Citizens of Iowa:

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is committed to working with local conservation districts and others to provide both financial and technical assistance to Iowa landowners to promote soil and water conservation.

One very successful program that the Department’s Division of Soil Conservation has participated in uses the watershed approach to improve both land and water resources. These projects look at the entire watershed, which is the land that drains to a lake, river or stream, to improve conservation efforts. These hundreds of locally led initiatives address soil erosion, water quality, flooding and other issues identified by local landowners and stakeholders.

These projects have effectively reduced sediment delivery and improved water quality in watersheds above publicly owned lakes, trout streams, high use recreation areas, drinking water sources, urban developments and aquifer recharge areas. Successful projects have strong community support and feature partnerships with local officials and organizations as well as federal and state agencies.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has funding available for these watershed projects through the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) Program and the Watershed Protection fund. Additional assistance is also available through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources from the Environmental Protection Agency, Section 319 funds.

I invite you to take a look at the projects featured here as they are examples of the accomplishments possible when we approach conservation projects on a watershed basis.

Sincerely,

Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture