Honoring Leopold’s Legacy: Building a Future for Iowa Webinar

March 22 presentation by Page County, Iowa farmer and conservationist Seth Watkins will provide insights on building toward a more sustainable future

The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place March 22 at noon CDT will feature Seth Watkins, owner of Pinhook Farm in Page County Iowa. Watkins has been a leading advocate for soil and water conservation efforts across Iowa and was the recipient of the 2022 Iowa Leopold Conservation Award.

In the webinar, “Honoring Leopold’s Legacy,” Watkins will discuss conservation efforts in Iowa, agricultural practices and practical methods being employed to improve the future that all stakeholders are building together. He will share his philosophy and approaches to farming that have been honed over some 40 years and will share lessons learned from successes and failures. Watkins will also address the importance of taxpayer supports for farming and the importance that farmers respond to those supports in ways that regenerate resources, restore water quality and provide healthy food.

A staunch advocate of land stewardship, Watkins once said, “If we’d stop subsidizing the wrong things, we wouldn’t have to subsidize the right things… We probably wouldn’t need price supports if everyone found the most appropriate land use per acre. We must look at and listen to our land, responding to what makes it healthy and productive, and what does not.”

Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.

DATE: Wednesday, March 22, 2023

TIME: noon

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

Shortly before 12:00 pm CT, click the link below or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/364284172

Or, go to https://iastate.zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID: 364 284 172

Or, join via phone:

    Dial:  312-626-6799

    Meeting ID: 364 284 172

The webinar will also be recorded and archived. All archived webinars are available on the ILF website, so that they can be watched at any time.

ILF has applied for a Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit (CEU) for attending this webinar. Those who participate in the live webinar are eligible. Information about how to apply to receive the credit will be provided at the end of the live webinar.

Upcoming Webinars in the Series:

Next week: Wednesday, March 29, 2023, One Block at a Time: Community-driven planning and equitable adaptation through multi-benefit green infrastructure, Kara Salazar, Purdue University 

March 29: Kara Salazar, Purdue University

April 5: TBD

April 12: Gabriel Johnson, Iowa State University

April 19: Matt Helmers, Iowa State University

Iowa Learning Farms Webinar: Linking Soil Management to Stream Eutrophication

In the webinar, “Directly Linking Soil Management and the Eutrophication of Iowa Streams,” McDaniel will draw on research outcomes to highlight the complex interaction of stream morphological characteristics, history of nutrient inputs, and tile water quality to assess stream eutrophication (overabundance of nutrients.) McDaniel will also share the water collection and analysis process and discuss factors such as historical nutrient conditions and background that can influence the impacts on a given waterway.

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Iowa Learning Farms Webinar: Monarch Butterfly Conservation Within Agroecosystems

In the webinar, “Monarch Butterfly Biology, Ecology and Conservation Needs,” Fisher will highlight the outcomes of collaborative work on monarch butterfly conservation conducted at Iowa State University, including the notable suggestion that milkweed and nectar resources be planted within 50 meters of established habitat to create a functionally connected landscape that facilitates monarch movement.

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Iowa Learning Farms Webinar: Science-Based Restoration and Management of Functional Floodplain

The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place Jan. 25 at noon CST will feature Maria Lemke, director of conservation science, The Nature Conservancy, Illinois. Lemke is a freshwater biologist with the Conservancy who works with partners to implement and quantify the effectiveness of agricultural conservation practices in the Mackinaw River watershed. Her research encompasses understanding the effectiveness of agricultural practices in improving water quality and hydrology and floodplain restoration metrics at the Emiquon Preserve in central Illinois.

Iowa Learning Farms is an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach conservation and water quality education program.

In the webinar, “The Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Preserve: Science-Based Restoration and Management of Functional Floodplain Along the Illinois River,” Lemke will highlight the history and restoration progress in the Emiquon Preserve, a historic floodplain that was separated from the river by levees in the 1920s for agricultural production. She will discuss the project objectives of restoring ecological floodplain processes and habitats that promote and sustain native species and communities. In addition, Lemke will showcase the Key Ecological Attributes (KEA) framework for assessing restoration success.

