Think Outside the HUCs

by Dan Haug | Apr 7, 2023

“With the Nutrient Reduction Strategy approaching its 10-year anniversary in 2023, Iowans deserve to see water quality results from the nearly $100 million of public money invested since 2013. Water monitoring is a crucial component to the success of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy and must be designed to assess progress. A strategy without a way to evaluate progress or outcomes is not a real strategy.”
– from Iowa Environmental Council’s 2022 report: “Water Quality Monitoring and the Water Quality Initiative“

fake text message to introduce blog post

Most water monitoring programs are NOT designed to assess progress. Often, people don’t begin monitoring in earnest until the grant funding arrives for an improvement project (or on flip side, until an industry with a reputation for pollution sets up shop in the area). Often, they’re hoping for preliminary results when the grant wraps in 3-5 years. I’ve been down that road, completed a horrifying statistical analysis, and left this conference poster as a warning to others: “Progress tracking is not a realistic use for typical stream monitoring approaches”.

Our local partners in Story County took this warning to heart and made a plan to sustain water monitoring for at least ten years, while shifting our focus. We collected lab samples from more sites (less often, and with less hassle) while ramping up the volunteer program, so we could engage the public and get a baseline understanding of water bodies all around the county. All is well and good. But now and then I come back to the question “how would you monitor water if you were serious about assessing progress?”.

Preliminary results in 3-5 years might be feasible if you already have baseline data for comparison, and account for any big changes in weather. The South Skunk River just upstream of Ames was monitored from 2001-2014 by the Iowa DNR, and we resumed monitoring it in 2020. I have good news and bad news for the newly formed Headwaters of the South Skunk River WMA.

Good news: average nitrate concentrations over the last three years have declined 46% compared to the baseline period. Mission accomplished?
Bad news: the trend goes away if you exclude samples collected during a drought when nitrate levels are at their lowest.

nitrate trend in south skunk river above Ames

Study design is key for progress tracking. In order to be sure that water quality really changed, and to be able to link that change to something that happened in the watershed, scientists approach water monitoring like a medical trial. To do it right, there should be a treatment group (a watershed that receives conservation funding and attention), a control group (a nearby watershed that doesn’t receive funding), a before period, and an after period. There should be a full accounting of land management and conservation practices in both watersheds. If the treatment group improves more than the control group, that’s a good sign the medicine works. At the time we wrote the Story County Monitoring Plan, doing a paired watershed study of the sort that Michelle Soupir did for Black Hawk Lake didn’t make a lot of sense.

It didn’t make sense to invest in progress tracking, because our WQI-funded watershed project had come to a close, further funding was uncertain, and we couldn’t expect much improvement in water quality based on other metrics to date. Our watershed coordinators worked really hard, we had enthusiastic partners in local government and agribusiness, and we organized some well-attended field days where we heard from inspiring early adopters of cover crops and bioreactors. We met some farmers in the watershed who cared enough about soil and water to take a risk and try something new. Unfortunately, at the end of four years, we had a lot of unspent cost share funds and only enough conservation practices to expect or 1 or 2 percent reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus. Ioway Creek is a big watershed (147,000 acres).

However, this year I was reviewing our water monitoring data and had one of those moments like when you squint at an optical illusion and suddenly see a rabbit instead of a duck.

“Hey, that looks a lot like an upstream/downstream study for tracking whether projects in the Ioway Creek watershed and the City of Ames have improved water quality!”

The medicine: A bunch of conservation practices were installed between 2015 and 2019, some of which address nitrogen and some of which address other pollutants. We could include Jean’s no-till fields in Hamilton County, Jeremy’s cover crops in Boone County, Gerold’s bioreactor in Boone County, the UV disinfection system in Gilbert, the permeable parking lot at Ames City Hall, the stream restoration and saturated buffer at the Tedesco Environmental Learning Corridor, and many others.
The treatment group: A downstream site, influenced by all those conservation practices. The South Skunk River at 265th St. has been monitored weekly by the City of Ames since 2003. At this point the river drains 573 square miles, corresponding to the Ioway Creek watershed plus the Headwaters of the South Skunk River watershed.
The control group: An upstream site, not influenced by these practices. At this point, the river drains 316 square miles, corresponding to the Headwaters of the South Skunk River watershed, minus any land within Ames city limits.
A before period: Both sites were monitored between 2003 and 2014.
An after period: Both sites were monitored between 2020 and 2022.

