Blog For Tag "nitrate pollution"

posted by Guest Blogger on Thursday, July 20, 2023 IEC Member Organization Iowa Rivers Revival re-launched their Service Squad initiative in 2023. In this guest blog post, three Americorps volunteers share their summer experiences as part of the initiative.

posted by Alicia Vasto on Friday, June 2, 2023 To mark the 10th anniversary of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy, IEC launched a new website: decliningdecade.org. Big Ag is pushing a narrative that the NRS is a success, when the numbers tell a different story. Water Program Director Alicia Vasto says more about why stories are good, but data is key and what Iowa's really seen in the past ten years.

posted by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 Nitrate pollution is a sprawling, complex issue with its roots in major industries. It can be difficult to feel that we as individuals have the ability to affect change when an issue looms so large. Heather Wilson with the Izaak Walton League of America explains that is one of the reasons IWLA is so excited to invite volunteers to participate in the Nitrate Watch program, which takes a hands-on approach to combatting nitrate pollution.

posted by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, January 31, 2023 Fertilizer pollution (composed of the chemical nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus) has plagued Iowa's waterways since long before the Iowa Environmental Council was formed in 1995. As the state's primary plan for addressing nutrient pollution approaches its 10th anniversary, what can we say about Iowa's water today? Several past IEC executive directors share their thoughts in this guest blog.

posted by Alicia Vasto on Monday, December 26, 2022 Water Program Director Alicia Vasto shares her thoughts as we wrap up a year of work on water and land stewardship in Iowa at IEC. She reflects about the effort, hard work, and dedication to IEC's mission of clean water in Iowa, while also sharing valuable resources and looking forward to the coming year.

posted by Guest Blogger on Friday, July 22, 2022 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.

posted by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 Iowa has a robust plan for monitoring nitrogen. But what about other ag inputs that affect our water? In this guest blog post, Audrey Tran Lam with the Center for Energy and the Environment at UNI shares what Iowa's robust nitrogen monitoring can teach us about managing pesticides.

posted by Alicia Vasto on Tuesday, November 9, 2021 In 1987, the Iowa legislature passed the Iowa Groundwater Protection Act. IEC suggests it is time to create an Iowa Surface Water Protection Act as part of the efforts to advance the Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

posted by Guest Blogger on Friday, July 30, 2021 Iowa River Watershed Coalition President, Jarrett Pfrimmer, PhD, shares the coalition efforts led by the Meskwaki Department of Natural Resources to form the Iowa River Watershed Coalition in 2019. Read more about the stakeholders involved and the goals they have set out to achieve to protect the Iowa River watershed.

posted by Angelisa Belden on Thursday, July 15, 2021 Communications Director Angelisa Belden reflects on her family's visit to the headwaters of the Mississippi River, and what that visit reveals for the future of the Great River.