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DNR adds 135 lakes and rivers to impaired list

May 2, 2007 By

The Department of Natural Resources will add 135 new lakes and rivers to the state’s list of "impaired waters." DNR spokesman Kevin Baskins says the designation is a benchmark meaning the waterways aren’t meeting the uses they’re intended for. It could be swimming, fishing, or drinking water, he says. "We monitor these waters to determine whether they are meeting those uses, and we have some waters in Iowa that at this point are not," Baskins says.

There are 366 in all on the "impaired" list right now. Baskins says "our waters are not toxic, they’re dirty." He says you never think of plain old soil as a pollutant that impairs water, but when it washes into rivers it can not only make the water esthetically unpleasant by making it muddy and brown, but it covers up habitat, so we don’t see the diversity of aquatic life the water could have. He says it’s not necessarily a matter for concern that the latest report increases the list of impaired waterways by 36-percent. It means that we know more about some of the water bodies out there.

"This is more a reflection of having done more monitoring," Baskins says, "and being able to identify and characterize some additional waters that need some additional work in terms of improvement." To tackle the list, the agency begins by writing up a quality improvement plan for each affected body of water.

"We have the know-how to address some of the problems we have out there," Baskins says. "We just don’t always have the resources available to get it done." DNR Director Rich Leopold says Iowans consistently rank water quality issues as their biggest environmental concern.  

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation Tagged With:

Iowa Games promotes "Go the Distance Day"

May 2, 2007 By

The Iowa Games are joining physical education instructors across the state to promote fitness in schools on Wednesday. Schools taking part in "Go the Distance Day" must plan a 30 minute segment of consecutive aerobic activity that includes 100 percent of the school participating.

Iowa Games executive director Jim Hallihan says they want to show kids that being active is fun. Hallihan says a lot of kids now go home and aren’t active, as they sit in front of the computer or watch tv. He says they’re trying to show parents that kids aren’t active enough, and they want to support physical education.

Hallihan says they hope this program will help schools do more to promote fitness. He says he was up in Dubuque and they had cut out recess as they wanted kids to work harder on reading skills. Hallihan says though when you take away recess, kids don’t learn as well because they need to burn off some energy.

Hallihan says there are a variety of ways that schools take part in the program. He says they can walk around the track for an hour, they can walk around a park, they can set up skill stations or an obstacle course. Hallihan says they’ve heard the kids enjoy the activity, and they’ve found kid with healthy food that’re active learn better.

Hallihan expects the number of Iowa kids who take part to increase this year. He says it’s the first year with really good weather. Hallihan says they’ve had 30 to 35,000 participants and this year they think they can get up over 40,000.

Each school that achieves 100 percent participation will be entered into a drawing to win one of several monetary awards through the Iowa Sports Foundation. The monetary awards must be used toward physical education classes or new playground equipment.  

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With:

This is free camping weekend

May 2, 2007 By

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is kicking off the camping season by offering free camping weekend Friday through Sunday. Kevin Szcodronski, with the State Parks Bureau says this is an opportunity to give back to the park patrons.

Scodronski says it’s their way to get campers to dust off the gear, thank them for their patronage over the years, and get them out again to enjoy the outdoors. Szcodronski says the campsites are likely to fill up for the free weekend. The weather may be the biggest factor and the forecast for this coming weekend is "excellent," says Scodronski, so he expects the parks to be pretty busy.

There is one limit on who gets to take advantage of the free camping. "This is only available to Iowa residents," Scodronski says. Anybody who’s from out of state will still have to pay to camp on that weekend. While the DNR has a new system to let campers reserve a site, it will not be used for the free camping weekend. If campers are already in a paid spot, they may stay for the free weekend. The free camping weekend May fourth through the sixth in for all DNR-managed state park, recreation area and state forest campgrounds.  

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Whitewater Coalition says river signs may’ve prevented recent drownings

May 2, 2007 By

Canoe and kayak enthusiasts say new funding they lobbied the Iowa Legislature for may help prevent drowning deaths like those of two people on the Iowa River Sunday near Alden. The state will start posting more low head dam warning signs with money appropriated from lawmakers.

