Rusty-patched Bumble Bee, large Community-Based Compost Programs

Seth Moore, Environmental Specialist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, describes the Rusty-patched Bumble Bee, a bumble bee native to Iowa, that has been put on the endangered species list.The bee has been found in some Iowa counties and the DNR is asking citizens to look for them and report sightings to them. Send your observations, photos, or questions to: seth.moore@dnr.iowa.gov or call Seth at 515-725-8464, or go to a web site for bumble bee watching to report your findings and upload your photos

Carolyn Myers from the Ames Progessive Alliance, looks into large community-based composting projects. Jennifer Jordan, the Resource Management superintendent for Iowa CIty describes a municipal composting program offered by the city, that takes residents' compost and also sells the resulting compost soil back to them. Tim Goode, with the Iowa State University Research and Demonstration Farms, describes the University Compost Facility, where Iowa State University composts all food waste on campus, along with manure from dairy cows.