Our Board of Directors

Reed Riskedahl has been on the Prairie Rivers Board of Directors since 2011, hailing from Marshalltown; and has served as past-president, secretary, and treasurer and now again serving as president.

Originally from rural southern Minnesota, Reed and his family have been Iowans for 42 years with 32 of those years in Marshalltown. He and his wife Rita have two adult daughters and two grandsons.

Reed has a degree in business and his volunteer involvement and leadership positions, in and around Marshalltown, along with his work experience (now retired) in retail, service, manufacturing, construction, and real estate are valuable to the Prairie Rivers of Iowa board and staff.

He has Master Gardener and Conservationist certifications from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Rick Dietz retired from the City of Ames Electric Services in 2015 and volunteers for many organizations including Prairie Rivers, Story County Conservation, the Story County Sheriff’s Dive Team, N-Compass and Project AWARE, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, the Iowa Wildlife Center, STAR 1 Search and Rescue, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Rivers Program.

He Attended Iowa State University (majoring in Horticulture) after getting an Associate Degree in Electronic Engineering Technology. His interest in prairies began as a volunteer at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Rick is a member of the Panora Conservation Chapter of the Izaak Walton League and the Iowa Environmental Council, a Recipient of INHF’s Hagie Heritage Award (2020), the Olav Smedal Conservation Award, and an IOWATER Volunteer of the Year Award (both in 2006)
His public service includes serving in the Army National Guard from 1988-1993.

Rick and his wife Carol Hansell, both Iowa natives, live just north of Ames where their home overlooks prairie, woodlands, and the Skunk River Valley.

Dr. Mark Rasmussen is a retired microbiologist, most recently from a leadership position at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture; he spent four years at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a research microbiologist (two years as a supervisory microbiologist and division director), providing technical guidance and research support related to regulatory decisions regarding drugs, additives, and contaminants in animal feeds and much more. For about 18 years, he worked as a microbiologist and researcher for the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Research Service, and the National Disease Center in Ames, Iowa. In 2000, he was appointed lead scientist/microbiologist. As a scientist for the Eastman Chemical Company, Mark conducted research in various aspects of animal nutrition and microbiology with an emphasis on cellulose digestion and fermentation. Career highlights include a U.S. Secretary of Agriculture’s Award for Food Safety, and he has been awarded a couple of U.S. patents.

Elaine Edwards joined the Prairie Rivers Board of Directors in February 2024. She grew up on a farm in Humboldt County and currently resides in Ames. She is married to Mark T. Edwards. They have three sons, all living in the Ames/Boone area.

A graduate of Iowa State University in Agricultural Journalism, with a masters in Journalism and Mass Communications, she dedicated 33 years to agricultural communications.  She managed communications units at Iowa State University Extension and at Kansas State University Research and Extension. Prior to that she worked for the Fort Dodge Messenger (Iowa) as a farm reporter and for Corn Belt Power Cooperative (Humboldt, Iowa) as an information specialist.

In 2015 she and her husband purchased a bed and breakfast in Lanesboro, Minnesota and jumped feet first into the hospitality business, learning the ropes of running a successful small business in an agricultural/tourist based community.  In 2022 they retired to Ames to live near family.

In addition to Prairie Rivers of Iowa she currently serves as the retiree director on the Association of Communications Excellence Board of Directors. She has served as chair of  several nonprofit boards including Lanesboro Arts, Minnesota Bed and Breakfast Association, and the Lanesboro Economic Development Association.

Elaine values the work of Prairie Rivers of Iowa and sees benefits through conservation efforts and monitoring and management of our natural and cultural resources.

Bob Ausberger grew up on a farm north of Jefferson, Iowa and attended school there. He went on to teach 7th and 8th graders after graduating from the University of Iowa. After teaching for four years, he returned to Greene County, Iowa to farm. Bob has always been interested in soil and water conservation which led him to begin no-till farming in the late 1980’s. His son David currently works the farm which is still 100% no-till along with other conservation practices including terraces, contours, cover crops,  a mile of buffer strips along Buttrick Creek, tree planting along the creek, wetland establishment and using compost for soil health. David also works with the Iowa Soybean Association to monitor water leaving the farm. Bob and his wife Joyce also have a daughter, Susan Hawthorne, who is married to a Calhoun County, Iowa farmer.

His interests include the Lincoln Highway and since 1990 has been actively educating the public of its importance. He helped form the Greene County Lincoln Highway Association, the Iowa Lincoln Highway Association and the national Lincoln Highway Association.

Jim Colbert grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he spent much of his time in and along Prairie Creek and the Cedar River. He earned a degree in Biology from Iowa State University in 1978, followed by an M.S. and Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jim started his faculty career in 1985 at Colorado State University, and returned to Ames in 1988 to join the faculty at Iowa State University.