And then I made a boxplot and squinted a little more and said, “Hey, it looks a lot like nitrate has improved at the downstream site!” Same thing for E. coli! Maybe there’s more to this story than just cost-share metrics.

graphs comparing nitrate at upstream and downstream sites

The analysis is described in more detail in our 2022 annual report on water monitoring in Story County. We’ll also have some opportunities this year to talk with other groups around the state that are doing water quality monitoring and swap some tips and tricks.

Here’s one of mine. To see the “rabbit” in this data, you have to be flexible in how you think about watersheds. A watershed is just the land area that drains to a common point. With the right tools, we can delineate a watershed for any point of interest on the river network. I’ve taught several classes of ninth graders how to do this. Neither of these sites are in the Ioway Creek watershed, and they aren’t mentioned in the Watershed Plan, but that doesn’t mean they’re not relevant. The US Geologic Survey’s system for mapping and numbering watersheds is convenient for many purposes. But if you have access to long-term monitoring data, don’t be afraid to think outside the HUCs!

Trees for the Bees: How to Support Wildlife this Arbor Day!

by Jessica Butters | Mar 31, 2023

A native bee visiting a redbud tree.

These warmer days make it hard to sit still; we all want to get a jump on our yard and garden plans! Maybe you’re thinking of adding some small pockets of pollinator habitat. Or perhaps you’ve finally decided to add a tree or two for shade. While there’s a dizzying number of guides for “pollinator flowers”, there’s less advice on how homeowners can utilize trees and shrubs to support wildlife.

Planting a tree can be an investment not only of money but of time as well. When thinking about the long-term goals for your property, it’s important to think about the legacy you want to leave behind, as the tree may outlive you. Planting the right trees can not only increase your property’s appeal; it can also provide habitat for songbirds and pollinators for decades to come! So which trees are attractive to pollinators, are native to Iowa, and look great in our yards? We’ve put together a list to answer some of these questions, just in time for Arbor Day, which falls on April 28 this year!

But first: why trees?

Native trees and shrubs provide excellent wildlife habitat in several ways. Many provide an early flower source for pollinators such as bees and butterflies, and they are also great habitat for birds! Trees provide nesting and hiding areas for birds, and can attract insects that birds need to feed their chicks (more on that later). Planting native trees will especially invite butterflies and moths to visit your yard and lay their eggs, which hatch into caterpillars. These caterpillars then snack on tree and shrub leaves (they won’t do any real damage) until they spin their chrysalises or get plucked by a bird. Caterpillars and other insects are fundamental to the food web: they are the juicy, protein-filled link between plants and larger animals. If you want to see beautiful butterflies and songbirds, you should plant native trees that support native insects!

A blue jay with an acorn.

Native trees are central to an exciting, diverse yard!

The nonnative ginko tree (the one with fan-shaped leaves) supports about 4 species of caterpillars. In contrast, native oak trees alone can support 534 species of caterpillars (according to Dr. Doug Tallamy*). Consider the fact that black-capped chickadees need at least 300 caterpillars a day to feed their chicks – that’s about 5,000 caterpillars needed in a few weeks while the chicks grow! And this is just one example. Imagine if you had three chickadee families in your yard, or five other species of birds visiting your feeders. Suddenly, native trees just seem practical, and planting nonnative trees, such as a ginko, seems, as Tallamy put it, “equivalent to erecting a statue” in terms of its usefulness.

A young chickadee and parent.

Unhelpful trees:

Let’s address the elephant in the room: some trees and shrubs commonly planted in yards are pretty damaging; they easily spread from our yards and choke out native plants that wildlife depend upon, and cost cities and counties thousands of dollars to remove from natural areas and building foundations (some of these trees’ roots can actually compromise the integrity of buildings). Some trees and shrubs to stay away from include: Bradford or Callery pear trees (Pyrus calleryana; also their flowers smell bad), Norway maples (Acer platanoides), buckthorn (Frangula species), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), and Amur and Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii and L. morrowii, respectfully).

Lastly, do your best to avoid planting cultivars and hybrids that promise better color, bigger flowers, etc. Most native trees (especially maples) produce spectacular fall color anyway, and the hybrids you see in the nurseries will likely be sterile, and won’t produce flowers that attract pollinators or birds (if they produce any at all). It is also important to note that nonnative shrubs, trees, and hybrids may tout that they produce berries, and therefore support wildlife. Birds in particular may feed on berries only certain times of the year, and that time may not coincide with berry production on hybrid plants. Additionally, these nonnative plants will not come close to supporting the number of caterpillars needed to keep birds nesting in or near your yard.

