Tag: gis

Look down from a plane in any part of the state and you will see Iowa farmers’ commitment to soil and water conservation etched into the landscape.  Using aerial photos and Lidar from 2007-2010, the Iowa DNR and Iowa State University recently completed a statewide project to map and inventory six conservation practices. The finished maps are available for most* of the Squaw Creek Watershed, so we tallied up the results.  It's encouraging to see that even in a flat part of the state, producers have been doing a lot to control soil erosion.  Thank you for your stewardship! 100 acres of contour buffer strips 1,165 acres of grassed waterways 173 miles of terraces 230 water and sediment control basins 21 farm ponds However, while Iowa has made a lot of progress in addressing soil erosion, we are just beginning to address nutrient losses.  The dead zone in the Gulf this year was the size of Connecticut and shrinking it will require...