Ken Genskow

Degrees/Academics BS General Engineering (University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign), Master’s Urban Planning (University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign), PhD Urban and Regional Planning (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Courses URB R PL 742 (Planning Orientation Seminar); URB R PL/ENV ST 865 (Water Resources Institutions and Policies); URB R PL 917 (Public participation for Planning & Policy Making); URB R PL 932 (PhD Research Seminar).

Professor Ken Genskow teaches and conducts applied research on environmental planning and policy, watershed planning, and collaborative and participatory approaches to resource management. His work explores the evaluation and assessment of collaborative watershed management, watershed governance, and the effectiveness of educational and technical assistance programs on land management. Genskow is interested in planning processes that engage stakeholders and integrate social science with environmental planning and management. Genskow is faculty chair for the department’s PhD in Urban & Regional Planning program.

As a state specialist supporting UW-Madison Division of Extension, Ken works with extension educators and partners across Wisconsin and regionally on water resource, conservation planning, and collaborative resource management activities. From 2016-2019, he directed UW–Madison/Extension Environmental Resources Center, supporting Extension’s programs for Regional Natural Resources, Volunteer Stream Monitoring, Aquatic Invasive Species, Farmer-led Watershed Councils, Wisconsin Master Naturalists, and more. In 2019, that center was absorbed into the Extension Natural Resources Institute, where he is an affiliate campus specialist.

Genskow is also affiliated with UW–Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, where he is faculty chair for the MS Water Resources Management program.

Professor Genskow has a BS in General Engineering (renamed Systems Engineering and Design) and a Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois. He earned his PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from University of Wisconsin–Madison. Ken served as an engineer/planner with Peace Corps Nepal from 1989-1992.

Current connections:

Extension Natural Resources Institute
Wisconsin Rural Partnerships Institute
Preparing Rural Communities for Amplified Weather Extremes Project
Diverse Corn Belt project
Wisconsin Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy
Wisconsin NPRA (NR151 Progress & Resource Assessment)
MS Water Resources Management program
Social Indicators Data Management and Analysis (SIDMA) for Nonpoint Source Planning & Evaluation
SERA-46 Land Grant University Consortium for Mississippi River Basin

Contact Dr. Genskow for project updates or past research reports.

Publications

Awashra, I., A. Thompson, L Prokopy, J. Arbuckle, K. Genskow, S. Church, O. Tesdell, Y. Rui. 2025. AI Text to Image Tools for Participatory Rural Landscape Design. Landscape & Urban Planning 264 (2025) 105464. doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2025.105464.

Wilson, A., Wenman, A. Pratsch, S. Genskow, K., Robinson, P., Todey, D., Nowatzke, L., Taku-Forchu, N., Wanyakha, M. 2024. Interpreting Extension Professionals’ Viewpoints on Agricultural Climate Change Programming. Journal of Extension, 63(4), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.66752/1077-5315.5658

Traldi, R., L. Asprooth, E. Usher, K. Floress; J.G. Arbuckle, M. Baskerville, S. Church, K. Genskow, S. Harden, E.T. Maynard, A.W. Thompson; A. Torres; L. Prokopy. 2024. “It’s all about the economics: Navigating the challenges and opportunities of agricultural diversification in the U.S. Corn Belt” Agriculture and Human Values. 41:1687-1706. doi.org/10.1007/s10460-024-10570-7

Wardropper, C., K. Genskow, A. Lavoie, D. Franklin, E. Usher, A. Wilke, J. Arbuckle, D. Jackson- Smith, L. Prokopy, A. Rissman. 2023. Policy process and problem framing for state Nutrient Reduction Strategies in the US Upper Mississippi River Basin. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation.Vol 78(1):70-81. doi:10.2489/jswc.2023.00025

Balikian, R, K Genskow. 2022. Losing Aguacate: What if Water Costs Kill Avocado Farming in San Diego County? Case Studies in the Environment. 2022:1-15. https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2022.1559200.

