Program Reports
Urban Fringe Small Landowner Project
Prairie Rivers of Iowa recently completed a project to support the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy by providing education and technical assistance to a group of rural landowners near the city limits of Ames that, owing to the small size of their holdings or non-traditional nature of their operations, are sometimes overlooked. read more…
Headwaters of the South Skunk
Prairie Rivers of Iowa began working in the watershed in 2017-2018, funded by an NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant. The project was framed around the lower half of the watershed—the Keigley Branch-South Skunk River (HUC10) unit—but we came to realize that watershed plans and partnerships would be more effective if the river’s headwaters in Hamilton County were included sooner rather than later. The project has brought us a long way toward building the partnerships and collecting the information needed to improve water quality in the South Skunk.
read more …
Soil as Sponges
Soils that are rich in organic matter act like sponges, soaking up heavy rains rather than allowing water to pond or run off the surface. By reducing runoff, healthy soils prevent sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants from washing into lakes and rivers. A spongy soil can also hang on to more water after the excess has drained, helping sustain crops through dry periods. read more…
Watershed Signage
Story County roads now have 50 signs marking the boundaries between watersheds. Another 105 signs label creeks at bridges. As you drive around Story County, we hope you will have a renewed appreciation for its many creeks and rivers. We hope the watershed signs will help make visible the subtle divides between watersheds and get people thinking about the connections between land stewardship and water quality. We also hope to replicate this project in other counties. read more…
Conservation Collaboration Grant
Women Food and Agriculture Network partnered with Prairie Rivers of Iowa to assist on the implementation of a Conservation Collaboration Grant (NRCS) that was used to host Women Caring for the Land TM workshops across the state. This is a workshop focused on educating women landowners on soil health and water quality, as well as conservation practice options. Workshops were held across the state and women landowners are doing conservation plans to make decisions with their tenants about land management on their farms.