Bradford pear tree with smelly flowers.

Multiflora rose choking out trees.

Now for the main event: the best shrubs and trees to plant!

How the lists are set up: Shrubs, small trees, and larger trees that are native to Iowa and beneficial to pollinators are listed below in order of bloom time. Each table describes a specific genus or species of tree, which is pictured to the right of the table (or below in mobile format).

Shrubs and small trees are listed first, and larger trees are listed afterwards. A small picture of the blooms produced by a shrub or tree may be displayed in the corner of the picture of the mature plant. These are not exhaustive lists; they are meant to get you started!

{ See end of article for a list of places to purchase native shrubs and trees! }

Shrubs

The following native plant species are shrubs and small trees reaching a maximum height of 30 feet. These trees are perfect for small yards, or large yards that want to add visual interest and diversity by planting trees of varying heights. Some of these shrubs also make great hedges or borders near property lines! Be sure to look up how some of these shrubs spread to make sure their maintenance needs meet your expecations.

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
Pussy Willow	Early to Mid-Spring	Full Sun, Wet – Moist
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Salix discolor	2 Weeks	Pollinators, Birds
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
6 – 20 ft	Small, fluffy white catkins	Dull green – yellow

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
Serviceberry (Juneberry)	Mid-Spring	Part – Full Sun, Moist – Dry
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Amelanchier arborea	1 – 2 Weeks	Pollinators, Birds, and more
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
6 – 20 ft	White, 1-inch flowers	Red-orange

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
Eastern Redbud	Mid-Spring	Part – Full Sun, Moist – Dry
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Cercis canadensis	4 Weeks	Pollinators
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
15 – 25 ft	Showy pink flowers	Yellow

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
American Plum	Mid- to late Spring	Part – Full Sun, Medium
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Prunus americana	2 Weeks	Pollinators, Mammals
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
10 – 15 ft	Showy white flowers	Red to Yellow

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
Prairie Crab Apple	Late Spring	Part – Full Sun, Moist – Medium
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Malus ioensis	1 – 2 Weeks	Pollinators, Birds, and more
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
10 – 25 ft	Showy white-pink flowers	Brown-orangeish

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
Gray Dogwood	Late Spring to Mid-Summer	Part – Full Sun, Moist – Medium
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Cornus racemosa	3 Weeks	Pollinators, Birds, and more
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
8 – 15 ft	Showy white flowers	Red-purple

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
American Elderberry	Late Spring to Mid-Summer	Part – Full Sun, Moist
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Sambucus nigra canadensis, or Sambucus canadensis	3 – 4 Weeks	Pollinators, Birds
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
4 – 12 ft	Showy white flowers	Brown-reddish to Yellow

Trees

The following species are taller native trees ranging from 40 to 120 feet tall. These trees will provide high-quality habitat in larger yards, and are sure to attract and support wildlife, especially if mutlitple species are planted. Be sure to check if these trees create any fruits or seed pods so you can determine which trees best match your expectations.

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
Maples (Sugar, Black, and others)	Early to Late Spring	Part – Full Sun, Medium
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Acer species	1 – 2 Weeks	Pollinators, Birds, and more
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
60 – 100 ft	Small yellow-green flowers	Striking colors, varies by species

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
Black Cherry	Late Spring to Early Summer	Part – Full Sun, Moist – Dry
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Prunus serotina	2 – 3 Weeks	Pollinators, Birds, and more
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
50 – 80 ft	Showy white flowers	Yellow to reddish

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
Kentucky Coffeetree	Late Spring to Early Summer	Part – Full Sun, Moist – Medium
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Gymnocladus dioicus	2 – 3 Weeks	Pollinators, Birds
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
60 – 90 ft	Small white flowers	Yellow

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
Basswood (Linden)	Early Summer	Part – Full Sun, Medium
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Tilia americana	2 Weeks	Pollinators
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
50 – 100 ft	Small white flowers	Dull green – yellow

