Here are some environment-related articles in today's The Des Moines Register.  The bolded copy in the first letter to the editor was not intended but couldn't be changed.

Rocky road to repairing water-ravaged rec trails

By WILLIAM PETROSKI • [log in to unmask] • August 5, 2008

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Floods have damaged dozens of popular Iowa recreational trails this year, requiring at least $10 million in repairs, state officials said.

The widespread destruction is a setback after years of slow but steady growth to develop a statewide network of more than 1,000 miles of multiuse recreational trails, said Lisa Hein, an official with the nonprofit Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.

The trails have been touted as a key to improving Iowa's quality of life and attracting young adults in the state who enjoy outdoor recreation. City leaders often support them as tools to attract development and skilled workers. A growing number of Iowans use the trails, along with city streets, as an alternative for commuting to work and school because of high gasoline prices.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080805/NEWS10/808050383&theme=FLOODING
 
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Opinion:
 

Talk of oil drilling misses point: Develop alternatives

August 5, 2008
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During a recent congressional hearing on the profits of oil companies, a lawmaker told an oil executive that Congress wasn't popular with Americans.

Then he added: "Your approval rating is lower than ours, and that means you're down low."

News that Exxon Mobil Corp. reported $11.7 billion in second-quarter profits won't boost Big Oil's standing with Americans at a time they're paying dearly at the gas pump. The company broke its own record for the highest quarterly earnings in U.S. corporate history.
 
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080805/OPINION03/808050358/1035/Opinion
 
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LTEs:
 

Drink up - water's certified train-free

August 5, 2008

Iowa Department of Natural Resources employees were so concerned about the environmental impact of four locomotives submerged in the Mississippi River, which have since been removed ("DNR Frets Over Impact of Locomotives in River," July 14 Dateline Iowa).

Yet, they OK'd two hog confinements that hold 7,440 hogs in Dallas County. These hogs will produce 4,285,000 gallons of manure a year. This runoff will go to the Raccoon River and on to Des Moines' drinking water. They weren't concerned about the health and welfare of the Dawson, Lincoln and Dallas township residents. What is the DNR's job? It sure isn't clean air and clean water.
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- Mava Burchfield, Perry

 
Grab some garbage, and let the river run

August 5, 2008

 

I came to notice river trash only after several years of paddling. I was too engrossed in the thrill of the sport to see trash and feel the wrongness of it. Fortunately, along the way I met a few paddling friends who modeled river stewardship. They never pass a tire in the water or on a sandbar without stopping to remove it.

When I founded Central Iowa Paddlers, river stewardship was one of our objectives. For several years, we partnered with the Izaak Walton League in an annual cleanup of the Des Moines or Raccoon River in Des Moines. Ten or 15 people would volunteer to help out on a Saturday, and we felt good filling up a Dumpster or two with river trash.

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In early 2007, we decided to expand the event and recycle as much of the trash as possible. Central Iowa Paddlers joined forces with Iowa Whitewater Coalition. We called for help from boaters of all types, runners, bicyclists, mountain bikers, hikers and birders. On a Saturday in August, 200 volunteers removed 24 tons of scrap metal, plastic, trash and discarded cans and bottles from the river in Des Moines, and 40 percent of the take was recycled.
 
We're going to do it again on Aug. 16, for our 2008 River Run Garbage Grab. This year we will double the river miles, focusing on the river and adjacent trails from Saylorville Dam to Yellow Banks County Park in southeast Polk County. [In the event the water is too high, the cleanup will be confined to the banks and trails in the same area.] In the evening, volunteers will gather at Simon Estes Amphitheater for barbecue and live music. We will celebrate the river that runs through Iowa's capital city.
 
- Robin Fortney, Des Moines

 
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