“With the recent completion of a water control structure, we are well-positioned to improve the conservation status of those floodplain and riverine targets in the preserve that depend on water management and river connectivity,” said Lemke. “Our efforts and studies of the Emiquon Preserve make a significant contribution to understanding large river floodplain restoration in the central United States region and have implications for restoration of critically threatened river ecosystems. The KEA framework provides for strategic and systematic monitoring and consistent assessments which can support similar restoration of ecological integrity efforts in watersheds and floodplains.”

Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.

Webinar Access Instructions

  • Or, join from a dial-in phone line:

Dial: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 876 9923

Meeting ID: 364 284 172

The webinar will also be recorded and archived. All archived webinars are available on the ILF website, so that they can be watched at any time.

ILF has applied for a Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit (CEU) for attending this webinar. Those who participate in the live webinar are eligible. Information about how to apply to receive the credit will be provided at the end of the live webinar.

Upcoming Webinars in the Series:

Feb. 1: Kelsey Fisher, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Feb. 8: Pamela Stahke, USDA – Risk Management Agency

Feb. 15: Marshall McDaniel, Iowa State University

Feb. 22: Greg LaBarge, The Ohio State University

 

COLLABORATION: North Central Region Water Network

One thing about water – it affects everyone in some way, every single day. Water can bring us together (or tear us apart, but let’s focus on the positives).

One thing about the Iowa Water Center – we are innately connected to every other Water Resources Research Institute in the country (53 others – one in every state and four territories) through the National Institute of Water Resources. Collaboration is at our core.

Collaborating for better water management is one of IWC’s primary principles. To that end, this is the first post in the COLLABORATION category.

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The North Central Region Water Network

Mission: “We work together to ensure safe and sufficient water supplies by increasing the scope and positive impact of multi-state water outreach and research efforts in the North Central Region of the United States.”

Twelve states, working together for clean, abundant water. The North Central Region Water Network came together in 2013 as a mechanism for collaboration between Extension water resource professionals and university, federal, state, NGO and industry partners.

The Network as identified five priority areas:

-agriculture and water quality
-ecosystem restoration/protection
-water supply and waste systems
-water literacy and stewardship
-water management planning and leadership

The Network has a number of ways it is working toward making impacts in these areas. Today, we’ll highlight three – The Current webinar series, seed grant competition, and the North Central Region Water Network 2014 conference.

The Current Webinar Series

Self-described as a “speed networking webinar series,” The Current offers four, 10 minute “project snapshots” and 20 minutes for Q&A.  Past webinars include topics like soil health, social science in water, and decision support tools for nutrient management. The webinars are free and easy to access: a quick online registration form will get you signed up.

Seed grant competition

The Network’s seed grant competition is for multi-state initiatives in Extension or capacity building. Requests can be made for up to $30,000 per project. The current deadline is November 30, 2014.

What kind of projects is the Network looking to fund?

-planning projects
-program delivery projects
-professional development for Extension professionals to improve water-related Extension programs.

Proposals must include three states, address Network goals, and show the potential to demonstrate and document impact. The website currently has the 2014 RFA available for download; if you’re interested in the 2015 RFA you can contact Rebecca Power.

2014 North Central Region Water Network Conference

The Network’s inaugural conference was held last week in Bloomington, Minnesota. Over 100 Extension educators and researchers attended for an excellent opportunity to network, build partnerships and establish relationships for collaborative efforts.

Among traditional professional development presentations (including one from IWC Director Rick Cruse on the Iowa Daily Erosion Project), one of the most valuable activities at this year’s conference was the “Topic Table” discussion session. Attendees were split up based on their focus area of interest (seven in all, plus an ad hoc “watershed planning” group). At these tables, participants were encouraged to discuss current programming efforts and future needs and potential projects. In terms of spurning collaboration, this activity hit the nail on the head.

 

So, give the North Central Region Water Network a try. Hey, they’re even on Twitter!