Jim’s research focused on plant and fungal biology. For 15 of his 33 years at Iowa State, he served as the director of the Undergraduate Biology Program. During that time, Jim led the “Skunk River Navy”, an educational stream cleanup initiative that engaged students in hands-on conservation.

Jim is an “outdoors guy” who at various times has enjoyed hiking, canoeing, wilderness camping, rock climbing (not anymore!), winter camping, bird watching, moss and lichen watching, fishing, and hunting. He occasionally shares his thoughts about the natural world on Substack @jimcolbert .

Doug Cooper lives in Cambridge, Iowa and is retired from Iowa State University as the director of Market News and radio/audio for Iowa State University Extension Communications. He was also a co-host of WOI radio’s Midday program from 1990-2010.

He worked with WHO Radio farm department from 2010 – 2020. Previously, he was farm director at KICD radio in Spencer, KWMT radio in Fort Dodge, and WOW radio in Omaha, Nebraska.

He served six years of active duty in the United States Air Force prior to attending and graduating from Iowa State with a BA in journalism. Doug has traveled to several countries reporting on trends in agriculture and received an Agriculture Communicators in Education (ACE) Award of Excellence for his reporting on the changing conditions in Russian agriculture in 1992.

Doug is married to Dianne Randall Cooper and has a daughter living in Brooklyn, NY. He is a supporter of ISU sports and enjoys listening to music on vinyl.

Rob Davis is the Watershed Program Manager at the Iowa Soybean Association’s (ISA) Research Center for Farming Innovation (RCFI), where he focuses on developing actionable watershed plans that support Iowa’s agricultural community. In this role, Rob leads the creation of place-based plans that integrate conservation practices with the broader goals of sustainability and productivity. He works closely with farmers, landowners, and various stakeholders to coordinate watershed planning activities and secure funding that enables the efficient implementation of conservation practices on the ground.

Originally from Solon, Iowa, Rob holds a Master of Science in Biology from the University of Notre Dame. His academic background in biology complements his extensive experience in watershed management and environmental planning, which he uses to inform his strategic work with ISA.

Jeff Kopaska was selected to serve as the Executive Director of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) in 2024. Prior to that, he served as the Fisheries Biometrician for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Jeff holds a B.A. from Dordt University, an M.S. from Iowa State University, and is a Certified Public Manager.
A long-standing and active AFS member, Jeff has held leadership roles across the organization, including President of the North Central Division and the Iowa Chapter, President of the Data and Technology Section, and President Elect of the Fisheries Management Section. He has served on numerous committees—often as chair—and on both the AFS Governing Board and Management Committee.

Jeff is active in his local community, having served on the Story County Conservation Board, the leadership council at his church, and the Ames Girls Softball Association board. He has also volunteered with Ames High athletics and coached youth sports through AGSA, Iowa Heart Volleyball, and Ames Middle School.

Jim Richardson is a grain farmer from Webster City, Iowa.  A long-time member of the board, he has previously served as president, treasurer, and secretary. He also serves as a member of the Hamilton County Conservation Board.

He holds a B.S. and an M.S. from Iowa State University in Ag Education and Professional Ag and brings to the board experience as an Air Force pilot, agricultural banker, sales manager and college professor.

Jim is married to his wife Donna Moore, has two grown sons, three granddaughters and a grandson.

Wes Wiese grew up on a dairy farm near Parkersburg in northeast Iowa. He earned a degree in Environmental Studies from Iowa Lakes Community College in 1992. He then enrolled at the University of Northern Iowa to study Natural History Interpretation and Biology, graduating in 1995.

After graduation, Wes headed west to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Medicine Lake, Montana, where he focused on endangered species, waterfowl, and shorebirds. He later worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, serving as a resort naturalist. In that role, he led nature hikes, interpretive horseback rides, fly fishing excursions, and evening campfire programs on mountain flora and fauna.

In 1999, Wes returned to Iowa to join Hardin County Conservation as a naturalist at the Calkins Nature Center. He served in that position until 2007, when he became the Hardin County Conservation Director—a role he continues to hold today.

He and his wife Pam live on his grandparents’ acreage, where they enjoy traveling, spending time with their grandchildren, and caring for a menagerie of animals.

In Memory

Two members of the Prairie Rivers of Iowa’s Board of Directors recently passed away: Chuck Stewart and Erv Klaas.  We will miss them and are grateful for their enthusiastic leadership and support in life, and for the memorial gifts being made in their honor.  Below, we link to Jess Butters’ account of Chuck’s conservation efforts on his land, and to Dan Haug’s recollection of six birds that highlight Erv’s life and legacy.