Common Name	Bloom Period	Sun and Soil Needs
Oaks (Red, White, and others)	Varies	Varies
Species Name	Bloom Length	Wildlife Supported
Quercus species	Varies	Invaluable to countless wildlife
Max Height	Bloom Description	Fall Color
40 – 80 ft	Varies	Dull to striking colors

Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

* = According to research by Dr. Doug Tallamy, author and faculty member at the University of Delaware.\

This article used a number of resources, including:

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Missouri Botanical Garden Michigan State University

University of Minnesota Extension USDA NRCS PLANTS Database

Some great native shrub and tree nurseries:

The State Forest Nursery: Ames, Iowa. 1-800-865-2477 or 515-233-1161

Iowa Native Trees and Shrubs: Woodward, Iowa. 515-664-8633

Blooming Prairie Nursery: Carlisle, Iowa. 515-689-9444

Happy Arbor Day, and happy tree planting!

Clover Lawns: Is the Trend Lucky for Pollinators?

by Jessica Butters | Mar 2, 2023

A honey bee visits a clover flower.

The idea of creating a pollinator-friendly yard is finally taking root, and the notion of a perfect lawn, along with its expense, is being weeded out. Clover lawns are one of the latest trends yard owners are trying out in an effort to be more environmentally conscious. This new kind of lawn is often touted to support pollinators, require less up-keep, and lower pollution. But do they live up to the hype?

What is a clover lawn?

What constitutes a “clover lawn” has several renditions. The simplest form of a clover lawn is a lawn in which someone passively allowed clover to establish and grow. They stopped spraying herbicides, mowed less, and allowed grass to die in areas, giving way to clover and other plants. A second kind of clover lawn is one in which clover was actively seeded into the lawn, over the existing turf (this was a common practice until the 1950s). A third way of creating a clover lawn is to kill and remove all turf and replace it entirely with clover, resulting in a uniform lawn.

Common clovers used for lawns are nonnative, including white (Dutch) clover (Trifolium repens) and strawberry clover (Trifolium fragiferum), both hailing from Eurasia. Strawberry clover is also the species included in the Scotts®Turf Builder®Clover Lawn seed. The idea of seeding mini or micro clovers is increasingly popular. These clovers are normally short-statured cultivars of the species listed above. Micro clover lawns are supposed to require even less maintenance and have smaller flowers that attract fewer bees. There are no readily-available native clovers that are marketed for clover lawns (though there are some fantastic native clovers in Iowa).

A hairstreak butterfly on a dandelion.

Why would you want a clover lawn?

Those interested in clover lawns will have different objectives. Some are drawn to the fact that most clovers require less care than turf grasses (though they still require regular maintenance). Clovers usually need less mowing, resist weeds, many are drought- and shade-tolerant, and they also fix nitrogen in the soil, eliminating the need for fertilizer. These attributes are also welcomed by those looking to reduce carbon emissions and pollution by requiring less mowing, herbicides, and fertilizers. Lastly, wildlife lovers hope to support pollinators with clover due to the fact that their flowers can attract honey bees and some native bees. However, keep in mind that these positive attributes are good only in comparison to a traditional turf-grass lawn, which provides scant (if any) environmental benefits and requires a lot of maintenance. Additionally, clover does not stand up to heavy foot traffic as well as grasses, and may need to be reseeded every two or three years.

A lucky four-leaf clover.

A native bee visiting nonnative clover.

Do clover lawns benefit pollinators?

Simply put, some clover lawns can provide benefits to some pollinators. If you really want a clover lawn, the best method for wildlife (and your wallet) is to passively allow clover to enter your lawn. This practice requires you to mow less and stop using herbicides, which will keep pollinators in your area healthier.

While there are some benefits to having a clover lawn, they are small from a broader point of view. At the end of the day, adding clover to your lawn adds a few species of nonnative plants in your area, which often provide sub-optimal nutrition to native pollinators. Keep in mind that many pollinators are specialists and will not visit nonnative clover. Additionally, it may be difficult to keep the clover on your own lawn, and out of natural habitats. In contrast, planting a pollinator garden, even a small one, adds multiple native flower species and provides high-quality habitat to native pollinators. Planting within a garden also doesn’t require you to rethink your entire lawn. Finally, a garden is a stronger challenge to the status quo, as planting a diverse and beautiful garden is a lot harder to be annoyed about than nonnative dandelions and clover in your front yard. It is better PR for pollinator habitat: a neighbor with a more traditional mindset for a lawn will not appreciate the spread of “weeds”, but may be open to the idea of creating their own native plant garden.

