big Stone Lake and the Minnesota River.
In my free time I take advantage of the great natural resources our area has to offer, camping, hiking, snowmobiling and fishing with my family.“
Contact Us
Call us
320-839-3411 | Monday – Thursday
Office
211 2nd Street SE
Ortonville, MN 56278