DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, Director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Richard Leopold, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Rich Sims, and Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Associate Dean Gerald Miller will be participating in a media availability as part of Conservation Partnership Day, Wednesday, January 28, at 1:00 p.m. at the Iowa State Capitol. They will be joined by hundreds of Iowa’s soil and water conservation district commissioners who will be at the capitol as part of the celebration.
Conservation Partnership Day recognizes the success this collaboration has brought to installing conservation practices across the state, as well as the need for continued work to protect our soil and water resources.
Iowa is a national leader in conservation and estimates by Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship staff show that practices installed during the first half of 2008 alone will reduce soil loss by 21,310 tons per year. While controlling erosion and protecting our soil resource, conservation practices also lead to flood damage reduction.
In the event of flooding, more practices and further reducing the volume of runoff will shorten the duration of the event and the potential for flood damage. For maximum floodwater damage reduction, a combination of practices that provide the highest amounts of land cover, crop residue, terraces and other practices plus small upland flood control structures are recommended. One watershed study showed the reduction of peak flow for a 1-year to 100-year storm event frequency, range from 60.8-62.7% in a 37 sq. mile drainage area to 28.6-39.6% in a 377 sq. mile drainage area.
The details of the event follow here:
Who: Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
Richard Leopold, Director of Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Rich Sims, State Conservationist, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Gerald Miller, Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Associate Dean and ISU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Director
Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners of Iowa
Where: Iowa State Capitol, North Hallway Outside Old Supreme Court Chambers
When: Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 1:00 p.m.
What: Press Conference to discuss the need to jointly build and repair conservation practices that protect Iowa’s soil and water resources. An estimated $40 million in damage to conservation practices was caused by the 2008 floods.
How: For more information about the event please contact Dustin Vande Hoef with the Iowa Department of Agriculture at 515-281-3375.
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