Decision Guide for Undecided Boaters

Decision Guide for Undecided Boaters

It should go without saying that there are decisions on the ballot that will affect the environment, but if you need a break from election news and commentary, read this Undecided Boater Guide for some low-stakes environmental education and take an opportunity to lower your stress levels by getting out into nature! 

Left or Right?

Following the deepest, swiftest part of the river can be a good way to avoid obstructions, but you can’t do that by staying in the center.  You have to go with the flow.  When a river bends, the water has to travel faster on the outside of the bend, and that water can carry more sediment, producing a cut bank on the outside and a sandbar on the inside.  My canoeing partner on Project A.W.A.R.E. gave me a good tip for following the thalweg, or deepest line of the river–look for a line of bubbles and fast moving debris.  What, you thought I was making a political allegory?  Nah, I just like canoeing!

 

Cyanobacteria bloom in Lake Darling, July 2024

In or Out?

The first question for the undecided boater is whether to get in the water!  After hearing enough stories about brain-eating amoebas and toxic algae blooms, some people are afraid to go in any Iowa lake or river, any time, while others start to tune it alll out and proceed with their plans regardless of how the water looks, smells, or tests.  I think we can enjoy Iowa’s lakes and rivers while taking some reasonable precautions.  As our data analysis shows, some water bodies in Iowa are cleaner than others.  Subscribe to Iowa Environmental Council’s Water Watch newsletter to get updates on beach advisories, and as a rule of thumb, stay out of water that looks like green paint.  Minimize your exposure to pathogens by keeping your head out of water, and washing your hands (or applying sanitizer) before eating.

The Lesser of Two Weevils

“Living under a rock for the past few years” is a figure of speech sometimes applied to undecided voters, but for stoneflies, it’s literally true!  By coincidence, I organized a group of volunteers to do a biological monitoring session in Ioway Creek during the weeks leading up the both the 2020 and 2024 elections, and we caught stoneflies in our net both times.  The stoneflies we caught in 2024 were almost too big to fit in the ice cube tray we use for sorting and counting insects, and had finely branched gills that look like hairy armpits.  The stoneflies we caught in 2020 were a fraction of the size and had no visible gills.  After looking at specimens under a microscope and consulting a guidebook, I determined they are different species with different policies.  The giant stonefly (Pteronarcys sp.) escapes predators by squirting blood out of pores on its leg joints.  The small winter stonefly (Allocapnia sp.) escapes predators by producing a sort of natural anti-freeze and emerging from the water to mate when there is snow on the ground!  However, both families of stonefly are shredders (eating dead leaves) and both are sensitive to poor water quality.  I think that’s not a real choice and am writing in “dragonflies” as a protest.

Biological monitoring, Fall 2024
giant stonefly
dragonfly larva

Turtles offer a clearer contrast.  The spiny softshell is aggressive and has a painful bite.  The smooth softshell, less so.  During a nature program at project AWARE, Denny Weiss demonstrated how to hold a softshell turtle to tell the difference while staying out of range!

Denny Weiss handles a softshell turtle for a Project AWARE nature program.
Baby softshell turtle

Closing thoughts

 This election year included several first time water experiences for me: digging up mussels in the Wapsipinicon River for Scott Gritter’s Mussel Blitz, paddling and cleaning up trash as part of Iowa Project A.W.A.R.E., and going stand-up-paddling in Clear Lake with my family.  Even a familiar location can hold surprises; I did not realize there were smallmouth bass in Ioway Creek until just a few weeks ago, when I saw a teenager catch one at Brookside Park on a fly rod. Undecided boaters should be aware that even in a state with many environmental challenges, there is a lot to enjoy and explore!

2024 Mussel Blitz, photo credit Aaron McFarlane
Biological monitoring in Ioway Creek, fall 2024
Thank You, David Stein!

Thank You, David Stein!

Prairie Rivers of Iowa's David Stein talks about native plants, pollinator and wildlife restoration during a Prairie Rivers of Iowa field day in 2019.

Last month marked the departure of our pollinator and native plant expert David Stein as he heads back to work in his home state, our neighbors to the north, Minnesota. We are missing his passion and work ethic, but our Watersheds and Wildlife program continues as always and efforts are well underway to find his replacement.

David contributed to a large part of Prairie Rivers of Iowa’s continued efforts to impact public awareness and implementation of conservation practices to create native plant, pollinator and wildlife habitat to help improve soil and water quality while protecting the endangered rusty patched bumble bee and other species of greatest conservation need in Iowa. He was instrumental in creating a native seed bank and the development of many acres of habitat.

I recently visited with David as he reflected upon his work here at Prairie Rivers and his hopes for the future state of native habitat and pollinators in Iowa.