Are clover lawns worth it?

In my personal opinion, ideas such as clover lawns challenge the current lawn standard, but are not the end goal. They also do not entirely live up to the hype: they still require maintenance, and are not the seed-and-forget or “let it go” solution that many were hoping for. From this point of view, you might as well grow native plants.

From an environmental standpoint, we need more native habitat and less lawn, whether it’s traditional or clover. It would be a more effective and meaningful trend to encourage people to grow “micro gardens” for pollinators instead of praising micro clovers and other nonnative lawn alternatives. To make the biggest impact in your corner of the world, ending pesticide use and planting a native plant garden (even a tiny one!) is best. However, if that kind of project is not possible for you at the moment, ending all pesticide use and choosing to mow less often is definitely “better than nothing”. Doing so will probably invite clover into your lawn, which will suffice until you can start a small garden. The clover trend is not lucky for all pollinators, but a garden that includes native clovers could be!

A sweat bee visiting a native clover.

The Love Lives of Moths: Competition in the Air

by Jessica Butters | Feb 6, 2023

Forget about buying roses – in the great words of Shania Twain, “that don’t impress me much”. To impress me, you’d have to match the energy of male moths. Instead of dropping cash on last-minute flowers, male moths are willing to fly miles for a first date, dodge dangerous predators, and out-compete other males, all while most humans are fast asleep.

But how exactly do moths find each other? Many are nocturnal, some aren’t brightly colored, and they can be tiny*. Plus, female moths generally stay put and let the males come to them. So what is the male moth’s secret to finding love in the black abyss of a night sky? The key is their incredible sense of “smell” through their unique antennae!

If you’re looking at a moth, the antennae may tell you if it’s a male or a female. Female moths often have the two simple strands of antennae that we are used to seeing on many insects. It’s the male antennae that are interesting; some, though not all, have antennae that look like a pair of feathers, each one having many branches covered in fine hairs. These feather-like antennae quite literally comb the night air in search of the calls of female moths, which are sent in the form of pheromones**. Male moths from larger moth families (e.g. giant silk moths) can detect a single molecule of female pheromone from seven miles away! Imagine if you could find a compatible stranger based on smell alone, or attract one using a drop of perfume. Though odd, it seems simpler than using dating apps; but is it truly easier?

Distance isn’t the only threat to a male moth striving to be lucky in love. Once his antennae detect a female call of his species, he has to find her – fast. Other males may have picked up the female’s call as well, and many female moths only mate with the first male she encounters. There is no prize for second place. To hone in on her location, males often fly in the cross-winds to try to detect more pheromone. Once a call is detected, he flies in that direction until the pheromone fades yet again.

During this high-stakes game of Marco Polo, moths also have to dodge hungry predators, such as bats. Different moths have different strategies for this. They may taste bad so they are spit out instead of eaten, have evasive flight maneuvers that would impress any Top Gun fan, or have incredibly fuzzy bodies that absorb sound. This weakens a bat’s attempt to use echolocation, giving the moths a cloak of invisibility.

A moth’s antenna seen through a microscope. Note that it is covered in fine hairs!

While the journey to mate may be arduous for males, female moths have their own complex decisions to make. Female moths only release small amounts of pheromones in hopes of attracting male moths with very sensitive antennae, which indicates they are fit and healthy. Additionally, she only mates with the first male to find her to ensure he is a strong and fast flier, another indicator of good health. Female moths don’t have genetic material to waste on mediocre males – they put high amounts of energy into creating their eggs. However, if the mating period goes on and the female hasn’t attracted a mate, she will start releasing higher amounts of pheromone. This intensifies her call, making her easier to find. Besides intensifying her call, the female can also tailor when and how often she calls. These strategies help ensure that she receives the best male possible and that her energies were not spent in vain.

The world of moths remains a mystery to most people. Considering the intricacies and drama involved, it deserves to be a topic of regular discussion! If you are at a loss of what to talk about at your next Valentine’s Day date or gathering, consider bringing up moth mating. It’s sure to add interest to an otherwise trite Tuesday.

*Some moths are diurnal (active during the day), many are brightly colored, and some species are huge!

