Posted 1/30/2012 by iowaslegacy

It's been an incredible year for Iowa's Water & Land Legacy.  We fought back changes to the Iowa REAP formula, secured supplemental funding for Iowa's state parks system, prevented attacks on critical public lands programs, and fought for new funding for water quality and agricultural soil conservation.

Yet, we cannot rest in the New Year.  In 2012 we need to push for funding REAP fully at $20 million in FY 2013. We need to prevent attacks on public lands programs.  And, we need to push for funding for Iowa's Natural Resources & Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund.

Posted 12/16/2011 by iowaslegacy

Posted 9/29/2011 by iowaslegacy

Water quality issues are typically pegged as "environmental" issues, but that's a misnomer.  Water quality is also about recreation and fishing opportunities.  This story from Clear Lake, IA brings it home:

Posted 6/30/2011 by iowaslegacy

Posted 6/7/2011 by iowaslegacy

As we have previously discussed, Iowa's natural resource programs - water quality, soil conservation, wildlife, and outdoor recreation - are facing dramatic cuts this year and have felt the impact of over 40% cuts in the last three years. This years budget, in fact, includes a cut of nearly 25% to Iowa's REAP program, or "Resource Enhancement and Protection" - the model for Iowa's Water & Land Legacy Amendment.

This is all DESPITE the increases in revenue the state general fund is witnessing as the economy rebounds. See the video below from the non-partisan State of Iowa Legislative Fiscal Bureau detailing the growth in revenue:



If this upsets you, be sure to visit our "Get Involved" page and sign our petition to support sustainable funding for programs that improve water quality and reduce the potential of future flooding.

Posted 6/3/2011 by iowaslegacy

Iowa's Water & Land Legacy amendment would dedicate significant state funds to programs that would safeguard clean drinking water, water we recreate in, and rivers/lakes/streams that are key habitat areas for our abundant fish and wildlife.  These programs have historically been underfunded and without a sustainable funding source.

This is even more evident with recent cuts and layoffs announced at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

You can donate here to help us fight these cuts!

Funding for water quality isn't just about regulation.  These scientists and staff are responsible for providing important data and analysis that guides watershed planning, floodplain management, and other voluntary conservation programs.  See the story from Radio Iowa here:

The state geologist warns that budget cuts are landing especially hard on a lesser-known division of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Funds may be nearly cut in half next year for the Iowa Geological and Water Survey, which monitors the quality and quantity of both surface and underground water.

Bob Libra, at the Geological Survey, hopes for more money by the time the legislature’s budget negotiations end.
“There’s not much hope of that in the current world, I guess,” Libra says. “If they land somewhere pretty close to the base figure that the DNR’s been operating under, then then plan that we’re describing here is how they are going to address it.”

The Geological Survey’s cuts are particularly difficult because the bureau relies more on the state’s general fund than some other divisions of the DNR, plus, it had fewer vacant positions to absorb the cuts.

Libra says they haven’t decided how to compensate for the loss of talent if the anticipated layoffs occur.

“Some of our expertise on dealing with the health and quality of lakes in this state will not be there,” he says. “We’re not sure quite how to overcome that yet.”

The DNR’s budget has been cut by nearly 40-percent since 2009. Libra’s hoping budget negotiators land closer to the Senate’s proposed funding for the DNR which is about half a million dollars higher than the House.