Iowan magazine

Get Into the Outdoors

Resourceful Louisa County

Jewels Along the Upper Iowa

Searching for the Skipper

Taste – Iowa’s Edible Icon

The Mission of The Iowan
Celebrating the people and communities, the history and traditions, the ideas and events that make up this captivating place called Iowa.

In This Issue – May/June 2008
A Word from the Editor

It's Time

        The towering limestone bluffs that stand sentinel over the Upper Iowa River. A rare piece of northeast Iowa wilderness teaming with 900 diverse species. Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge, where delicate lotus flowers beckon paddlers to meander the backwaters of the Mississippi. A remnant prairie in Poweshiek County where the flutter of a rare butterfly’s wings is anticipated. The millenniums-old ridge that traces history through the Loess Hills landform.

        What are such places — and the experiences they offer — worth to Iowans?

        In a recent statewide survey, 97 percent of respondents agreed that Iowans have a personal responsibility to protect the state’s natural resources. Ninety percent agreed that protecting Iowa’s land and water is critical to our economy. A recent study from Iowa State University offered its own value assessment: The nearly 50 million annual visits to state and county parks, lakes, and trails result in $2.63 billion in spending, which fuels more than 27,400 jobs that create $580 million in income.

        Both the survey and the study have contributed to a broader analysis by a state legislature-assembled advisory committee exploring alternative paths to sustainable funding for Iowa’s outdoors. The 17-member group has spent the last two years examining the issue.

        One significant finding: The state needs to invest at least an additional $150 million each year to begin to address the current needs of state parks and preserves, infrastructure, soil and water conservation, watershed protection and water quality improvement, lake restoration, trail development and maintenance, wildlife habitat projects, conservation education, safety programs, and law enforcement, as well as the overall enhancement of natural, cultural, and recreational resources.

        One sobering fact: Iowa ranks near the bottom (48th) in state conservation funding, currently investing only $59 million in our natural resources.

        We know stewardship is a vital quality-of-life matter. We’ve begun to appreciate that it’s also a crucial economic one. The advisory committee has made a bold proposal: a constitutional amendment dedicating a portion of state sales tax revenue to conservation and recreation funding. If legislators allow them, Iowa voters will soon have an opportunity to make their priorities known.

        While we hope the majestic beauty captured in the pages of our annual tribute to Iowa’s great outdoors delights, surprises, and inspires you, this issue is not a quiet, reassuring homage to Iowa’s remaining natural resources. Not when more than 500 of the state’s animal and plant species are designated by the Natural Resource Commission as endangered, threatened, or special concern. Not when the Iowa River ranks third on the American Rivers’ annual list of Most Endangered Rivers in America. Not when the state’s protected green space has dwindled to a mere two percent. No, this issue of The Iowan is a clarion call. It’s time. A resolute commitment to Iowa’s outdoors is a powerful investment in the state’s future.

        Note: SJR2002 was overwhelmingly approved by both chambers during the 2008 session of the 82nd General Assembly. Sustainable funding legislation will require a second vote in the next Legislature (convening January 2009) before heading to a statewide voter ballot. Follow online at www.legis.state.ia.us.

— Beth Wilson, Editor

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