**Pheromones are chemicals released by animals that change the behavior of other animals of the same species.

An Impressive 2022 Stream Monitoring Season

by Dan Haug | Jan 31, 2023

Jess Lancial testing water quality (photo credit Story County Conservation)

Volunteer Water Monitoring in Story County

A round of applause for all the volunteers and Story County Conservation staff who have diligently been monitoring their assigned stream twice a month in all kinds of weather! Also, let’s give a shout-out to the people who work behind the scenes. Sara Carmichael of Story County Conservation keeps everyone on track and equipped with supplies. Heather Wilson of the Izaak Walton League of America provides training and support to volunteers around the state. We rely on the IWLA’s Save Our Streams program for training materials and the Clean Water Hub for data entry. The three of us will be meeting the volunteers at a training event later this month to kick off another great season.

Three ways to get involved:

There’s room for one or two more volunteers to cover a site in Story County, so contact Sara.
If you’d like to try water monitoring without committing to a schedule, Prairie Rivers organizes a one-day volunteer event in the Ames area each May, so keep an eye on our events page.
If you don’t live in Story County, the Izaak Walton League is launching a new Nitrate Watch program and you can request a bottle of test strips while supplies last.

In March, Prairie Rivers will release a report detailing the findings, but for now let’s admire the scale and consistency of the effort, which has really improved since last year. (Updated 2023-02-18 to include some data sheets that were entered late)

2022 Season

Volunteers participating

Sites tested at least once

Sites tested at least 10 times

Sites tested at least 20 times

Data sheets entered in the Clean Water Hub

2021 Season

Volunteers participating

Sites tested at least once

Sites tested at least 10 times

Sites tested at least 20 times

Data sheets entered in the Clean Water Hub

Story County Water Monitoring & Interpretation Plan, 2021-2030

Prairie Rivers partnered with Story County and 8 other organizations to develop a ten-year Water Monitoring & Interpretation Plan for Story County. Regular communication between the various groups testing water helps avoid duplication and leads to new opportunities to improve water quality. Planning for how data can be used over the long term ensures that we get the most value from our time and effort. Read the plan here.

Story County Water Monitoring Program

Clean Water Act: 50 years, 50 facts

by Dan Haug | Jan 27, 2023

“The Clean Water Act: 50 Years, 50 Facts” will be a weekly series of short videos on our Instagram and YouTube channels, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, and focusing on rivers and lakes in Iowa. At the time I wrote this, we had published the first four episodes and recorded material for the next four.

The Clean Water Act is a law that works best when concerned citizens are paying attention and speaking up, so it’s worth the trouble to make sense of legal jargon like a point source, 303(d) list, 319 grants, NPDES permits, and the ordinary high water mark. Yikes! We’ll cover these topics and more in accessible and bite-sized chunks!

Environmental policy can be a dry subject, so we’re having some fun with it! I take full responsibility for the theme music, inspired by a Steely Dan hit that debuted a month after the Clean Water Act. You can thank Daniel Huber and Mike Kellner for making the videos pretty and putting them out there; I’m clueless when it comes to social media.

The videos are less than 90 seconds and are best viewed on a smartphone in portrait mode. The first few were me talking from my office, but I’ve already started taking field trips (Fact #6 was filmed in front of an effluent pipe) and I hope to feature guests whose job or advocacy work intersects with the Clean Water Act.

Watch the Entire Series Here (Check Back Each Week for New Episodes)

The Clean Water Act is a big law. I know a lot about some pieces and very little about other pieces. My reference books for the series will be EPA’s Watershed Academy Web and River Network’s Clean Water Act Owner’s Manual. If I overlook something, you’ll hear from my “fact-checker” in the description or comments section.

I want this to be relevant, so I will sometimes follow up on a fact with some commentary or include a link to policy recommendations from other organizations. For example, here’s a report from the Environmental Integrity Project on how to close the gap between the CWA’s goals and reality. Yes, I work for an environmental organization and we would like some more environmental protection, please.

However, I can understand why many people see environmental regulation as burdensome. I hope that a better understanding of how the system works (or doesn’t work) could help us find some common ground. My perspective on environmental law is informed by a stint at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources where I learned how complicated it can be to fill a small amount of wetland legally, and how often people got away with filling a large amount, illegally. What if fewer projects needed a permit, but we had tougher enforcement? Wouldn’t that save more wetlands on balance, while leveling the playing field and reducing compliance costs for most businesses?

And if common ground is out of reach in today’s political climate, hey, it’s just some short videos. Enjoy!

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