Blog

Farm Bill 101: What do you know about this important Bill, and what does it mean for the Mississippi ?

7/23/2022

On August 1, LWV UMRR will host a discussion based on the recent Mississippi River Network Webinar - Farm Bill 101. This webinar featured Liz Rupel (Illinois Stewardship Alliance), Jesse Womack (National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition), and Duane Hovorka (Izaak Walton League of America) for this “Farm Bill 101” webinar. The recording of the event is post on the MRN YouTube channel. This video will be the basis for the discussion on August 1. Want to join the discussion? CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE ZOOM ON AUGUST 1 AT 11AM!

In this video, we learn about this major piece of federal legislation that shapes farming livelihoods, how food is grown, what kinds of foods are grown, and its impacts on our environment. This is the first step in our process of providing information and advocacy opportunities to those in our UMRR community on the Farm Bill. We will roll our more in the weeks to come.

Iowa Environmental Integrity Project Report: Clean Water Act's Promises Half Kept at Half-Century Anniversary

7/8/2022

DES MOINES, IA -- A half century after the passage of the landmark federal Clean Water Act, and almost four decades after the law’s deadline for all waters across the U.S. to be “fishable and swimmable,” 50 percent of assessed river and stream miles – 703,417 miles nationally -- are so polluted they are classified as “impaired,” according to a new report by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP).

Iowa is representative of many states with farm runoff problems, having 93 percent of its assessed river and stream miles impaired for swimming and water contact recreation (the fourth most in the U.S.) because of fecal bacteria and other contaminants, according to state data compiled for EIP’s report, The Clean Water Act at 50: Promises Half Kept at the Half Century Mark.

This post on the Iowa Environmental Council website details finding of the report and points to what needs to be done. This post concludes:

What can be done to close the gaps between the Clean Water Act’s lofty goals and reality?

The Clean Water Act at 50 report offers several solutions as the law’s half-century birthday approaches (the Act passed the U.S. House on an initial vote on March 29, 1972, and became law on Oct. 18, following votes by the Senate and House to override President Nixon’s veto.)

EPA needs to do its job and comply with the Clean Water Act’s mandate for more frequent updates of technology-based limits for industry water pollution control systems. Despite a legal mandate for reviews of these discharge limits at least every five years, highly-polluting industries like chemical manufacturing have not had their standards updated since the 1970s – back when “modern” technology meant computers with floppy disks.
Congress should strengthen the Clean Water Act by closing its loophole for agricultural runoff and other “non-point” sources of pollution, which are by far the largest sources of impairments in waterways across the U.S. Factory-style animal production has become an industry with a massive waste disposal problem and should be regulated like other large industries.
EPA or Congress should impose more consistent, universal guidelines for waterway impairment designations for all 50 states, and for gauging unhealthy levels of key pollutants like nitrogen.
Congress should make it easier to enforce key requirements of the Clean Water Act, including the cleanup plans -- called “Total Maximum Daily Loads” -- that are supposed to be one the primary mechanisms for reducing pollution.
States are set to receive billions of dollars from Congress’ recent passage of a $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Governors and lawmakers should, whenever possible, target this funding to water pollution control efforts, especially in lower-income communities of color that have long suffered disproportionately from pollution.
Congress and states legislatures need to boost funding for the EPA and state environmental agency staff required to measure water quality, and to develop and implement the cleanup plans needed to bring impaired waterways back to life.
Although achieving the Clean Water Act’s ultimate goal of 100 percent “fishable and swimmable” waterways will be hard, EPA should keep driving toward this target by setting interim national goals by decade and by creating enforceable plans to achieve these pollution reductions.

Continuous Conservation Reserve Program

7/8/2022

This post from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition provides excellent information on conservation programs of the USDA aimed at reducing nutrient loss and improving soil health. If you are interested in these programs, take a few minutes to read the post.

Here's the opening paragraph:
On April 1, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened enrollment for the Conservation Reserve Program’s (CRP) CLEAR30 subprogram. CLEAR30 is an important component of the larger Continuous Conservation Reserve Program. With both programs taking applications, in this post, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) offers a quick review of how these essential conservation tools function and shares key information for producers interested in applying.

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

7/7/2022

72 miles of the Mississippi, the part that passes through the Twin Cities in Minnesota, constitutes the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a National Park. You can paddle the river and not realize that you are passing through the heart of a metropolitan area with a population of more than 3 million. There are places where you can rent a canoe or kayak and be dropped off and picked up, doing an easy paddle with the current on the river.

Wildlife in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area abounds, even in downtown Minneapolis. Eagles are common along the river, and there migrating birds that use the Mississippi flyway are often seen in the spring and fall. In the summer, you can paddle down the Mississippi, past the Riverside power plant in Northeast Minneapolis, and you will see a mixed colony rookery where herons, egrets and cormorants raise their young. Turn on the sound and listen to this short video to the left. The bird sounds drown out the sounds of the surrounding city and you will see the young squawking while they wait for their parents to feed them.

