Just a reminder that the Squaw Creek Watershed Coalition will hold its
annual meeting on Wednesday, March 25 at 6:30 pm in the Ames Public
Library Community Room (upstairs).

We're excited to have as guest speakers Cassie Herringshaw and Jan
Thompson (mentioned in the previous notice, copied below), as well as
John Paulin, Coordinator of Prairie Rivers of Iowa RC&D.

There's been a lot of interesting work taking place in the watershed in
the eight years since the coalition formed. At recent annual meetings
we've heard about watershed assessments, IOWATER sampling, fish
sampling, the application for EPA 319 grant funding, and the Iowa
Watershed Improvement Review Board (WIRB) funded projects on College Creek.

The board would like to invite each of you to join in our discussions
about the future role of the Squaw Creek Watershed Coalition. Can we
help pull these research and improvement projects together to better
serve the watershed and its many residents?  And, in addition to
monitoring, what coalition-led activities should we be involved in?

We would appreciate your input and welcome your involvement!


> -------- Original Message --------

> The Squaw Creek Watershed Coalition will hold its annual meeting on
> Wednesday March 25 at 6:30 pm in the Ames Public Library Community Room.*
>
> Guest speakers include Cassie Herringshaw, Graduate Research Assistant
> in Environmental Sciences, who will speak about "Linkages among land
> cover, water and habitat quality, and invertebrates in local urban and
> agricultural streams" and Jan Thompson, Natural Resource Ecology and
> Management, who will present on "Local participation in storm water
> management: The Daley Park riparian buffer."
>
> Further details will be announced as we have them. There will be a short
> business meeting and election of officers.  Please plan to attend!
>
>
> *A Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival*
> <www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org> and Enviro Fair of local
> environmental group displays is being planned for Saturday evening.
> April 25th. The event is being sponsored by JAX Outdoor Gear.  Watch
> for further details.
>
>
> And the *IOWATER Statewide Snapshots *will be held on May 16, July 18
> and October 10. Support from IOWATER and the UHL will be very limited
> through June due to budget constraints. There will be no lab analysis
> unless we cover that cost ourselves.  We'll plan to go ahead with our
> May Squaw Creek snapshot using only the IOWATER field tests, but we will
> need to take care to /make the best use of our remaining supplies.
> Please check your equipment and expiration dates!
>

--
www.skunkriverpaddlers.org
www.squawcreekwatershed.org

All -

As many of you may know, a proposed amendment to an Ag & Natural
Resources Appropriations Bill (SF467) threatens to gut a portion of the
REAP Open Spaces Program.

This amendment could severely reduce REAP funding of a multitude of
important recreational and natural resource conservation projects
including the state Protected Waters Program. Even (or especially) in
these difficult times, I think we'd all agree that these projects are
too important to put on the back shelf.  These projects and acquisitions
add to the health and well-being of Iowa citizens, and often to our
watersheds, and collectively add millions of dollars to local economies.

I hope you can take a moment to to express your opposition to this
amendment. If you don't have the contact information for your
representative you can find it at http://www.legis.state.ia.us/FindLeg/


----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Mark Ackelson <mackelson@...>
Sent: Wednesday, April 8, 2009 11:15:31 AM
Subject: REAP Open Space and Protected Water Areas Program Under Attack

Representative DeBoef, representing all or portions of Keokuk , Iowa ,
Tama & Poweshiek Counties, filed amendment H-1460 to SF 467 (Ag &
Natural Resources Approps Bill).  The amendment allows the REAP Open
Spaces Account to pay property taxes due on DNR land acquisitions and
the remainder would revert to the General Fund.  This would eliminate
the $5 million Public/Private Cost-share land acquisition, the Protected
Waters Area program, and the remainder has been traditionally been split
50% land acquisition and 50% DNR development projects.  Lately the
funding has gone for more development projects.

This amendment will essentially break the long-standing REAP formula
(which the REAP assemblies and congress and every partner and agency has
sworn from the beginning that they will resist at every turn) by
selectively removing elements (which appears to be primarily directed at
IDNR) AND absolutely breaks the confidence of the public in the
legislature who has dedicated itself to REAP for two-decades!


Please alert users of DNR public land of this amendment and to contact
their representatives to oppose the amendment.


