09/04/2026
Honoring the life and conservation legacy of Jim Birkholz
It is with great sadness that we share that our former Chisago SWCD board chair Jim Birkholz passed away this week. A funeral will be held on Friday, September 11 at 2pm at Linwood Covenant Church (6565 Viking Blvd NE, Wyoming), with a visitation prior to the service from 12-2pm.
Jim was well-known and beloved in Chisago County and around the state. He served on the Chisago SWCD board for nearly 20 years, played a foundational role in establishing the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources in 1987, and has welcomed families with locally grown apples, fresh-baked goods, and a sense of community at Pleasant Valley Orchard for more than three decades.
Jim started his career at the Ramsey Conservation District, where he served as the organization’s first district manager in 1978. Three years later, he moved into a role with the Minnesota Soil and Water Conservation Board, this time working with Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCDs) throughout the eleven county metro area. When the Board of Water and Soil Resources was created in 1987, Jim served as the agency’s acting director for its first three years. He joined the Chisago SWCD board in 2006.
One of the most impactful projects that Jim championed during his time on our board was an inventory of the St. Croix River escarpment lands, in 2011 which began identified 36 high priority gullies in need of repair in order to protect the St. Croix River from erosion, sedimentation, and phosphorus pollution. Since then, our office has worked with landowners to successfully repair more than 30 of those gullies.
Jim was also proud of the role he played in helping to develop the Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership from 2017 to 2024. The partnership brings together 15 local government partners in Chisago, Anoka, Isanti, Pine and Washington Counties who are working together collaboratively to restore lakes, rivers, streams and other natural resources in our region. “Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really devoted people at all levels of government and I’m really proud to have been on those teams,” Jim shared toward the end of his term.
Jim stepped down from the Chisago SWCD board in December of 2024 and was recognized as the Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation District’s 2024 Outstanding SWCD Supervisor that same month. We are grateful for the leadership Jim provided to conservation organizations and professionals around Minnesota and the many years he dedicated to protecting Chisago County’s most beautiful places.