John Wenck, vice president of the Iowa Whitewater Coalition, says such a sign might have saved the two men who drowned, as the water around dams can be deceiving. Wenk says people often underestimate the power current near dams, especially in the spring when water levels are high. Wenck says the low-head dams don’t stick way out of the water, and may not give warning to people on the river.

Wenck says the dams may not appear dangerous, and the dams may not be visible from upstream, and people who haven’t been on the river might not know there is a dam there. The Iowa Whitewater Coalition convinced state lawmakers to set aside 200-thousand dollars to post warning signs and build walking trails around low-head dams.

Wenck says it appears the victims near Alden did the right thing by carrying their canoe around the dam, but then entered the river again too close to the churning water. Wenck says the plan would include signs that  would tell people there’s a trail to go around the dam and also tell them where it is safe to get back into the river. Wenck says the Department of Natural Resources had ordered signs for the dam near Alden, but the signs hadn’t arrived yet. Twenty-six-year-old Jonathan Hill and 22-year-old Drew Goodknight of Iowa Falls died in that canoe accident Sunday on the Iowa River.  

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation

Grain prices go up amid speculation

May 2, 2007 By

Market prices for corn and soybeans rose Tuesday following the latest crop report from the state agriculture department that shows planting in Iowa behind the five-year average. Northeast Iowa market analyst, Lou Arens says, there are a couple of other factors involved too.

Arens says a Dow Jones Newswire prediction that corn would hit five dollars a bushel by 2009, and a Goldman Sachs prediction of $4.50 corn by the end of the year also figured in the price increase. The ag report said 14 percent of the corn has been planted, compared to the five-year-average of 46 percent. Arens says the early lag in planting leaves a lot of questions.

Arens says a lot of the interest depends on how many acres of corn will eventually get planted and the demand for corn. Arens says the late planting comes at a time when the biofuels industry is booming. Arens says there’s a lot of debate as to how much ethanol demand there is and how much the fight over using corn for food or fuel is going to go on over the next few years. Arens says the Dow Jones prediction of five-dollar a bushel corn probably had a lot to do with that uncertainty. Arens is a market analyst for P-C-I Advisory Services in Waucoma.

Filed Under: Agriculture

Illinois company considers moving gun plant to Iowa

May 2, 2007 By

An Illinois-based gun manufacturer may move operations across the Mississippi River into Iowa if the Illinois legislature passes a bill restricting gun manufacturing and sales. The Les Baer Custom company of Hillsdale, Illinois, makes pistols and rifles and wants to buy land in LeClaire, Iowa, that is owned by the City of LeClaire.

Area residents aired their support and their concerns this week at a LeClaire City Council meeting. Leah Woodward of Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence was among those who spoke up. "If your neighbors put trash in your lawn, you probably wouldn’t like it. Nobody wants somebody else’s garbage. Les Baer is Illinois’ garbage," Woodward said, as some in the crowd laughed. Others hissed. "Assault weapons manufacturers in Illinois are getting kicked to the curb, and for good reason."

A retired LeClaire pastor has made a counter-offer to the city to buy the land the company wants to buy. Hillsdale, Illinois, police sergeant Jim Ringberg was on hand to give a testimonial for the gunmaker’s facility in his town. "His employees are very quiet….Everything is just so low key there, that you would never know (guns are being manufactured at the plant)," Ringberg says.

According to Ringberg, run-of-the-mill robbers and drive-by shooters don’t use Les Baer-made guns because they can’t afford them — and the policeman says he can’t, either. A Les Baer handgun costs at least $2,000. "I haven’t talked my wife into letting me buy one yet," Ringberg says. Le Claire’s City Council will continue to discuss the gunsmith’s offer to buy land near an Iowa Welcome Center along the Mississippi River at meetings throughout the month of May.

Filed Under: Business
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