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(Radio Iowa) – Five northeast Iowa counties are hiring an attorney to respond to development of a carbon capture pipeline. Navigator’s proposed Heartland Greenway pipeline would run through 33 Iowa counties, covering about 800 miles. Delaware County Supervisor Shirley Heimrichs says it makes sense to unite with neighboring Bremer, Butler, Emmet and Floyd Counties.
“It’s going to be a more realistic, more responsible way of spending money through a collaborative effort just because we don’t have to do all of our own work. Basically they’re doing the same work for all of us,” she says. “I think that’s going to work well for us because we’re counties of similar size and the pipeline would potentially be looking at going through all of us.” The boards have hired Timothy Whipple, a Des Moines attorney who specializes in work with government boards.
“His representation is to assist with the drafting of any future ordinances and whatever representation we might need in Utility Board hearings,” Heimrichs says. The counties are filing what’s called a petition to intervene. Heimrichs says it would ensure the county is part of any government proceedings or public meetings about the Navigator pipeline.
Navigator CO2 map.
“It’s not an ordinance, but it allows us to be in Utility Board hearings and be able to have, basically, a seat at the table,” she says. “…We’re working on getting an inspector — this is in our petition to intervene, that if we need more than one and definitely we would need more than one. In past history, if you needed one, they were 10 miles down the line and that’s not OK for our landowners. We’re trying to be proactive.” Heimrichs says it appears the pipeline route through Delaware County impacts up to 80 property owners.
“We really feel it’s important to keep doing what we can for our landowners that will be affected and ultimately this will affect everybody because it’s a land use issue, It’s a right to own your own property and not be fearful of what’s going to happen to it,” Heimrichs says. “There’s people that would like us to do more and there’s people that would like us to not to much of anything.”
Navigator’s proposed pipeline would collect carbon from ethanol and fertilizer plants and would run through Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and end in Illinois, where the carbon would be stored underground.
(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Officials with Guthrie County ISU Extension and Outreach report an in-person NO COST Grant Writing 201 Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5th, 2023, in Guthrie Center, Iowa. Representatives of nonprofits, local government, schools and other organizations from Guthrie County and the surrounding area are encouraged to register for the Grant Writing 201 workshop presented by an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach – Community & Economic Development Specialist.
Grant Writing 201:
Grant writers who want to upgrade and polish their skills may register for Grant Writing 201, presented from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 5th, in Guthrie Center, IA at the Guthrie County Iowa State University Extension and Outreach office. The target audience for Grant Writing 201 is individuals with prior grant writing or grant management experience, or who have previously participated in Grant Writing 101. If you have grant experience but have not previously participated in Grant Writing 101, please email Lindsay Henderson at lindsayh@iastate.edu prior to registering and describe your prior grant writing experience in the email.
Participants are encouraged to come with an active project or program in mind for which they are seeking grant funding. A workbook will be provided for drafting a grant proposal during the session, and participants may also bring any information for a grant program of interest to the April 5th workshop.
Topics addressed will include documenting need with evidence, methodology, logic models, evaluation, budgets, and writing tips. Participants will have time to work on sections of their grant proposal during the workshop and receive feedback from their instructor and peers. Participants should also bring a laptop or tablet device to the workshop.
The hands-on workshop is being sponsored by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach of Guthrie County at no cost to participants. The workshop will be held at the Guthrie County Extension office located at: 212 State Street, Guthrie Center, Iowa 50115. Registration is required by April 4th. Go to https://go.iastate.edu/RNKX0R to register.
Grant Writing 201 will be presented by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Community Development Specialist, Lindsay Henderson, who has extensive experience writing and reviewing grant applications and working with various federal, state, local and private foundation grant programs. For more information about the workshops, contact Lindsay Henderson at lindsayh@iastate.edu or 515-835-6605. For assistance with registration, contact Krista Downing at the Guthrie County Extension office by calling 641-747-2276, or email kristad@iastate.edu.
(Radio Iowa) – A House committee has approved a bill to require that developers get permits from every other state other along proposed carbon pipeline routes before construction could begin here. Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
“Why would we want construction of this pipeline to take place in Iowa and have our valuable farmland disrupted if it ultimately is never completed?” Holt asked. The bill was approved last (Tuesday) night by Holt’s committee. It outlines how farmers could file claims if tile lines are damaged or the topsoil from cropland displaced by the pipelines isn’t restored. The bill also would require voluntary participation from property owners along 90 percent of the route before state regulators could grant the pipeline companies authority to seize the rest of the land.
The renewable fuels industry oppose the bill. Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton who voted for the bill, says private property rights are worth protecting. “This legislation is not anti-agriculture. This legislation is not anti-ethanol, period!” Kaufmann said. “I’m going to spend the rest of my adult life relying on the price of corn for my survival. The last thing that I personally would do would be to do something to harm agriculture.”
