2022 Watershed Awards
2022 Watershed District Staff Builder Award Recipient:
Linda Miller
When you think of the West Interlake Watershed District (WIWD) you should think of Linda Miller. Linda has been a devoted employee who has been part of the WIWD since the beginning. Linda was essential in building the WIWD into what it is today.
In 2008, just a few months after the WIWD was beginning to form, Linda began working at the WIWD as a Financial Administrator. In 2009 the WIWD was looking for a manager. At this point Linda was already running the watershed by herself in the past managers absence, so it only made sense for her to be promoted to manager in 2010. Luckily (or not so luckily for Linda) she was an excellent financial administrator, and the board did not want to lose her in that role. So, she became the Manager/Financial Administrator. She remained the only employee for the next 2 years until the WIWD hired another part-time employee. Linda was the only full-time position at the WIWD until 2019.
During these years Linda was not only responsible for the Manager and Financial administrative duties, but she was also the technician, going out into the fields with producers and checking projects. In the early years of the WIWD Linda was out building relationships with the public. Many producers in the area were reluctant to sign up for programs, and as a cattle producer herself she understood the concerns others may have. Today the WIWD has a great relationship with producers in the watershed, much of that thanks to Linda.
Throughout her 14 years in the watershed Linda also implemented new programs unique to the West Interlake Watershed District. These programs are the Community Tree Nursery Program, and the Winter Watering System Program. Today these programs are still some of the most popular programs at the WIWD. After the 2011 flood many residents lost trees, so Linda came up with the idea of the Community Tree Nursery Program. The goal was to restore the trees that had been destroyed, especially those along Lake Manitoba which served as shoreline erosion protection. This is the WIWD’s most well-known program, which helps advertise the WIWD and brings in new residents to the office.
In the winter, producers keep their livestock close to home so the livestock can drink from a drilled well. This leads to a concentrated amount of manure in one area, causing nutrient runoff. To encourage producers to put their livestock on alternative quarters, distributing the manure to a larger area, the Winter Watering System Program was developed. The WIWD would offset the cost by funding a percentage of the materials and labour. This program that has now transitioned into the alternative watering system program through Growing Outcomes in Watersheds (GROW).
The WIWD is so thankful for Linda’s hard work and dedication over the last 14 years. With Linda as Manager/Financial Administrator the WIWD has flourished from a small 1-person watershed to 4 full-time staff plus summer students. The WIWD also went from a budget of 250,000-300,000 to a million-dollar budget. Linda deserves the watershed builder award because she has been one of the largest factors in contributing to the WIWD’s growth today. Without her devotion who knows where we would be.