July Newsletter

Wild Spaces

• Reconnecting Iowa’s Wild Spaces - Earlier this month, the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter released the Protecting Biological Diversity In Iowa Through Connectivity report. The message is clear: Iowa must act now to reconnect its fragmented habitats, for wildlife, for clean water, for climate resilience, and for future generations.

• Book reading: Iowa's Changing Wildlife, September 17 - Tom Reardon, Executive Committee Vice-Chair of the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, will lead a discussion and explore the book Iowa’s Changing Wildlife: Three Decades of Gain and Loss. The authors are James Dinsmore and Stephen Dinsmore.  This discussion will dive into how Iowa’s wildlife and natural landscapes have evolved over the past 30 years—what species are thriving, which are disappearing, and what these changes mean for the future of conservation in our state.  Pick up the book now and join us for the virtual discussion on September 17 at 6pm central time. 

• Experience Peak Hawk Migration at the Hitchcock Nature Center, Outing, Honey Creek, Iowa - September 20.  Mid-September marks the height of hawk migration, and we’ll be hitting the trails with naturalists and HawkWatch biologists to learn all about these incredible birds.  

Water Quality

• Polk County Supervisors Issue Report on Central Iowa Source Water - 600,000 Central Iowans have been under mandatory water use restrictions from Central Iowa Water Works because of poor water quality in the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. It is important to note this restriction is not caused by lack of quantity but solely due to pollution. According to the Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment report, the pollutants in the water are nitrates, well above the Safe Drinking Water standards.  This report offers common-sense solutions.

• Get your well water tested today - Play it safe and have your well water tested every year for nitrates.  When you do that, also ask that the water be tested for coliform bacteria, total dissolved solids, and pH levels.  Contact your county public health department to determine where to take your water for testing.

• Des Moines River and Coal Ash Pollution - The Ottumwa Generating Station is seeking permission from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to give them an NPDES permit that would allow them to transport polluted water from its coal ash landfill to the sewage treatment plant which would then process the liquid and discharge it to the Des Moines River. The problem is that the sewage treatment plant does not have the technology to remove the pollutants and will be discharging them into the River.  The Sierra Club and our allies are challenging this permit request.  The DNR will be holding a public hearing, but it has not been scheduled.

Protecting the Environment

• Utility Commission Resumes Monthly Public Meetings After 2-Year Hiatus - Historically, the Iowa Utilities Commission held monthly meetings to update the public on open dockets, litigation and to provide a public comment period for anyone to address the Commission. Those public meetings were canceled in 2023.  The monthly meetings will resume in August.  Sierra Club Iowa Chapter and impacted Iowans attended those meetings regularly to hear updates and address the board about problems with open dockets.  

• Lunch and Learns Fridays at noon

Plus

• Contribute to the Iowa Chapter

• Volunteer for the Iowa Chapter

• Calendar of events