Pretty, J, S Attwood, R Bawden, H van den Berg, Z Bharucha, J Dixon, C Flora, K Gallagher, K Genskow, S Hartley, J Ketelaar, J Kiara, V Kumar, Y Lu, T MacMillan, A Maréchal, A Morales-Abubakar, A Noble, P Prasad, E Rametsteiner, J Reganold, J Ricks, J Rockström, O Saito, P Thorne, S Wang, H Wittman, M Winter, P Yang. 2020. Assessment of the Growth in Social Groups for Sustainable Agriculture and Land Management. Global Sustainability. 3, e23, 1–16. DOI: https:// doi.org/10.1017/sus.2020.19

Prokopy, L., B Gramig, A Bower, S Church, B Ellison, P Gassman, K Genskow, D Gucker, S Hallett, J Hill, N Hunt, K Johnson, I Kaplan, JP Kelleher, H Kok, M Komp, P Lammers, S LaRose, M Liebman, A Margenot, D Mulla, M O’Donnell, A Peimer, E Reaves, K Salazar, C Schelly, K Schilling, S Secchi, A Spaulding, D Swenson, A Thompson, J Ulrich‐Schad. 2020. The urgency of transforming the Midwestern U.S. landscape into more than corn and soybean. Agriculture and Human Values. 37, 537-539. DOI: 10.1007/s10460-020-10077-x.

Kniffin, M., K.R. Bradbury, M. Fienen, K. Genskow. 2020. Groundwater Model Simulations of Stakeholder-Identified Scenarios in a High-Conflict Irrigated Area. Groundwater. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.12989

Lane D, E. Murdock, K. Genskow, C. Rumery Betz, A. Chatrchyan. 2019. Climate Change and Dairy in New York and Wisconsin: Risk Perceptions, Vulnerability, and Adaptation among Farmers and Advisors.Sustainability. 11(13):3599. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11133599

Stepenuck, K.F & K.D. Genskow. 2018. Traits of Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs that Influence Natural Resource Management and Policy Impacts, Society & Natural Resources, DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2018.1511022.

Radatz, A.M., C.L. Herron, E.T. Cooley, K. Genskow, and M.D. Ruark. 2018. Improving water quality knowledge through a focus on partnership: A University of Wisconsin Discovery Farms case study. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation January/February 2018 vol. 73 no. 1 16A-21A. doi: 10.2489/jswc.73.1.16A.

Stepenuck, K.F. & Genskow, K.D. Characterizing the Breadth and Depth of Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs in the United States. Environmental Management (2018) 61: 46-57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-017-0956-7

Margerum, R., C. Robinson, K. Genskow. 2016. The Challenges of Collaborative Governance: Synthesis and Research Directions, in Margerum, R. and C. Robinson, Challenges of Collaboration in Environmental Governance. Edward Elgar Press.

Amato, M.S., Shaw, B.R., Olson, E., Turyk, N., Genskow, K. & Moore, C.F. 2016.  The challenge of motivated cognition in promoting lake health among shoreline property owners: Biased estimation of personal environmental impact. Lake and Reservoir Management. DOI: 10.1080/10402381.2016.1234010

Busse, R., J.D. Ulrich-Schad, L. Crighton, S. Peel, K. Genskow, L. Stalker Prokopy. 2015. Using Social Indicators to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Outreach in Two Indiana Watersheds. Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education. 156:5-20. [http://ucowr.org/journal-issue-archives/156]

Prokopy, L.S. and K. Genskow. 2015. Social Indicator Variations Across Watersheds: Implications for Developing Outreach and Technical Assistance Programs. Society and Natural Resources. 29(5): 617-627. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2015.1081310

Genskow, K and K Magyera. 2015. Wetlands. Edward Elgar Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Politics and Governance. [http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/encyclopedia-of-global-environmental-govern…]

Mase, A.S., N.L. Babin, L.S. Prokopy, and K.D. Genskow, 2015. Trust in Sources of Soil and Water Quality Information: Implications for Environmental Outreach and Education. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) [published online Aug 2015]. DOI: 10.1111/1752-1688.12349.

Reimer, A, A Thompson, L Prokopy, J Arbuckle, K Genskow, D Jackson-Smith, G Lynne, L McCann, and P Nowak. 2014. “People, place, behavior and context: A research agenda for expanding our understanding of what motivates farmers’ conservation behaviors.” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 69(2):47A-51A.

Howell, A, B Shaw, K Genskow. 2014. Evaluation of a Movie Theater Advertisement Campaign to Promote Behaviors that Prevent Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species. Society and Natural Resources. 27(7):768-776.

Genskow, K. and L. Prokopy. 2013. Intentional Outcomes for Watershed Outreach and Technical Assistance. River Voices. 23(3):8-11.

