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Iowa Environmental Council
"Together for the Earth we share"
711 East Locust Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Phone: 515/244-1194
Fax: 515/244-7856
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News Bulletin
November 5, 1999
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COUNCIL NOTES
Board of Directors to meet December 10
The Council's Board of Directors will meet at the Neal Smith National
Wildlife Refuge/Prairie Learning Center at 1 p.m. The agenda items include
review of two Council position papers and discussion of legislative
strategy. Contact Tommi Makila at 515/244-1194 or
<[log in to unmask]>.
Environmental issues included in IPTV town meeting
Iowa Public Television held a town meeting "Is this the state of our
future?" on October 25. The program generated over 200 phone calls and 170
emails commenting on Iowa's future. The Council's Executive Director, Linda
Appelgate, was one of ten special guests invited to share the stage with
Governor Tom Vilsack. Your comments to the Governor's Strategic Planning
Council are still welcome. Contact the Strategic Planning Council at
877/342-2010 or <http://www.iowa2010.state.ia.us>. A tape of the IPTV
program can be borrowed from the Iowa Environmental Council. Contact Tommi
Makila at 515/244-1194 or <[log in to unmask]>.
ACTION ALERTS
Write to protect public land at Coralville Lake
The Corps of Engineers is threatening to lease 106 acres of public land at
Coralville Lake in North Liberty for an international youth camp. The land
is currently undeveloped, wooded, open to the public, and frequented by
hikers, birders, and other nature lovers. The proposed lease would result
in the land being closed to the public, cleared, and developed. Green space
is disappearing quickly in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids corridor, which is
one of the fastest growing areas in the state. Please write to your
legislators and the Corps of Engineers to give them your opinion of this
lease proposal.
Submitted by Jim Monagan, Cedar Rapids Audubon Society
Celebrate the 27th anniversary of the Clean Water Act
October marked the 27th birthday of the Clean Water Act. Clean Water
Network put together a top 10 list of ways to celebrate the anniversary.
Top three on the list include: 1) Write a letter to the editor of your
local or state paper calling on your state to commit to cleaning up its
impaired waters; 2) Take your elected official for a tour of your waterbody
of concern; and 3) Speak out against large, dirty corporate farms. For a
complete list, contact Clean Water Network at <[log in to unmask]>.
Submitted by Ami Grace, Clean Water Network
Help reform World Trade Organization
In late November and early December the member nations of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) will be gathering in Seattle to discuss further trade
liberalization, including lower protections for endangered forests and an
investment scheme that would limit the power of governments to protect
public health and the environment. Friends of the Earth has prepared an
action manual titled "The World Trade Organization and the Environment: A
Citizen Action Guide." The guide was created to give environment and public
health advocates information on the ramifications of WTO policies and
procedures and the tools necessary to stop its expansion and change its
rules. For a copy of the action guide, contact Friends of the Earth at
202/783-7400, extension 109.
Submitted by Friends of the Earth
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
Public input sought on trails
Various dates and locations
The Iowa Department of Transportation will hold five open houses across the
state to gather public input on recreational trails for the Iowa Trails
Plan 2000. The open houses, which will consist of an open format without
formal presentation, are:
- November 8, Ottumwa: Advanced Technology Center, Indian Hills Community
College, 5-7 p.m.
- November 9, Waverly: Waverly Civic Center, 5-7 p.m.
- November 15, Atlantic: Southwest Iowa Transportation Center, 5-7 p.m.
- November 16, Clive: Clive City Hall, 5:30-7 p.m.
- November 18, Cherokee: Community Center, 5-7 p.m.
Global warming, law, and faith discussed
November 11, Des Moines
Drake Environmental Law Society is sponsoring a presentation, "Global
warming: science, law, and faith," by Robert Hogg, a Cedar Rapids attorney
and Global Warming Project Coordinator for the Ecumenical Ministries of
Iowa. The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be at 1
p.m. in Room 203, Cartwright Hall, Drake University. Contact Rob Hogg at
515/255-5905 or <[log in to unmask]>.
Submitted by Rob Hogg, IEC member
BECON facility to be dedicated
November 16, Nevada
The public is invited to attend an open house celebrating the completion of
the Iowa Energy Center's Biomass Energy CONversion (BECON) facility. The
event will begin with a buffet luncheon at 12:30 p.m. and the formal
dedication will be held at 1:30 p.m. Guest speakers at the open house
include Christopher Rants, Iowa House Majority Leader; Denise Swink, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Industrial Technologies; and Dr. Rollin Richmond,
Iowa State University. The BECON facility is located at 1521 West F Avenue
in Nevada. Contact Iowa Energy Center at 515/294-8819 or
<[log in to unmask]>.