Biking along this corridor is also a stellar experience. The Mississippi River Bike Trail has several routes through the Park. This is largely on separate trails, not roadsides, and takes you through city and regional parks and along beautiful river vistas. Elevation isn't much of an issue - the hills are few and small, and you can tool along in a very relaxed ride. There are many places you can rent bikes if you travel to the area, both bike shops where you can rent electric or manual bikes, or do a short-term rental through the local Nice Bike system.

There are many excellent restaurants and breweries along the way that will keep you fueled as you enjoy the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Owamni by the Sioux Chef is located along the river in downtown Minneapolis,. It features Native American fare, and received the James Beard Best New Restaurant Award in June, 2022.

Blog posts by LWV Climate Interest Group

6/26/2022

The LWV US Climate Interest Group is an official group organized under LWV US. They regularly contribute blog posts for the LWV US Blog. Here is a summary of the four posts they have shared to date, with links:

The Economic Cost of Climate Change by by Diz Swift, Dan Zalles, and Carolyn Caywood, June 2022
The need for action has gone beyond individuals making small changes. We need broad, strong public policies to decrease the costs of climate change. This post takes aim at identifying policy changes needed now.

How Changing our Economy can Protect our Planet April 2022
This post examines our personal roles in combating Climate Change.

Climate Change Threats to Food and Water: by members of the League of Women Voters Climate Interest Group, Water Team and Food, Soils, and Agriculture Team . March 2022
This post refutes the assumption that water is both available and safe to drink and that our food supply is adequate may not be true in the future.

What I Learned at the UN Climate Change Conference: by Emily Polakoski, November 2021
Emily Polakoski was a delegate observer for League of Women Voters to the UN Climate Change conference in Glasgow. In this post, she writes about her experience and learnings, including Feminist Climate Justice.

LWV Climate Interest Group

6/25/2022

The LWV Climate Interest Group is open to all members of League of Women Voters. Here's their raison d'être:
As citizens of the world we must protect our planet from the physical, economic and public health effects of climate change while also providing pathways to economic prosperity. To advance League action on this urgent issue, we have formed a nationwide collaboration effort: the LWV Climate Interest Group. We are a group of League members from across the United States working together to fight climate change. We have teams in important climate issue areas to provide materials for local and state Leagues to use in their education and advocacy.

Breaking News! (added July 15, 2022)
Deadline Extended:
COP27 UN Climate Conference in Egypt
LWV US announced that there are scholarships available for League members who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC), or those members between 18 – 35 years of age to attend the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Nov. 8 – 20, 2022. The deadline to apply is July 25th at 5pm ET. To apply, please complete the applicant interest form. If you have questions about the application or process, contact Robin Tokmakian at rtokmakian@lwv.org.

Membership in the Climate Interest Group is open to all LWV members. The CIG has ten teams that are organized around ten topic areas - you can link to these teams from the CIG website. The teams meet monthly by Zoom, sharing information on research and events linked to their topic.

LWV UMRR would welcome members from these groups providing updates on these meetings to UMRR so that we can all benefit from the work of the CIG. If you are interested in being a link between UMRR and these groups, please email us at lwvumrr@lwvmn.org. Thanks!

River Days of Action - National Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque

6/10/2022

River Days of Action is a week of events up and down the Mississippi with a goal of raising public awareness of the beauty, strength, resilience and problems of the Mississippi. LWV UMRR Board member Nancy Porter (LWV Johnson County, Iowa) organized an event at the National River Aquarium and Museum in Dubuque. LWV members from Johnson County, Linn County, Dubuque and UMRR gathered at the Museum on June 10 for a tour and discussion lead by the Museum's Curator of Conservation Programs, Jared McGovern.

Jared is very enthusiastic about the opportunities for improvement in the Mississippi as change happens on the land in Iowa. He told us that Iowa alone contributes 27% of the nitrogen pollution to the Mississippi that gets to the Gulf; change in Iowa to reduce this could mean big changes for the river. The movement to improve soil health holds great promise,

but more funding is needed. You may have heard the news that EPA has earmarked $60million for nutrient reduction work in the 12 states of the Mississippi River basin. This is good news, but more is needed. In Iowa, a law was passed in 2010 that established the Iowa Water and Land Legacy fund, which will be funded when the sales tax is increased by 0.38%. This money will go to conservation programs. Those in Iowa need to lobby for inclusion of this amount in the state budget, McGovern urged. It is in the Governor's budget but the legislature must approve it to make it law. Now is the time for action.

Photo from American Rivers

Jared was excited to share about past successes in Iowa that prove that change CAN happen. He pointed to Iowa's success in reintroducing river otters to the state, a project begin in 1985 after the animals had been extirpated in (entirely removed from) Iowa. Thanks to efforts to rebuild habitat, reintroduce otters and protect growing populations, river otters are now found in most counties in Iowa. The success of the "There Oughta be Otters in Iowa" project proves that concerted efforts by Iowans can bring about major change.