What do you feel was your biggest accomplishment while working at PRI?
There are a lot! I think both completing the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant and setting the stage for PRI’s next series of habitat/conservation projects was probably the biggest accomplishment during my time here. On top of that, raising awareness of pollinator issues and educating interested landowners on how to install habitat was also a major highlight of my work. Re-discovering the rusty patched bumble bee, and mapping out new sightings was definitely a high point for me too.

How do you feel the health of native habitat and pollinators is currently in Iowa? What progress has been made? Where do we need to go from here?
 We have a long way to go, but I think we’re in a better place than we were a few years ago.  Our outreach and education efforts, especially our work with counties, cities and landowners have definitely gotten the ball rolling, but a more hands-on-deck is always better. A coordinated conservation and restoration effort between non-profits, municipalities, farmers, landowners, homeowners, businesses, and interested individuals is really the best and only way forward to reverse pollinator and habitat decline.

What’s next for you?
Next, I’ll be working up at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in St. Paul. I’ll be able to be involved in habitat projects all throughout the state and be able to meet with a bunch of different stakeholders that are doing some amazing restoration work.

How has working at PRI enriched your professional life?
Working here has definitely enriched my professional life. I’ve been able to improve my own knowledge and passion regarding pollinator and wildlife conservation and directly apply it in real-time. I’ve also been able to connect and network with so many amazing stakeholders and partners from a variety of backgrounds. I know that I’ll be able to use these skills and lessons throughout my professional life moving forward.

Watersheds and Wildlife Summer 2021 Newsletter

Watersheds and Wildlife Summer 2021 Newsletter

Watersheds & Wildlife Summer 2021 Newsletter

Thank you all for joining us on the newest edition of the Watersheds and Wildlife Newsletter.  As usual, I’m here to give a general update on the work and status of our team’s work over the last few months. We have been hard at work in terms of public outreach, especially since everything is opening back up post-pandemic.  Click here to read the entire newsletter featuring the latest news from our Watersheds and Wildlife Program!

3 Lessons from the Iowa Water Conference

Several of our staff attended the Iowa Water Conference on March 12 and 13.  The event brings together hundreds of smart, hard-working people that are working  to improve water quality, restore aquatic habitat, and control flooding across the state of Iowa.  We always learn a lot from both the presenters and the other attendees, and come away energized.  Here are our top three lessons we learned this year:

1. Farms can simultaneously improve water quality and wildlife habitat
Adam Janke, Extension Wildlife Specialist, talked about how the practices being used for nutrient reduction can also benefit many of Iowa’s species of greatest conservation need.  For example, trumpeter swans like CREP wetlands. Migrating ringneck ducks and Topeka shiners use oxbow wetlands.   Meadowlarks use prairie strips. We will be pursuing these kinds of synergies in three watersheds with a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant, so it was great to hear specifics.
2. Retailers of agricultural products need to be part of water quality solutions
Chris Jones from University of Iowa shared some disturbing data from northwest Iowa.  In the Floyd and Rock River watersheds, livestock production and manure application has doubled since 1980, but commercial fertilizer sales have remained the same.  In those watersheds, nitrogen is being applied at 80-100 lbs/acre above the MRTN (Maximum Return to Nitrogen), leading to nitrate concentrations in the Floyd and Rock rivers that are twice as high as other streams in western Iowa.  Clearly, some farmers aren’t thinking about their manure management plan or water quality when they purchase nitrogen fertilizer, and their retailers aren’t bringing it up.  When our conversations about agriculture remain siloed (pardon the pun), water quality suffers.
However, at another session, we learned how ag retailers with the Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance are showing leadership on water quality — including water quality monitoring in the Raccoon River and developing a code of practice for nitrogen application to reduce losses from farm fields while increasing return on investment (ROI). Precision agriculture tools are also being used to identify land where inputs aren’t generating a good ROI, and use that information to make conservation decisions that benefit both the bottom line and the environment.  Gregg Schmitz of Nutrien shared an example where revenues from a 140 acre farm were increased by putting 70 acres into CRP and redeploying inputs into the other half.  Surveys show that agriculture retailers and crop consultants are trusted sources of information for farmers, so their involvement will be essential to solving our water quality challenges.  We’re grateful for the support of Key Cooperative and Heartland Cooperative on field days and producer engagement in the Squaw Creek watershed.
3.  Water quality improvements are possible, but require a commitment of both time and money
Neil Shaffer, an award-winning watershed coordinator in northeast Iowa, shared some heartening success stories.  Nitrate leaving the Staff Creek and Beaver Creek watershed was reduced by 47%. Brook trout were reintroduced to a tributary of Silver Creek.  In both cases, it took over 8 years of monitoring and $3-5 million of funding for conservation practices to see those changes.  We’re well aware that water quality requires a long-term commitment and are in this for the long haul.