--
www.skunkriverpaddlers.org
www.squawcreekwatershed.org

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:  It's not too late...
Date:  Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:47:52 -0500
From:  Iowa Rivers Revival <rlehman@...>


…to register for IRR’s 4th Annual Conference in Webster City.  Register
today – late registration fee has been waived. <registration link>



IRR board and staff have developed a great conference for Saturday, May
2nd and a relaxing rendezvous on the Boone River for Sunday morning and
early afternoon.



Multiple Values of Rivers:  Jon Stravers will welcome conference guests
with a program about the spiritual and emotional influence of the river
and mix stories of birds, beauty and wonder found along the river  – Jon
will also include a touch of original music.



The Boone River Watershed Program-Empowering Constituents Through
Diverse Partnerships:   The Nature Conservancy will provide a global
view of the watershed and touch on the watershed project and other
planning and assessment efforts completed in the area.  The Iowa
Soybeans Association will talk about their programs and goals in the
watershed and how this unique partnership works.  Prairie Rivers RC&D
and Prairie Winds RC&D will talk about the their role in the watershed
and the Boone River Watershed Association.  It is rare to see a
successful partnership between conservation NGOs and commodities groups
and they will highlight this relationship.  The goal of this successful
collaboration is to see all conservation action in the watershed to be
locally led!



Afternoon breakout sessions include a range of river related topics:
Landscape Architecture and the Statewide Water Trails Plan – The History
of the Boone River and its designation as a Protected Water Area –
Policy panel – How to organize a paddle trip/highlights of the Boone
River Trail – Economic Values of Rivers panel – IRR’s River Stewards
Program.



Keynote:  David Faldet is keynote speaker for the conference.  Faldet
recently published “Oneota Flow:  The Upper Iowa River and Its People”
which is a reflection of the ways people depend on the river, the
environment, and the resources of the region.  He will share excerpts
from this recent work and his experiences from his time exploring the
Upper Iowa River.
http://www.uiowapress.org/books/2009-spring/faldet.htm.  David is an
Iowa author and has earned the distinguished recognition of Jones
Professor of English at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.



‘I picked up a copy of David Faldet's new book, "Oneota Flow," and am
enjoying it immensely. For those of us who love the Upper Iowa River,
the book is a wonderful resource, poetic yet full of good information.
Each of Iowa's rivers deserves such an expansive and caring review of
its natural history and value and concerns.’  –  Robin Fortney, IRR
Board of Directors



Annual Banquet:  Who will be IRR’s next River Town of the Year?  The
Annual Banquet includes the keynote speaker, presentation of the River
Town of the Year Award, and a live auction with items that are sure to
interest anyone connected to rivers and the outdoors (overnight outings
across the state, local raised beef, handmade furniture, books, music
and much, much more!



Boone River Tour:  Join us Sunday for a stroll or paddle along the
scenic Boone River Trail.  The tour includes highlights along the scenic
Boone River trail and will end at Briggs Woods Park for lunch and,
depending on river conditions, the Iowa Whitewater Coalition may be able
do a whitewater demonstration nearby on the beautiful Baptismal Falls.



Enjoy Boone River Country and celebrate the early days of spring in
Webster City, Iowa  for Iowa Rivers Revival’s, 4th Annual Conference:
Embracing Our Rivers  -  Meet new friends or visit old as we unite to
celebrate, improve and preserve Iowa’s rivers so we can benefit and use
them for years to come.  Registration information:  www.iowarivers.org
or rlehman@....



Conference Sponsors:  Central Iowa Paddlers, Hamilton County
Conservation Board, Robin Fortney, Hawkeye Fly Fishing Association,
Susan Heathcote, Hy-Vee, Iowa DNR – IOWATER, Iowa DNR – Streamkeepers,
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Iowa Soybean Association, Jerry
Peckumn, Raccoon River Watershed Association, Mary Skopec, Luke Wright

--
www.skunkriverpaddlers.org
www.squawcreekwatershed.org

We're going to attempt to sample all 55 sites again, though we will not
be taking lab samples at every site.

It is very helpful for planning purposes that we know who plans to
participate. And it is critical that everyone check their IOWATER
equipment and expiration dates in advance so that we can have
replacements available on the 16th. I'd like to have that information by
Monday evening so that we'll have time to get those supplies to Ames.

