Rich Biske
Director of Protection/Senior Advisor, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota
Minneapolis, MN
Rich Biske Director of Resilient Waters in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. ©
Areas of Expertise
Watershed Protection, Water Quality, Regenerative Agriculture, Edge of Field, Public Policy
Biography
Rich Biske is the Director of Protection/Senior Advisor for The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. In his previous roles as Director of Water and Land Protection and earlier as Resilient Waters Director, Rich led freshwater policy development, conservation strategy and watershed protection, and built capacity of partner organizations. Rich collaborates with public- and private-sector leaders to advance land and water protection for people and nature. He leads a team of talented scientists, regional program managers and project managers that implement conservation action throughout the three-state chapter.
In 2021, Gov. Walz appointed Rich to the Clean Water Council, directing the use of Clean Water Funds and development of Minnesota water policy.
Rich has contributed to TNC's multi-state Mississippi River Basin and North America Agriculture programs for over a decade. From 2005 to 2014, he was the Southeast Minnesota Conservation Coordinator for The Nature Conservancy, leading regional partnerships and initiating several innovative soil and water conservation practices along with habitat protection and restoration programs that continue today.
Prior to his work at The Nature Conservancy, Rich was a natural resources planner with the Anoka Conservation District, conducting site-based habitat protection, restoration and open space planning and protection.
Rich is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Natural Resources in St. Paul with a B.S. in Environmental Science, Planning and Policy. He lives in Lino Lakes, Minnesota and enjoys spending time with his wife, two children and dog Ruby on Minnesota’s waters and exploring the many great natural places of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Minnesota must act now to protect its vital waterways
"Now that all of Minnesota’s major watersheds have been evaluated, we need to direct our attention to protecting the most significant waters that remain relatively clean."