Adrienne Marino
Water Quality Program Manager, Illinois
Peoria, IL
Adrienne Marino Adrienne Marino has been the Water Quality Program Manager for The Nature Conservancy in Illinois since 2016. © Adrienne Marino
Areas of Expertise
Soil and water conservation, natural resources management, watershed planning
Publications
Biography
Adrienne Marino joined the staff of The Nature Conservancy in 2016. As part of the Freshwater Science and Agriculture teams, she works collaboratively with researchers, conservation partners, landowners, and other key stakeholders to advance conservation efforts in agricultural watersheds.
Adrienne also provides leadership on edge of field and water quality programs for the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership (ISAP), which TNC formed along with American Farmland Trust, Illinois Corn Growers Association, The Wetlands Initiative, the Zea Mays Foundation, and others to coordinate and amplify efforts to achieve soil health and water management goals across the state. In 2020, she served as TNC’s science lead for the Edge of Field Roadmap, completing a comprehensive literature review of edge of field conservation practices, including their performance, cost efficiency, barriers, and co-benefits.
Previously, Adrienne worked at the University of Michigan Water Center, where she co-managed an innovative grant-making program that supported collaborative, user-driven research projects designed to inform and impact Great Lakes restoration and management. She holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.S., 2005) and the University of Michigan (M.S., 2009).
Project Highlights
Edge of Field Practices in Agriculture
Adrienne served as the science lead for this project, developing 9 recommendations to improve conservation opportunities at the edges of farms.
Small Wetlands, Big Benefit: How to Harness Nature to Filter Agriculture Runoff
Adrienne contributed to a study on a farm that shows constructed wetlands can reduce excess nutrients in agricultural runoff by nearly 50%.
The Mackinaw River Watershed
Adrienne is part of a team working with partners in the Mackinaw Watershed to help guide conservation-oriented agricultural techniques.