A Note from the Watershed Coordinator
by David Stein
Thank you all for joining us for the Watersheds and Waterways newsletter. This year has been filled with new challenges, but also several successes. The Watershed team’s work on the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant has continued to produce several great results for conservation here in Central Iowa. Our pollinator flyways and seed bank systems have gone through a major change, now known as the Nectar Network, this program rolls in all of the previous pollinator and wildlife work into one organized program. The Nectar Network officially launched this month with some fundraising efforts. In the meantime, we have been hard at work mapping endangered pollinator sightings in the state and visualizing where in Central Iowa, restoration efforts are most needed.
The Prairie Rivers Watersheds and Waterways team continue to do an excellent job with community outreach, albeit with a virtual twist. Between zoom calls with partners, zoom calls with planning groups, and zoom calls with conservation districts, it seems like we’re just zooming around all over the place! But through the wonders of modern technology, we were able to complete our first field day through a Zoom Meeting with our partners at the Story County Soil and Water Conservation District and Iowa Learning Farms in June. Looking ahead, we have the Wild and Scenic “Live Virtual” Film Festival Festival sponsored by Prairie Rivers on October 2 from 7:30 to 9 pm. Three of the ten films presented deal directly with water quality issues and solutions. Finally, our second field day will again be virtual as well and will be centered around pollinator/wildlife habitat and the seed bank.
The best way to stay informed on events is to follow and keep in touch with Prairie Rivers of Iowa on social media and through our new and improved website. Our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are always updated with great information about events and important topics. Thank you all again, and please enjoy our newest newsletter.