Thanks all!

Rick


Mike Lazere wrote:
>
>
>
> Hello all,
>
>
>
> Mark your calendars – the spring snapshot will be held on Saturday, May
> 16^th from 9am -1pm.  Check your IOWATER supplies and expiration data,
> and e-mail me (zoey@... <mailto:zoey@...>) or Rick Dietz
> (rsdietz@... <mailto:rsdietz@...>) with a list of what you
> need.  We usually meet at Brookside, but you can pick up your collection
> bottles and data sheets earlier if that is inconvenient – let us know.
>
>
>
> Due to the costs of monitoring water after last spring’s floods, the
> DNR/IIOWATER budget for lab testing of bacteria and nutrients has run
> out, but the congregation of the Unitarian Fellowship has jumped up to
> help us.  The congregation raised over $300 in donations over the last
> month, which we will use to pay for some of the tests.
>
>
>
> If you are on the listserv, but haven’t participated in a snapshot
> lately, or at all, please consider coming to help out.  The data from
> these snapshots, over time, will help us to get a better picture of
> water quality in the watershed, and establish benchmarks that can help
> us distinguish between non-point and point-source pollution, and
> possibly to target areas where runoff should be addressed.
>
>
>
> The JAX film festival was a great success due mainly to the efforts of
> Stacy Brothers at JAX, with a little help from the coalition members.
> Thanks Stacy!
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Mike Lazere
>
>
--
www.skunkriverpaddlers.org
www.squawcreekwatershed.org

Hello again -

Laura Merrick has put together an IOWATER Field Equipment Checklist that
you might find very useful. I've attached a pdf of the form and of her
example. The pdf and an Excel version are also on the website at
www.squawcreekwatershed.org/watershed.html#checklist

You may choose to simply use it as a guide, or you're welcome to fill
out either form and get it back to Mike or I either electronically or in
person.

Thanks again, and thanks Laura!

Rick


Btw, I have an extra bottle of nitrate/nitrite strips if someone needs
them, and a good supply of DO and Phosphate ampules. I'll be needing
Chloride strips.


-------- Original Message --------
  > We're going to attempt to sample all 55 sites again, though we will not
  > be taking lab samples at every site.
  >
  > It is very helpful for planning purposes that we know who plans to
  > participate. And it is critical that everyone check their IOWATER
  > equipment and expiration dates in advance so that we can have
  > replacements available on the 16th. I'd like to have that information by
  > Monday evening so that we'll have time to get those supplies to Ames.
  >
  > Thanks all!
  >
  > Rick
  >
  >
  > Mike Lazere wrote:
  >>
  >>
  >> Hello all,
  >>
  >>
  >>
  >> Mark your calendars – the spring snapshot will be held on Saturday, May
  >> 16^th from 9am -1pm.  Check your IOWATER supplies and expiration data,
  >> and e-mail me (zoey@... <mailto:zoey@...>) or Rick
Dietz
  >> (rsdietz@... <mailto:rsdietz@...>) with a list of what you
  >> need.  We usually meet at Brookside, but you can pick up your
collection
  >> bottles and data sheets earlier if that is inconvenient – let us know.
  >>
  >>
  >>
  >> Due to the costs of monitoring water after last spring’s floods, the
  >> DNR/IIOWATER budget for lab testing of bacteria and nutrients has run
  >> out, but the congregation of the Unitarian Fellowship has jumped up to
  >> help us.  The congregation raised over $300 in donations over the last
  >> month, which we will use to pay for some of the tests.
  >>
  >>
  >>
  >> If you are on the listserv, but haven’t participated in a snapshot
  >> lately, or at all, please consider coming to help out.  The data from
  >> these snapshots, over time, will help us to get a better picture of
  >> water quality in the watershed, and establish benchmarks that can help
  >> us distinguish between non-point and point-source pollution, and
  >> possibly to target areas where runoff should be addressed.
  >>
  >>
  >>
  >> The JAX film festival was a great success due mainly to the efforts of
  >> Stacy Brothers at JAX, with a little help from the coalition members.
  >> Thanks Stacy!
  >>
  >>
  >>
  >> Thanks,
  >>
  >>
  >>
  >> Mike Lazere