Genskow, K. and J. Blasczyk. 2013. Reaching New Forest Landowner Audiences: Impacts of Wisconsin’s Learn About Your Land Program. Journal of Extension. 51(3): 1-10.

Magyera, K. and K. Genskow. 2013. Toward Integrated Wetland Conservation: A Diagnostic Framework. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 56 (1): 121-139

Robinson, P., K. Genskow, B. Shaw, and R. Shepard. 2012. Barriers and opportunities for integrating social science into natural resource management: Lessons from National Estuarine Research Reserves. Environmental Management. 50:998-1011.

Thurston L., C. Smith, K. Genskow, L. Prokopy, W. Hargrove. 2012. The Social Context of Water Quality Improvement Evaluation. In D. J. Rog, J. L. Fitzpatrick, & R. F. Conner (Eds.), Context: A framework for its influence on evaluation practice. New Directions for Evaluation, 135, 41–58.

Genskow, K. 2012. Taking Stock of Voluntary Nutrient Management: Measuring and Tracking Change. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 67(1):51-58. View Publication

Genskow, K. and L. Prokopy (eds.). 2011. The Social Indicator Planning and Evaluation System (SIPES) for Nonpoint Source Management: A Handbook for Watershed Projects. 3rd Edition. Great Lakes Regional Water Program. (104 pages). View Publication.

Genskow, K and D Wood. 2011. Improving Voluntary Environmental Management Programs: facilitating learning and adaptation.Environmental Management 47:907-916. View Publication

Prokopy L., A. Gocmen, J. Gao, S. Allred, J. Bonnell, K. Genskow, A.Molloy, R. Power. 2011. “Incorporating social context variables into paired watershed designs to test nonpoint source program effectiveness” Journal of the American Water Resources Association 47(1):196-202. View Publication

Genskow, K. and Linda Stalker Prokopy 2010. “Lessons Learned in Developing Social Indicators for Regional Water Quality Management” in Society and Natural Resources Vol. 23, Issue 1, Pages 83-91. View Publication

Urban and Regional Planning (URPL), Department of, University of Wisconsin‐Madison. 2009. “Implementing the Great Lakes Compact: Wisconsin Conservation and Efficiency Measures Report.” Extension Report 2009‐01. View Publication

Genskow K and D Wood. 2009. Measurement, Learning, and Adaptation in Planning and Implementing Voluntary Nonpoint Source Watershed Programs. Journal of Planning Literature 24(2):137-154. View Publication

Prokopy, L., K. Genskow, et al. 2009. Designing a regional system of social indicators to evaluate nonpoint source water projects.
Journal of Extension 47(2). View Publication

Genskow, K. 2009. Catalyzing Collaboration: Wisconsin’s Agency-Initiated Basin Partnerships.  Environmental Management. 43:411-424. View Publication

Genskow, K., L. Prokopy, and R. Power. 2008. Using social data in nonpoint source management. Lakeline 28(3):19-22. View Publication

Genskow, K., J. Haack, and M. Kornmann. 2008. Partnering for Shoreline Protection in Wisconsin’s Burnett County Lakes: What Roles for Lake Associations? Lakeline 28(3):45-49. View Publication

Genskow, K. 2008. “Using Social Indicators to Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution.” In Environmental Communication & Social Marketing, published by UW-Extension, Environmental Resources Center. 1(1):5. View Publication

Genskow, Kenneth D. and Stephen M. Born. 2006. Organizational dynamics of watershed partnerships: A key to integrated water resources management. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education (135): 56-64. View Publication

Genskow, K., J. Blasczyk, and S. Slater. 2006.  Assessing Conservation Practices and Information Preferences in the Fever River Headwaters Area.  Report for the UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm. Environmental Resources Center. June 2006.  View Publication

Born, Stephen M. and Kenneth D. Genskow. 2001. Toward Understanding New Watershed Initiatives – A Report from the Madison Watershed Workshop. Report for Trout Unlimited and the Henry P. Kendall Foundation.  Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Extension. View Publication

Born, Stephen M. and Kenneth D. Genskow. 2000. The Watershed Approach—An Empirical Assessment of Innovation in Environmental Management. In Learning From Innovations (Environment.gov Research Papers). Report No. 00-12. Washington, DC: National Academy of Public Administration. View Report View Appendices (Case Studies)

Born, Stephen M. and Kenneth D. Genskow. 1999. Exploring the Watershed Approach: Critical Dimensions of State-Local Partnerships. Portland, OR; River Network. View Publication