Submitted by Iowa Energy Center
Well rehabilitation workshop set
November 16-17, Des Moines
The American Ground Water Trust is sponsoring a two-day workshop, "Water
well rehabilitation technology: everything you always wanted to know about
the problems and solutions of well rehabilitation," at the Savery Hotel.
Register through American Groundwater Trust at 603/228-5444,
<[log in to unmask]>, or <http://www.agwt.org>. Registration fee is $225; 1.3
CEUs for Water Well Contractors and Water Supply Operators will be awarded.
Contact Paul VanDorpe, Iowa Groundwater Association, at 319/335-1580 or
<[log in to unmask]>.
Submitted by Paul VanDorpe
Learn farm policy advocacy skills
Various dates and locations.
The Iowa Farmers Union, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, the Center
for Rural Affairs, Friends of Rural America, and ELCA Rural Ministry
Resources are sponsoring three workshops for people wanting to take a more
active role in advocating for federal farm policy reforms on market access,
the Farm Bill, and environmental issues. The workshops will focus on how
citizen activists can influence the positions of presidential candidates
prior to the Iowa caucuses. The day-long meetings will be held on November
20 in Independence, December 4 in Storm Lake, and December 11 in Ames. For
more information and to RSVP your interest in attending, contact Nancy
Thompson, Center for Rural Affairs, at 712/266-1268 or
<[log in to unmask]>.
Submitted by Nancy Thompson
Hearing on Eddyville Dunes to be held
November 23, Eddyville
The U. S. Army Corps has requested that the Iowa Department of
Transportation hold another public hearing at Eddyville as part of the
section 404 wetland permit process. The meeting will be from 5 to 7 p.m.
at the Eddyville High School. The purpose of the meeting is to allow public
comments on the additional costs and farmland, wetland, property and other
impacts of the Near East Alternative which were not documented in the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for the Eddyville Bypass project. Contact
Pat McAdams or Glenda Buenger at 515/632-8308 or <[log in to unmask]>.
Submitted by Glenda Buenger, IEC member
Agricultural conservation conference and TMDL workshop set
December 14-17, New Orleans, Louisiana
The National Agricultural Conservation 2000 Conference is presenting
accomplishments and lessons learned from local, state and federal programs,
and research addressing soil and water quality. The conference will be
preceded by an agricultural TMDL workshop on December 14. The workshop will
address the past, present, and future issues regarding the identification
of impaired waters, prioritization of those waters, and establishment of
TMDLs for the water bodies. The event is sponsored by Conservation
Technology Information Center, National Association of Conservation
Districts, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. Registration fee for the conference is
$185 and $125 for the workshop. To register, contact Conservation
Technology Information Center at 765/494-9555 or <[log in to unmask]>.
Submitted by Conservation Technology Information Center
Help a Habitat workshop scheduled
January 14-16, Guthrie Center
The topic of the annual Iowa Conservation Education Council Winter Solstice
workshop will be "Help a Habitat," which will also be the theme for Iowa
Earth Day in April. The workshop will be held at the Conservation Education
Center at Springbrook State Park. A workshop agenda can be obtained from
Duane Toomsen, Iowa Department of Education, at 515/281-3146 or
<[log in to unmask]>
Submitted by Duane Toomsen
RESOURCES
Environmental science grants available
The Environmental Defense Fund is requesting letters of inquiry for the
next round of Environmental Science Program grants to be awarded in early
2000. This program is funded by the Packard Foundation and aims to
increase the ability of non-governmental environmental organizations to
utilize scientific expertise and engage academic scientists in activities
that further the goals of the environmental community. Application deadline
is November 22. For application guidelines, visit <
http://www.edf.org/sciencegrants/ngo.html>. Contact Michael Oppenheimer or
Roberta Desmond, Environmental Defense Fund, at 212/505-2100.
Submitted by Ami Grace, Clean Water Network
Iowa Recycling Directory goes online
Recycling in Iowa just got easier! The 1999 Iowa Recycling Directory is now
available on the internet at <http://www.iowarecyclingdirectory.org>. You
can search a database of more than 600 companies that collect, process, or
use recyclable materials. You can also receive a copy of the directory on a
computer disk by contacting the Waste Management Assistance Division of the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources at 515/281-4367.
Submitted by Iowa Department of Natural Resources
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Items in the News Bulletin are not necessarily endorsed by the Council, nor
do they necessarily reflect the views of the Council as a whole. All
information may be freely reprinted and shared.
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Iowa Environmental Council
711 East Locust Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
515/244-1194 phone
515/244-7856 fax
[log in to unmask]
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