--
www.skunkriverpaddlers.org
www.squawcreekwatershed.org

-----Original Message-----
From: "Hoffman, David [DNR]" <David.Hoffman@...>
To: "wolf@..." <wolf@...>
Cc: "Andrews, Ron [DNR]" <Ron.Andrews@...>, "nelson@..."
<nelson@...>, Gaylan crim <gbcrim@...>,
"CLenze@..." <CLenze@...>, "Schlarbaum, Pat [DNR]"
<Pat.Schlarbaum@...>, "sander@..." <sander@...>,
"krberns@..." <krberns@...>, "honeyman@..."
<honeyman@...>, "lwmorton@..." <lwmorton@...>,
"Shepherd, Stephanie [DNR]" <Stephanie.Shepherd@...>, "Harr, Doug
[DNR]" <Doug.Harr@...>, "Ehresman, Bruce [DNR]"
<Bruce.Ehresman@...>, James Pease <jlpease@...>, "Augustoni,
Lori " <LAugustoni@...>, Elizabeth Bruccoleri <ebruccoleri@...>,
"Lynch, Colleen" <CLynch@...>, "Megan Ross (E-mail)" <mross@...>,
"Miller Rhonda (E-mail)" <rhondamiller@...>
Date: 06/01/09 10:01
Subject: 6 cygnets at ISU Kelley Farm

Thanks for the report.

Amazing story!
Wetland habitat restored,... and voila.  "Build it,... and They Will Come" an
Iowa and a Ron Andrews quote.  Trumpeters often select these restored wetlands,
since they have the best water quality and thus the best plants.

A big thanks to all those involved in restoring wetlands and Trumpeter swans at
the ISU Kelley Farm.  It is rewarding to see the results!
The benefits of improved water quality, flood control, and habitat!

7K4 is a female from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. She was hatched in
2005 and was released 1 mile S of Granger, IA (Chuck Lenze) on 5/10/2006.
7K4 sightings:
5/10/2006       1 mile S of      Granger, IA
12/14/2006 1 mile S of Granger, IA
12/17/2006  lagoons 1 mile S of Granger, IA
1/2/2007        1 mile S of      Granger, IA
3/14/2007       waste treatment pond    in Palo, IA
4/30/2007       ISU Kelley Farm (Swine Nutrition & Management) in Ames, IA
5/6/2007        Mabaska site in Ames, IA
5/14/2007       ISU Kelley Farm in Ames, IA
5/21/2007       ISU Kelley Farm in Ames, IA
5/24/2007       Mabaska 1 mile W of Ames, IA
5/26/2007       Mabaska in Ames, IA
10/30/2007 Ada Hayden in Ames   , IA
11/3/2007       Ada Hayden in Ames, IA
5/29/2009 ISU Kelley Farm (Swine Nutrition & Management)  0 Ames Boone IA (6
cygnets)

8K4 is a male that was hatched in 2005 at Grotto of the Redemption (West Bend,
IA). Released at Lakin Slough 2 miles E of Yale, IA on 6/7/2006.
8K4 sightings:
6/17/2006       Lakin Slough 2 miles E of Yale, IA
10/18/2006 Bays Branch W.M.A. 3 miles NE of Panora      , IA
3/24/2007       Sugar Lake (Lewis & Clark St. Park) 2 miles SW Rushville, MO
4/16/2007       ISU Kelley Farm (Swine Nutrition & Management) in Ames, IA
4/30/2007       ISU Kelley Farm
5/14/2007       ISU Kelley Farm                        
5/21/2007       ISU Kelley Farm
5/24/2007       Mabaska 1 mile W of Ames, IA
5/26/2007       Mabaska
10/30/2007 Ada Hayden in Ames, IA
11/3/2007       Ada Hayden
4 4 2008  1  E Story City Story IA
4 21 2008 Rest Area Pond 3  N Clear Lake Cerro Gordo IA
4 15 2008 Pella Pond 1  E Story City Story IA
5 12 2008 Pella Pond 1  E Story City Story IA
11 12 2008 Pella Pond 1  E Story City Story IA
5 4 2009 ISU Kelley Farm (Swine Nutrition & Management)  0 Ames Boone IA
5/29/2009 ISU Kelley Farm (Swine Nutrition & Management)  0 Ames Boone IA (6
cygnets)

David Hoffman
Wildlife Technician
Iowa Dept.of Natural Resources
Clear Lake, IA  50428
(641) 357-3517
David.Hoffman@...


