Partnerships

Resilient communities steward resilient ecosystems.

Photo by Cory Ryan, © University of Minnesota Extension

Partnerships and collaboration are cornerstones of the Healthy Soil Collaborative’s mission in the Northern Forest. Jumping worms span multiple environments, cultivated and wild, across different soils, different states, and two countries. So our approach needs to be just as broad and varied.

When we engage with stakeholders who care about their soil, our science becomes stronger, more creative, and more effective. In turn, our stakeholders are able to take an active role in helping contribute to and shape our research, and ensure that their needs are understood and addressed.

These partnerships foster not just good science—but also hope, motivation, and resilience.


Partnership with the Healthy Soil Collaborative can take many forms.

We work with:

  • Individuals, such as homeowners and gardeners, on community-based trials in their own gardens and neighborhoods.

  • Nurseries, garden centers, and compost/mulch businesses to help them prevent and manage jumping worms in their products. We are also actively investigating effective and affordable methods of jumping worm eradication in retail products, and need partners to help us explore these methods in real-world settings.

  • Outside labs and individual researchers who share our mission to preserve soil.

  • Resource managers, watershed organizations, green industry lobbying groups, and public gardens to observe impacts and jumping worm mitigation trials on critical public and private lands.

  • State and regional government and non-governmental bodies on public outreach and policy guidance.

We are actively looking to also work with small farmers who are practicing soil-building agriculture, and forest products industries to better understand the impact of worms in these important settings as well.

Partnership and collaboration can also mean supporting us through donation. It’s unavoidable that research requires funding. We simply cannot do this without financial support. Every single dollar truly helps us, and we are profoundly grateful.

When we are actively recruiting for a new participatory science study, we will post in our Updates page. If you don’t see any active projects for your concern or geographical location, but you would like to collaborate, please reach out. We want to hear from you!”

Healthy ecosystems need engaged communities. We are honored to have the opportunity to work with you. Your contribution makes a difference.


Our Partners

Collaborating Researchers

Collaborating Organizations and Agencies

  • Canadian Forest Service

  • Master Gardeners of Minnesota, Vermont, Connecticut

  • Natural Areas Conservancy, New York

  • New Brunswick Invasive Species Council

  • New Brunswick Museum

  • Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council

  • Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

  • Siuslaw Model Forest (Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties)

  • Three Rivers Park District 

  • University of Minnesota Arboretum

  • Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association

  • Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association

  • Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources