The Iowa Learning Farms conservation webinar taking place October 18 at noon will feature Jacqueline Comito, director of Iowa Learning Farms at Iowa State University. Comito is an anthropologist and a longtime leader of the award winning ILF and Water Rocks! education and outreach programs from ISU Extension and Outreach. She has led numerous nationally-recognized research projects regarding water quality, conservation efforts, and the human element which affects perception and action in these areas.

In the webinar, “Water Issues in Iowa: The Urban-Rural Divide Revisited,” Comito will share highlights from the recently published Water Issues in Iowa report which aggregates survey data with interviews of college students, farmers, and landowners, and rural and urban Iowans to depict current water quality sentiments. She will focus on the differences in perception of water quality issues between rural and urban residents and will share thoughts on the foundations of these differences as well as potential methods to rectify them. Comito highly recommends that participants in the webinar download the free report and browse through it before the webinar.

“This project leveraged information and responses that were gathered through opportunistic and ad hoc activities including surveys, interviews with regent university students and listening sessions with farmers, non-farming rural and urban dwellers, and others with an interest in improving water quality,” said Comito. “While the method did not necessarily provide a representative sample of Iowans, it wasn’t our goal to do that. Rather, we wanted to elevate specific voices, such as teachers and college students, who aren’t often included in water quality surveys. The combination of the different datasets and design of listening session questions gave us an excellent snapshot of what many Iowans think about water quality and who they feel should take responsibility for addressing issues of importance.”

Shortly before noon CDT, click the link below or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/364284172