March 2023 - eNews

Meeting Highlights

• 2023 water sampling will resume the 45 sites with plans to add additional sampling in 2024. 
• Coordinator contract term extended for the entirety of FY 24.
•  Board Chair appointed as Don Schwenker, Jackson County Supervisor
• Executive committee vacancy filled by Buchanan County Supervisor, John Kurtz 
• Limestone Bluffs RCD contract renewed. 
• Presentations from Iowa Flood Center and New Melleray Abbey

Trout stocking in northeast Iowa streams starts April 3

The popular trout stream stocking season starts on April 3. Find a list of stocked trout streams on the DNR trout stream map or the DNR trout fishing webpage.

The DNR Trout Program offers Iowa anglers a variety of trout fishing opportunities, including catchable stockings, fingerling stockings, wild trout, streams with restrictive regulations, easy universal access areas and remote streams with difficult access.

About 320,000 catchable-sized rainbow trout, 30,000 fingerling brook trout, and 5,000 fingerling brown trout will be stocked into hundreds of miles of northeast Iowa streams from the beginning of April through the end of October. Funding to support the trout stocking program comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and trout fees. About 50,000 Iowans and 5,000 nonresidents go trout fishing in Iowa each year.

Iowa’s trout streams are open year-round and meander through some of the most scenic areas of the state. Get the most out of your trout fishing trip with information about each stream's location, qualities, and other fun facts on the Iowa trout streams webpage.

Media Contact: Mike Steuck, Regional Fisheries Supervisor, Northeast Iowa, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 563-927-3276.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is ready to accept applications for Underserved Farmer-to-Farmer subawards, funded by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico division.

Over the next five years, the DNR will distribute $3 million to eligible applicants across the state. Through the grant, the DNR looks to increase the ability of historically underserved farm communities to address nutrient pollution, frequent flooding, and drinking water challenges.

The subawards will be issued to eligible entities who will work with farmers and farm communities who fall under at least one of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s four underserved groups, which includes those who are beginning, socially disadvantaged, veterans and with limited resources.

Eligible subawardees to apply for grants include conservation districts, local or state government entities, nonprofits, tribal nations and institutions of higher learning. Those groups will then work with the DNR to develop projects with a focus on water quality, such as flood reduction, source water protection and nutrient reduction. 

Projects may be awarded up to $250,000 with no match requirement. Applications will be accepted now through April 28, though multiple rounds are possible.

“It is a worthwhile mission to seek to aid the underserved in Iowa, understand what their needs are and meet water issues head on,” said Steve Konrady, the DNR’s Western Iowa Basin Coordinator.

The Iowa DNR is one of four awardees for the grant across the country. Other awardees include:

• National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation (NASDA) for the Ohio-Tennessee Region (Gulf drainage portions of Indiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee).
• National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) for conservation districts in the non-Mississippi River Gulf Drainage Region (Gulf drainage portions of New Mexico, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas)
• Wallace Center at Winrock International for the Upper and Lower Mississippi River Region (Gulf drainage portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana)

For more information and to submit an application, visit www.iowadnr.gov/watershed.

Do you have a water quality focused project in mind? Please reach out to erin@limestonebluffsrcd.org to discuss this opportunity.

Upcoming Events

This Sunday from 1-5! We'll be there too! Come join us and learn all about our favorite river!

A note from Limestone Bluffs RC&D:

Stephanie Sagers, Executive Director- email: ssagers@limestonebluffsrcd.org, office: 563.221.1930

With the tax deadline right around the corner, I thought I would share a helpful link about taxes and USDA Programs. The link shares videos and resources to guide farmers through tax season.

See past newsletters and meeting minutes on our website at maquoketariverwma.org