May 2019

Leopold Center, Watersheds and Wetlands

Listen Here NowOriginally broadcast 05/29/2019
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Our first guest was Mark Rasmussen, director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, with an encouraging report of how the Center has been promoting projects of all kinds for Food, Farming and Agriculture.  Topics included benefits of ruminants for the soil, productive uses of lands too wet to cultivate, carbon sequestration in soil, the Farm to Schools group, and increasing markets for small local farms producing foods for local consumption.  They also support various speakers and Water Rocks, a dynamic educational program in Iowa schools.  Dan Haug, watershed educator for Prairie Rivers of Iowa, described the varied ways landowners can learn about and improve the water adjacent to their land.  Ava Auen-Ruan, a staff member from Farm andEnvironment Team at Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (ICCI), which is suing the state of Iowa on the basis of the  Public Trust Doctrine, which argues that citizens have a right to clean water, which is not being met by the voluntary nutrient reduction strategy now in place. 

Delaney at Diem, Carroll Prairie, Public land Conservation with Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is Attacked by Iowa Legislature

Listen Here NowOriginally broadcast 05/27/2019
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Dennis Hart gives a summary of Iowa news of last week.

Local Talk brings excerpts from presidential candidate John Delaney's stump speech and questions from the audience at Cafe Diem last Thursday. Delaney proposes initiatives for health care, green energy to combat climate change, and service corps for young people to address national problems and sustain parks.

A Memorial Day story of local resident and conservationist Lorna Carroll Sellberg and her creation of Carroll Prairie, at the intersection of Avenue 610 and 200th Streets, East of Millford Township. Sellberg worked with theIowa Heritage Foundation to memorialize her father by donating half the value of this land and transferring it to Story County Conservation for public use. The land, dedicated on April 22nd, includes native prairie remnants, oxbow wetlands, and the meandering West Indian Creek.  

Abby Hade Terpstra, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation Donor Relations Director, describes programs such as their Iowa conservation tax credit, that assist land donors in protecting and dedicating natural land for public use, while transferring it to local conservation groups.

Joe Jayjack, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation Communications Director, describes recent laws and bills of the 2019 Iowa legislature (Bill 542) to restrict Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation from assisting farmers who want to transfer land for public use. He encourages Iowa residents to communicate support  to legislators for conservation of natural land. 

Chrystal Davis, Director of Destination Ames, Member & Visitors Services of the Ames Visitors and Convention Bureau, previews some of exciting public events and activities for the month of (end of) May June. Calendar of events. 

Bias on Course Evaluations, Ames Tenants Union

Listen Here NowOriginally broadcast 05/24/2019
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Dave Peterson from the Political Science Department at ISU spoke about course evaluations in which students are asked to rate their instructors at the end of each semester. We learned that these evaluations have consequences beyond just providing feedback to the instructor and that there are serious problems with the evaluations in terms of gender and other biases.

The Ames Progressive Alliance brought guests from the Ames Tenants Union, who talked about this new activist group that is fighting abuses and legal problems that renters experience in Ames. 

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