-----Original Message-----
From: wolf@... [mailto:wolf@...]
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2009 7:18 PM
To: Hoffman, David [DNR]
Subject: cygnets

David:

The neck-collared pair (8K4 & 7K4) at a pond on the ISU Kelley Farm (Swine
Nutrition & Management) in southeast Boone County have produced 6 cygnets.  The
family was swimming around the pond today.

Wolf

Wolfgang Oesterreich
Ames
515.232.3285

-----Original Message-----
From: Susan Thompson [mailto:sander@...]
Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 2:21 PM
To: krberns@...; honeyman@...; lwmorton@...; Schlarbaum,
Pat [DNR]; Andrews, Ron [DNR]; Hoffman, David [DNR]
Subject: trumpeter swan story pitch

At long last, I've pulled together everything I received from each of
you and have a "pitch" ready to send to reporters at the Des Moines
Register regarding the trumpeter swan nest on the ISU Kelley farm.
Along with the attached summary, I will give them three items Ron
Andrews provided to me - 2008 nest map, DNR summary of the overall
trumpeter swan project, and sightings summary of the two ISU swans
over the past few years.

Please review the attached and let me know ASAP of any changes you'd
suggest. This is MUCH LONGER than a normal pitch, but there are so
many possible angles, I want to give them adequate information
without overwhelming them.

I look forward to your comments.
Susan

--
Susan Thompson
Communications Specialist
Iowa State University
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
304 Curtiss Hall
Ames, IA  50011-1050
Ph: 515/294-0705
Fax: 515/294-8662
Web: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:  Upcoming Drainage District meeting
Date:  Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:15:34 -0500
From:  College Creek <ccreek@...>


This email is to inform you of a public hearing about tentative changes
to the College Creek Drainage District (Boone #93-Story #4).  The
meeting will be on *Monday, July 20 at 6:30 pm* at United Community
School, 1284 U Avenue, Boone County.

Meeting discussions will include the tentative annexation of additional
neighborhoods in west Ames as well as whether to repair the existing,
broken tile line or create an open ditch in its place.  Attached is a
map of the current Drainage District boundary with the potential changes
indicated.  ISU watershed modeling estimates the open ditch would
substantially increase peak flow in College Creek after rain events.

We also want to clarify that this Drainage District tile repair effort
has been ongoing for three to five years.  It is a completely separate
project from the College Creek restoration efforts.  For more
information about the Boone #93-Story #4 Drainage District and to read
minutes of past meetings, visit < http://www.storycounty.com/> and click
on the link to “Boone - Story #4 Joint Drainage District: Public Hearing
July 20, 2009.”  To find the amount you would owe if the annexation
occur, follow this link:  http://apps.storycounty.com/drainage/.
<http://apps.storycounty.com/drainage/.%A0>

Landscape Architecture Lab
534 College of Design - ISU
515-294-9297
http://creekcommunities.design.iastate.edu/College_Creek.html


--
www.skunkriverpaddlers.org
www.squawcreekwatershed.org

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:  Frog and Toad Creek Chat
Date:  Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:50:13 -0500
From:  College Creek <ccreek@...>
To:  Recipient list suppressed:;



Please join us on *Wednesday, August 5th *at 6:30 for the next creek
chat.  We will meet at the Daley Park shelter to discuss the results of
the frog and toad inventory on College Creek.  We'll share data from an
Iowa Lakeside Lab class as well as the results from the digital
recordings taken during frog and toad breeding season.

In other news, the College Creek Drainage District (Boone #93-Story #4)
met on July 20, 2009.  They voted to proceed with preparing construction
bidding documents to replace the damaged drain tile (rather than
constructing an open ditch in lieu of the tile).  Also, District
trustees (Board of Supervisors for Story and Boone counties) are
reconsidering limits of the Drainage District as they relate to urban
residents; this includes both homes currently considered inside the
Drainage District as well as those proposed to be annexed.  The District
and the City of Ames are exploring a legal arrangement by which the City
of Ames would assume maintenance responsibility for that portion of
College Creek within city jurisdiction. District trustees suggested they
would agree to remove all urban residents from the Drainage District if
this agreement can be reached. We will forward the meeting minutes when
they become available from Story County.


