Guest Blogger

IEC is pleased to welcome guest bloggers on a number of different topics throughout the year. If you are interested in submitting a blog piece to IEC, contact us at iecmail@iaenvironment.org.

Blog posts by this Author:

• Good Neighbor Iowa announces new grant program: Parks for a Sustainable Future

  Madeline Fritz, student fellow with Good Neighbor Iowa at UNI, shares news about the Parks for a Sustainable Future program, which is designed help communities transition parks and other public land sites to natural, organic land management.

• Making connections with nature accessible to everyone

  Guest blogger Zakariah Hill with Supply Hive talks about why connecting with nature is important to her, and how she's working with Wander Woman to make hiking, camping, and the outdoors more accessible for women of color in Iowa.

• Guest blog: Where science fits in election cycles

  Through three election cycles, Science Iowa, an Iowa Environmental Council member organization, has asked politicians for their views on science-related issues. In this guest blog post, Thomas O'Donnell explains what the survey covers, why it's relevant, and where to find survey responses.

• Perspectives on River Restoration

  Central Iowa Water Resources Designer, Will Gaskins, and Water Resource Engineer, Rai Tokuhisa, recently attended a River Restoration Toolbox Training hosted by Iowa Rivers Revival in partnership with Iowa DNR and Iowa Stormwater Education Partnership (ISWEP). In this guest blog post, they share their experiences and some of the lessons they learned.

• Getting a Dose of Vitamin "N" - Nature

  Polk County Conservation staffer Lindsay Page takes us on a trip down the Des Moines River with other area residents on a paddling adventure.

• Inspirational and Immersive Learning at Lakeside Lab

  Alena Gamble shares her experiences as a student at Lakeside Lab in Okoboji this summer, collaborating with professors, students, and even artists during her stay.

• Walnut Creek Bio Blitz: Shining Light on Iowa's Water Systems

  Polk County Conservation conducts water quality testing to monitor the status of rivers and streams across the county. Volunteers are key to accomplishing this effort. Summer Communications Intern McCade Gowdy shares his experience participating in testing Walnut Creek in Des Moines.

• Tire Trash Treasure Phenomenon

  This year, Iowa Project AWARE covered the West Fork of the Des Moines River for its annual volunteer clean up event July 10th through the 15th. An average of 200 volunteers paddled the river and hauled out trash for just over four days. Guest blogger, and Trash Warrior, Laura Semken documented the event and shares her daily account of the clean up. She shares the smiling faces and power of people coming together united in a purpose to help clean up Iowa's environment.

• Staying together and sticking it out for stream monitoring in Story County

  Despite budget cuts to the Iowa DNR's long-running citizen science program, several groups in Story County stepped forward to ensure that volunteer stream monitoring continued in their area. Overcoming difficulties and obstacles has been hard, yet rewarding for Dan Haug of Prairie Rivers of Iowa. He shares the learning experiences, and fun, he's had along the way during his water quality monitoring program experience.

• Growing the next generation of environmental stewards at The Central Gardens of North Iowa

  The Central Gardens of North Iowa is a magical place for kids and families. The Central Gardens is a member of the Iowa Gives Green coalition and guest blogger Jennifer Merfeld, a volunteer at the Gardens, shares the local impact the Gardens has on the community of Clear Lake, Iowa, and hopefully future generations of children who will come to have a sense of responsibility for the environment around them.

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