During last (Tuesday) night’s committee meeting, Representatives Megan Jones of Sioux Rapids and Megan Srinivas, of Des Moines, announced they would not vote on this or any other bills dealing with the pipelines. Both said their families may have a financial stake in the pipelines since the routes pass through their land and the companies offer compensation for those easements.
(Radio Iowa) – The Master Gardener Program through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is reporting significant growth in 2022. Alicia Herzog, the program’s coordinator, says more than 440 people were trained statewide last year, which is an increase of 41-percent from the year before. The program was offered twice last year, in the summer and fall, instead of just once, which accounts for the jump in numbers. The program is also reporting more than 100-thousand volunteer hours logged last year by nearly 18-hundred volunteers. Herzog says Master Gardeners in Iowa provided more than two-point-two million dollars in services during 2022. It’s much more than just growing flowers and vegetables. She calls Master Gardeners “educational stewards” for their communities, as they offer seminars, consult with community groups and help educate and inform the public about access to healthy food.
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University researchers are studying an emerging field called agrivoltaics, the practice of farming on land where solar power is being generated. Matt O’Neal, an I-S-U professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, says the team will be planting a variety of fruits and vegetables literally in the shadow of an array of solar panels at a planned site south of Ames. I-S-U has won a four-year, one-point-eight million dollar grant from the U-S Department of Energy to conduct the research in the non-traditional farm setting. Agrivoltaics holds much promise, O’Neal says, as there’s an increasing amount of prime farmland that’s -not- being used for farming because it has solar panels planted instead.
The Cass County Conservation Board (CCCB) will be hosting an “Intro to Turkey Hunting” program, Saturday March 18, 2023 at 10:00am at the Outdoor Classroom shelter, located at 76977 Tucson Rd, Massena, IA. This program will focus on “Becoming a Turkey Hunter”. CCCB employees will talk about scouting, calling, and equipment needed as well as different techniques and equipment used by successful turkey hunters.
This program will be great for someone who wants to start turkey hunting or those with more experience. The CCCB will have examples of calls, decoys, blinds and other tools used in the turkey woods. Once again there will be a drawing for a prize at the end of the event.
So, if you want to hit the Turkey woods this spring but don’t know where to start, or would just like to pick up another technique or tip, come see us at the Outdoor Classroom on March 18, 2023 at 10:00am to learn a few things and get started on your turkey hunting adventure. For questions call CCCB Director Micah Lee at 712-769-2372.
Hamburg, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Golden Hills RC&D and the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway have announced the Waubonsie State Park Artist in Residence awards for the 2023 Program! The Artist in Residence program was created to help reach a broader audience of park-goers, thus increasing the number of visitors and ultimately educating more people about the Loess Hills ecosystem. The artists and visitors will engage with the natural resources of the park through an artistic lens. Many quality applications were received from artists representing a wide array of disciplines. Three artists were selected to fill residencies ranging from one to two weeks long in March and April. Those artists receiving the residency awards for the current season of the Waubonsie State Park Artist in Residence Program include Rodger Geberdling, Marcia Wilson Holliway and Tina Campbell. The artists will use their time at Waubonsie to immerse themselves in the landscape as a source of inspiration and opportunity to intensely focus on their work. The artists represent a variety of mixed media, painting, and photography.
One of the region’s ecological and recreational treasures, Waubonsie State Park’s 2,000 acres in the (Luss) Loess Hills of southwest Iowa feature prairies, savannas, and woodlands which are home to diverse flora and fauna, not to mention breathtaking vistas. Park Manager Matt Moles has worked with Golden Hills RC&D Project Coordinator Lance Brisbois and Loess Hills National Scenic Byway Coordinator Rebecca Castle to develop and launch the project. While there have been other artist residency programs offered through the National Parks System and parks in other states, this was the first such program in one of Iowa’s State Parks. The program is loosely modeled after similar regional residency programs.
The artists will receive lodging in a studio cabin and a primitive studio space in the park at no cost for the duration of the residency. In return, artists will deliver at least one public program and donate one piece of art to the park at the conclusion of their stay. The programs will be announced as they are scheduled, and may happen either during the residency period or at a later date during the peak season.
Waubonsie State Park is only about an hour’s drive from Omaha or Lincoln, NE; two hours from Kansas City; and 2.5 hours from Des Moines. It is located near the southern end of the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway. To learn more about the Artist in Residence program and the artists, visit www.goldenhillsrcd.org/artist-in-residence. If you are an artist and are interested in learning about how to apply, please email rebecca@goldenhillsrcd.org.
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