Landscape Architecture Lab
534 College of Design - ISU
515-294-9297
http://creekcommunities.design.iastate.edu/College_Creek.html


--
www.skunkriverpaddlers.org
www.squawcreekwatershed.org

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Next Creek Chat: Invasive Plants
Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:33:23 -0500
From: College Creek <ccreek@...>
To: Recipient list suppressed:;

The next Creek Chat will be on Wednesday, August 19 at 6:30.  The
topic will be invasive plants of the College Creek area.  We will
meet at the Daley Park shelter.  As soon as we have gathered, we will
walk to several sites along the College Creek greenway to pull
invasive plants, learning how to identify them as we go.  Bring
gloves to help pull and a small bag if you want to take home leaf
samples so you can identify them in your own area.

There are two attachments to this email.  The first document is the
compiled list of birds you reported seeing in the neighborhood along
the stream.  You have seen a total of 114 species of birds!

The second attachment is the frog and toad handout from our last creek chat.


College Creek Restoration Project
Funded by the Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board and the City of Ames
534 College of Design - ISU
515-294-9297
http://creekcommunities.design.iastate.edu/College_Creek.html

--
www.skunkriverpaddlers.org
www.squawcreekwatershed.org

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:  Creek Chat Tomorrow Night
Date:  Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:30:24 -0500
From:  College Creek <ccreek@...>


*Prairie Walk Creek Cha*t *Tomorrow
*Please join us tomorrow at 6:30 for a walk through the native
vegetation buffer with Bill Boon, noted local creativity expert and
prairie enthusiast.  The buffer includes a 20- to 50-foot wide band of
native grass and wildflower seeding and also several hundred native
trees and shrubs.  Bill will lead us in identifying prairie species
already established in the 2-year-old seeding and answer questions about
plant material in general.  If you'd like to bring work gloves, we'll
review weed identification and pull some weeds.

We'll meet at the intersection of Thackeray Dr and College Creek at 6:30
pm tomorrow, Thursday, September 24 at 6:30 in west Ames; you can park
on either side of Thackeray.

College Creek Restoration Project
Funded by the Iowa Watershed Improvement Review Board and the City of Ames
534 College of Design - ISU
515-294-9297
http://creekcommunities.design.iastate.edu/College_Creek.html


--

Hello!

It's almost time for the fall snapshot (and it certainly feels like
fall today!)   We will try to monitor 50 sites in the watershed from
9am - 1pm on Saturday, October 10th.

Data sheets and sampling bottles (at least for bacteria) will be
picked up and returned to Brookside Park.  I know it's more convenient
for those who live outside of Ames to pick up materials before
Saturday morning, so we will make arrangements for that.

Please reply to me and let me know:

(1) If you plan to participate.  If you normally have in the past, but
cannot, please let me know that too.

(2)  What chemicals or supplies you will need (Please check your
expiration dates)

(3) If you would prefer to pick up supplies and data sheets before
Saturday morning.


Thanks,

Mike Lazere

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: prairie seed harvest Saturday morning
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:00:17 -0500
From: Jim Murdock <jmurdock1510@...>

This is a reminder that we are having a workday for seed collection
Saturday, Oct. 3, from 9 AM to noon, at the Ames High Prairie (Pohl
Preserve).  We will meet at 9 at the entrance to the prairie behind
the High School.

We are supposed to have rain on Thursday and maybe Friday.  If there
is no rain Saturday morning, at least the tall grass seed should be
dry enough to harvest, although we may have to delay the start of
collection for up to an hour.  In this case we will spend the first
hour touring the prairie and learning which seed to collect.

If it is raining Saturday morning, the workday will be postponed.  In
that case the workdays will be Oct. 10 and 24, and possibly Oct. 31 if
needed.

In any case, there will be another workday on Oct. 10 but none on Oct. 17.

--
Jim Murdock
Dept. of Mathematics
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
jmurdock@... or jmurdock1510@...


--
www.squawcreekwatershed.org

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: CHANGE in plans for seed harvest this weekend
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 16:45:25 -0500
From: Jim Murdock <jmurdock1510@...>

Because of the amount of rain we have had, the seed collection workday
scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3 will be changed to Sunday, Oct. 4 from
2PM to 5PM.  Sunday is supposed to be clear, and this should give time
for the seed to dry enough for harvesting.

