Conservation Connection
Too close to call
There are plenty of parallels between polling and water, so if you’re looking to water quality monitoring to tell you whether or not conservation efforts in your watershed or your state are succeeding, read on. Short-term water quality trends are usually too close to call.
Fall 2020 Water Quality Snapshot finds sensitive critters
Thirteen volunteers braved the cold on October 24 to test water quality in Squaw Creek, the South Skunk River, and their tributaries. For some, this was their 14th Fall Water Quality Snapshot. For others it was their first time doing stream monitoring. What we found defies easy categorization.
Prairie Rivers of Iowa and Story County Officials are Organizing County-Wide Water Quality Monitoring Effort
Story County leaders are beginning to develop a ten-year water quality monitoring program for the county. The program will be the first of its kind in Iowa in which a county, its jurisdictions...
5 ways to get more conservation bang for our buck
On any field in Iowa, cover crops will improve soil health, sequester carbon, and prevent nutrients from washing down to the Gulf of Mexico. There are at least six situations where...
2020 Spring Water Quality Snapshot
Stream monitoring turned out to be compatible with social distancing!
28 volunteers monitored 43 sites
May showers bring awesome graphs!
Last weekend’s rains (5-17-2020) provide a clear illustration of how water and nitrate make their way to Squaw Creek.
Spring flowers by College Creek
The area around College Creek on the ISU campus is carpeted with blue flowers, and fish are once again found in a once polluted creek.
Watershed Education With All Ages
Prairie Rivers of Iowa kicked off 2020 with watershed education for both the young and old. Over four sessions in January and February, watershed educator Dan...
New Year’s Resolution: Eat Healthy, Support Local Farmers, Protect Land and Water
A shift in perspective can make your diet sustainable: both in the sense of “being able to keep it up past February” and in the sense of “preserving soil, water, and biodiversity.”