A local project that shows the value of vision, cooperation and hard work is the restoration of Bee Branch Creek in downtown Dubuque. Flooding in the 1960's caused extensive damage in several years, resulting in significant loss to residents. The Bee Branch Restoration Project took what was a buried storm sewer and restored it to open parkland through downtown Dubuque, which functions to retain floodwaters when needed and serve multiple human and ecosystem functions when not. This YouTube video from the City of Dubuque describes the project and its success. The people of Dubuque are justifiably proud of this accomplishment!

Many thanks to Nancy Porter for organizing this event! And thanks to Jared McGovern for a great tour, and thanks to the Mississippi River Network for their support and leadership in developing River Days of Action events throughout the watershed! You can read the full report from the Mississippi River Network at this link.

Your Locally Grown Alternative (Farm)!

5/29/2022

Smack in the middle of the rural and urban landscapes that define Ankeny, Iowa, Griffieon Family Farm exemplifies diversity and ingenuity as keys to sustainability - theirs for 160 years and for so many aspects of the health of their community. They raise multiple species of livestock on pasture, including a herd of Limousins begun in 1960; they raise crops, including corn that goes to a local distillery; there is riparian restoration on the farm; area vegetable growers rent land on the farm; cover crops, portable hen houses, direct markets, farmers markets, and soap have their roles on the farm.

But, says LaVon Griffieon, “With urban growth pressure increasing upon our farm’s boundaries, we hope more people begin to realize the importance of local food security and a community based food system." LaVon will describe some of their niche markets because of all the urban growth as well as address some practical barriers to growing food and soil without chemicals. To learn more about the Griffieon’s farm click here!

Click this button to register for this upcoming meeting! Preregistration is required.

This monthly series is a project of the Upper Mississippi River Initiative (umri.org) of the Izaak Walton League of America, with co-hosts Chris Henning of the Panora Conservation Chapter and Des Moines Chapter Communication Director, Bud Hartley. We feature guests for 30-40 minute presentations that shed daylight on good works done in the name of the Mississippi and its uplands. In this way we uplift our shared goals for a cleaner river, a cared for environment, and kinder communities. Recorded programs are available shortly after they air live.

If you missed the May presentation, here is the link: Stream TEAM Science is (slowly) shifting policy! How E. coli & DNA data changed Mower Co. septic system practices… A discussion with leaders Larry Dolphin, Bill Buckley, Mark Owens, lifelong members of the Izaak Walton League (IWLA), and Josh Balk, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

Does it take an Act of Congress to Save the Mississippi? Video now posted!

5/28/2022

The answer is that Congress is one piece – an important one – of the solution to the Mississippi’s woes. In the UMRR Annual Meeting, we will have an exciting panel of speakers to talk about bills currently in the US Congress that have the potential to greatly affect our river. We also explored the idea of a “compact” between river states to protect the river from water diversions. This session is the foundation for the work that LWV UMRR will tackle in the years to come. (The program starts at 2:30, please skip to that point before you begin watching.)

Our featured presenters are Alicia Vasto from the Iowa Environmental Council speaking on the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience initiative (MRRRI), Brandt Thorington from the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative on the Safeguarding the Mississippi River Together initiative (SMRT), Lara Bryant from the Natural Resources Defense Council speaking on behalf of the Clean Water For All Coalition on the Farm Bill reauthorization and Kirsten Wallace from the Upper Mississippi River Basin Authority on the notion of an Upper Midwest Compact to protect the waters of the Mississippi from diversion. We have more information on the speakers in this post on the UMRR Blog.

This video was recorded on May 21 at 10:30. This video is presented by the League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region. To learn more about our organization and our work, visit our website at https://www.lwvumrr.org/ .

Chicago Forest Preserve Walks

5/28/2022

Chicago's local forest preserves are a treasure. Join LWV Chicago for a series of naturalist-led walks in the woods of Chicago. All are welcome – bring a friend! Click the link for each walk below to learn more and register.

LWV Chicago is a supporter of the Cook County Forest Preserve VOTE YES referendum coming up on the November ballot—voters will have the opportunity to vote YES to protect clean water sources, air quality, and wildlife in Cook County. A property tax increase of 0.025% (less than $1.66/month for the vast majority of homeowners) will protect, restore, and expand the Cook County Forest Preserves.

LWV Chicago has the following walks planned. Please share this and encourage others to register for the walks. The only way people can understand the importance of Voting Yes for the November referendum is to get out into the woods! Anyone can learn more and to register for the walks by clicking on the links:

Dan Ryan Woods
Wednesday, June 8, 10:00 AM–Noon
S Western Ave & W 87th St

Beaubien Woods
Tuesday, July 19, 10:00–11:30 AM
W Doty Ave S, southeast of E 130th St & S Ellis Ave

Schiller Woods
Wednesday, August 3, 10:00–11:30 AM
W Irving Park Rd, east of Des Plaines River Rd

Catherine Chevalier Woods
Thursday, September 15, 10:00–11:30 AM
N East River Rd, north of W Foster Ave