DECORAH – Sophia Campbell, the DNR’s Watershed and Source Water Protection Coordinator at the Decorah Fish Hatchery, was named the recipient of the prestigious Iowa Watershed Coordinator of the Year Award from the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA).
Campbell, who joined the Iowa DNR in January 2025, was recognized for her work as the Yellow River Headwaters Project Coordinator during her time with the Winneshiek Soil and Water Conservation District. Her project’s successes include:
- More than 20 miles of stream protected from livestock access, with 60% of local livestock producers participating.
- Over 3 miles of streambank stabilization, reducing nearly 5,000 tons of sediment runoff annually.
- Increasing cover crops usage from less than 1% of row crop acres in the watershed to more than 30%.
Campbell, a Davenport native, says she’s been drawn to the outdoors as long as she can remember. “Our house was four blocks from the Mississippi River, and I spent a lot of time outside. I was always playing in the creek near the ballpark,” she says. “In kindergarten, I’d leave my gymnastics class to go play out in the dirt.”
Campbell has always been passionate about environmental science, and says the floods of 2008 and 2019 were huge influences on her life. Relatives watched their downtown businesses flood in 2019, and many of her favorite places in Davenport were impacted by floodwater.
“Water Quantity events can be impactful, scary and shocking, but some things can be controlled. I’ve always believed that there’s got to be a solution out there.”
After graduating college, she and her husband moved to Decorah, where she took a job as a seasonal worker with the DNR. In 2020, she joined the Winneshiek Soil and Water Conservation District, working with landowners to improve water quality and adopt conservation practices.
“I’m really passionate about wildlife and public access. And I think northeast Iowa has some of the best regenerative farming leaders anywhere. They really bought into what we’re trying to accomplish,” she says. “It brings me so much joy when landowners are proud of the improvements they have made on their property. I love when they share these things with me because they know how much I care.”
Erin Ogle, Taylor County SWCD Project Coordinator, nominated Campbell because of her exceptional leadership, community involvement, and conservation results.
“She loves her producers and looks out for them,” Ogle says. “Sophia builds and keeps trust with her producers. When she earns that trust, changes are made and that’s why she has so much success.”
Campbell also launched a local Women, Land, and Legacy chapter to address the gap she saw in female farmland owners’ participation in conservation programs. She regularly mentors new project coordinators and shares her tactics that accelerate progress.
Campbell says the best career advice is to ask lots of questions. “Be curious! Growth and change can be painful, but always take your next steps,” she says. “Things always get better even when they are hard.”
About the Iowa Watershed Awards
The Iowa Watershed Awards celebrate individuals and organizations making significant contributions to water quality and conservation in the state. The Impact Award recognizes measurable results, collaboration, and innovation that improve Iowa’s watersheds.