Social Impacts
Bickford Collaboration values:
-- providing and protecting clean water (now and for the future),
-- improving science communication and education,
-- involving young people in protecting water and wilderness, and
-- supporting personal well-being and healthy relationships.
Note: This website is about our consulting with organizations. For courses and events that help individuals be more collaborative, see upcoming events on Improve Your Meetings.
Why I care about water
Most people enjoy being in and around water. Many of us have had access to clean drinking water and to wild rivers and lakes all our lives.
But not everyone does.
The dramatic stories of water pollution in the early 1970s woke me up. This blog post describes what led me to become a geologist.
As a hydrogeologist in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, I worked to prevent impacts to groundwater from landfills
and to minimize environmental impacts from plastics,
highly pathogenic healthcare wastes, mercury and pharmaceuticals.
I came to realize that collaboration is essential for
preventing water contamination and improving public health.
This is why I now focus on helping professionals in science, healthcare and public health to improve their meetings and working relationships.
-- Barb Bickford
How I care about water
Besides consulting with organizations and supporting individual leaders,
I support the groups below that improve water quality,
involve young people in protecting water and/or
provide clean water to people who don't have access to it
Friends of Lily Lake
Lily Lake is a small urban lake in Stillwater, Minnesota. The Friends of Lily Lake exist to improve and protect the lake’s water quality, to enhance the wildlife habitat near the lake and to help people enjoy nature.
Thanks to the efforts of this group and others, such as the Twin Cities metro Adopt-a-Drain program, Lily Lake was removed from the Minnesota list of impaired waters in 2023.
My roles:
-- Secretary of the Friends' Board of Directors
-- C0-convenor of a community engagement process to identify next steps, many of which have been implemented. You can read about it in my blog and on the FLL website.
Green Business Directory
This organization evaluates and promotes businesses in are near Stillwater Minnesota that have met rigorous standards for being green businesses.. Learn more about the Stillwater area Green Business Directory.
I joined the Green Business Directory in 2021 and have helped organize its networking events. Read my Green Business scorecard.
Wild Rivers Conservancy
Wild Rivers Conservancy is the official nonprofit partner of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. It exists to inspire stewardship to forever ensure the rare ecological integrity of the St.Croix and Namekagon Riverway. It offers a summer internship program.
I lead pro-bono workshops to help Conservancy staff improve their meetings and larger events.
Freshwater
The nonprofit Freshwater inspires and empowers Minnesotans to value and preserve water. It uses science to engage communities to equitably improve water today and for future generations.
My role:
-- As a Minnesota Water Steward, I volunteer on water-related projects. For example, in 2023, my husband and I nurtured over 50 tree seedlings in a gravel bed and gave them away to be planted in the Lily Lake watershed.
American Institute of Professional Geologists
The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) is the largest association dedicated to promoting geology as a profession. In addition to serving practicing geologists, it provides scholarships and learning opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students and fun programs for K-12 students. Donate to AIPG's scholarship funds.
My roles:
-- Presenter of a webinarsabout improving engagement in AIPG meetings
-- Member of AIPG's Early Career Professionals committee
-- Collaborator on providing networking events
Matt Gear BWCA fund
The Matt Gear Boundary Waters Canoe Area fund enables youth living in or near Madison, Wisconsin, to experience wilderness by making canoe trips affordable to them.
I co-founded this fund after my son, Matt Gear (the tall boy in the center of the photo), died in a car accident in 2003. Boundary Waters canoe trips had helped Matt appreciate clean water and teamwork.
The fund is now administered by the the Madison Christian Community, a progressive church that sponsors youth canoe trips. Please contact me if you'd like to donate to this fund or know of a young person who would benefit from going on such a trip. Your donations can be tax-deductible.
Haiti Allies
Haiti Allies helps empower Haitians through education, meal programs, adult literacy, and job creation. Among other things, this group operates a school in City Soliel, an impoverished shanty town on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. A gift of $50 can provide clean water for the students of the school for a week. Donate here. put a note in the comment field that your gift is for the water fund and please mention Bickford Collaboration. Let's see how many weeks we collectively can sponsor this year!
Water for Good
Water for Good serves vulnerable people living in extreme poverty by providing access to reliable water, sanitation, and hygiene. When combined, these practices can nearly eliminate waterborne diseases and water-related deaths. Find out how you can get involved.