The third gathering for Harnessing the Heartland has been postponed due to current uncertainty for participant travel. This meeting will now take place at the Pyle Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Fall 2025. As an outcome of the Iowa workshop, it was decided to formally launch the Heartland Environmental Alliance for Resilience and Transformation (HEART) Initiative. HEART is a university-led alliance of institutions, agencies, and industries committed to voicing the needs of the region by advancing research and developing innovative environmental solutions that strengthen communities and support policymakers to improve the lives and livelihoods of people across the Heartland. Please check back for additional information about this meeting during the summer.
This alliance seeks to leverage the region’s diverse assets and expertise across academic, public, private, tribal, and commercial sectors to address resilience challenges. Focus areas identified include water management, agriculture, extreme weather impacts, and human health. The alliance also aims to provide a unified voice for the Heartland in national decision-making processes, particularly in relation to funding opportunities from federal agencies. HEART emphasizes collaboration, shared situational awareness, the leveraging and enhancement of existing regional strengths and capabilities, and the development of actionable information to enhance regional resilience in the face of environmental changes.
The objectives of the Madison workshop are to summarize previous HEART activities, engage regional organizations and stakeholders to build partnerships, and discuss the path forward (Charter, Membership, and Institutional commitments).
Pyle Center
The 2025 HEART Initiative meeting will be held at the Pyle Center at 702 Langdon St on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Paid parking is available at the State Street Parking Garage (entering from Frances Street). Lunch can be found at the carts on Library Mall, at the Memorial Union and its Terrace, or down State Street. Due to Public Health requirements, no food/leftovers can be brought into the Pyle Center; however, drinks are allowed. Light refreshments will be available.