Projects
Work in the World
Featured Campaign
Book Campaign / Legacy Publishing
Driftless in Time — Capturing the Moment
A forthcoming legacy coffee table book of imagery and essays celebrating the ancient, natural landscape of the Driftless Region. Pre-orders and more information available now.
Learn More & Pre-OrderCampaign Brochure
Civic & Community Work
Projects in the Field
Julia Henley's work extends well beyond the page — into disaster recovery, historic preservation, affordable housing, nonprofit leadership, and community agriculture.
Sustainable Driftless, Inc.
Julia Henley co-founded Sustainable Driftless, Inc. in 2016 alongside Tim Jacobson and George Howe. The nonprofit is dedicated to inspiring resource conservation, vibrant communities, and sustainable growth across the four-state Driftless Region. Julia serves as Vice President on the board and is spearheading the organization's 2026 legacy coffee table book, Driftless in Time — Capturing the Moment, a collection of photography and essays celebrating the ancient landscape of the Driftless. Fellow co-founders Tim Jacobson and George Howe produced the organization's flagship documentary, Decoding the Driftless, which earned a Midwest Regional Emmy Award, more than 50 film festival awards, and has reached over 189 million viewers worldwide through PBS stations and screenings. A second documentary, Spirit of the Driftless, premiered in September 2025.
Visit ProjectGays Mills Flood Recovery & Economic Redevelopment
Following repeated catastrophic flooding, the Village of Gays Mills hired Julia Henley through a federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to coordinate the relocation of businesses out of the floodplain and lead a comprehensive community redevelopment effort. Over a four-year contract (fall 2009 through fall 2013), Julia coordinated engineers, architects, community leaders, and public relations while leveraging grant funding into durable, sustainable outcomes for the village. Projects she helped bring to completion include the construction of affordable housing, a grocery and convenience store, a Village Community Center with banquet facilities, library, commercial kitchen, and village offices, a shared indoor mall for small businesses, and spearheaded a regional trail system that others carried forward to completion after her contract concluded. Her work also included facilitating mergers of financially struggling businesses to ensure their survival in the new location. Julia has since been an invited speaker at disaster recovery and economic development conferences.
Lawler Lofts — Wyalusing Academy Adaptive Reuse
As President of River to Valley Initiatives, a nonprofit she led, Julia Henley spearheaded the adaptive reuse of the former Wyalusing Academy in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin — a century-old historic structure that had fallen out of use and faced demolition. By assembling the development team and securing the appropriate developer, the board helped transform the landmark building into 62 workforce housing units through a $13M investment in the city of Prairie du Chien. The effort required navigating complex financing, spearheading the needed historic tax credits and registration on the National Historic Sites, and building the community partnerships needed to make viable, affordable housing for working families possible.
Clearwater Farm
Julia Henley co-founded Clearwater Farm and led the project as president for eight years. Her vision was to create a working urban farmstead where children and adults could come together to care for animals and gardens within the city of Onalaska, situated near a rapidly growing neighborhood. Bringing that vision to reality required the right development partner — Elmwood Partners collaborated as the developer, making the project physically and financially possible. The small farmstead — home to donkeys, chickens, goats, and productive gardens — is visited daily by family volunteers and serves as a trailhead through bottomlands connecting to nearby bluffs. Julia collaborated with the City of Onalaska, Elmwood Partners, and a dedicated volunteer base to establish and sustain the farm. Clearwater Farm continues to operate today with an active volunteer community managing its programs.
Design
Built, Natural & Coexisting Environments
Explore Julia Henley’s design practice and essays on human-scale places, resilient landscapes, housing, public space, and water as infrastructure.
Explore DesignSimpliSecure
A practical platform for organizing critical documents, preparing for emergencies, and creating greater peace of mind through private, secure planning.
Visit Project →My Digital Data
A practical resource for organizing, protecting, and passing on the digital information that matters — from accounts and passwords to important documents and online assets.
Visit Project →CallMabel
Support, companionship, and practical resources for older adults, caregivers, and families navigating aging well.
Visit Project →The Architecture of Care
An ongoing Woodshire Studio essay series exploring caregiving, dignity, and the systems that shape how we age.
Visit Project →SustainableDriftless Magazine
A quarterly digital magazine documenting people, organizations, and ideas advancing sustainability in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois.
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Sustainable-Driftless.org
A web platform celebrating and advancing sustainability in the Driftless Region — documenting projects, profiling practitioners, and building a regional knowledge base.
Visit Project →Woodshire Studio Journal
An ongoing editorial project exploring design, community, sustainability, and civic imagination — with a bit of irony for good measure.
Visit Project →Driftless Notes — 2014, Volume 1
An early regional publication exploring sustainability, culture, and community across the Driftless landscape — 4 States, 41 Counties. The Ripple Effect.
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Archived Publication
The Ripple Effect — 4 States. 41 Counties. An early regional publication exploring sustainability, culture, and community across the Driftless landscape.