I know that some of you may be unable to come at that time, but I hope
we will get enough people to get a start on the work that needs to be
done.  We will watch the weather for next week and hope that Saturday
morning Oct. 10 will still work.

It would be helpful for me to know which time you prefer in the
future, since it makes no difference to me.  If the timing matters to
you, and you want to come, please email me whether your general
preference is for workdays on Saturday morining or on Sunday
afternoon.  Thanks.

Just a reminder for those coming this weekend on Sunday:  wear long
pants and closed shoes, because the plants can be scratchy and there
is some poison ivy.

--
Jim Murdock
Dept. of Mathematics
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
jmurdock@... or jmurdock1510@...

Hello

If you are planning to help out next Sat (or if you usually do, and
cannot), please shoot me an e-mail ASAP.

We will try to monitor 50 sites in the watershed from 9am - 1pm on
Saturday, October 10th.

Data sheets and sampling bottles (at least for bacteria) will be
picked up and returned to Brookside Park.  I know it's more convenient
for those who live outside of Ames to pick up materials before
Saturday morning, so we will make arrangements for that.

Please reply to me and let me know:

(1) If you plan to participate.  If you normally have in the past, but
cannot, please let me know that too.

(2)  What chemicals or supplies you will need (Please check your
expiration dates)

(3) If you would prefer to pick up supplies and data sheets before
Saturday morning.


Thanks,

Mike Lazere

fyi.  Highly recommended by Erv Klaas
>
> Upcoming lecture at ISU.
> Note that the Thursday night lecture is the official Errington
> Memorial
> Lecture and intended for a general audience.  The Friday afternoon
> lecture
> will likely be geared a bit more toward students and faculty, but
> interested
> members of the public are always welcome.  Both lectures are free.
>
> The Errington Memorial Lecture
> Thursday, 15 October 2009
> 7:00 p.m., Great Hall, Memorial Union
> Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
>
> Dr. Robert Rockwell
> American Museum of Natural History, Ornithology Department
> Professor of Biology, City College of The City University of New York
> "The Early Bear Gets the Goose:
> Polar Bears, Snow Geese, and Climate Change"
>
>
> Natural Resource Ecology & Management Seminar
> Friday 16 October, 3:10 p.m.  164 E Lagomarcino
> "Lesser snow geese: ecoterrorists of the tundra?"
>
> Dr. Rockwell is widely known for his work as lead investigator on
> the Hudson
> Bay Project, which studies coastal arctic tundra ecosystems and their
> conservation.  He has directed the snow goose research program at La
> Pérouse
> Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, for nearly 25 years.  His most recent
> work,
> published in Polar Biology, discusses polar bear predation on snow
> goose
> populations due to the earlier annual breakup of sea ice.  Dr.
> Rockwell has
> studied the population ecology of the lesser snow goose and its
> effects on
> arctic marshes, Common Eiders of Greenland and Canada, the birds of
> Wapusk
> National Park (Hudson Bay, Canada), the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of
> southwest
> Alaska, the genetic structure of wildlife populations, and other
> topics.  At
> the City University of New York, Dr. Rockwell teaches population
> ecology,
> biostatistics, and conservation biology.
>
> His research is in population dynamics, community ecology, lifetime
> reproductive success, and the genetic structure and gene flow of
> migratory
> waterfowl such as snow geese, emperor geese, northern pintails and
> spectacled eiders. Rockwell is a research associate with the
> American Museum
> of Natural History Ornithology Department and a professor at CUNY City
> College.
>
> Sponsored by: Errington Memorial Fund; Natural Resource Ecology &
> Management;
> Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology; IA Cooperative Fish &
> Wildlife Research Unit;
> College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; College of Liberal Arts
> and Sciences; Enviornmental
> Programs; Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture; Program in
> Creative Writing and the
> Environment; Agronomy; and Committee on Lectures (funded by GSB)
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
> IOWA-TOPICS-signoff-request@...
>
> Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information:
> http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp

Film Festival and South Skunk Water Quality Open House


Water Under Siege: The Politics, Pollution and Commodification of our Water
November 7, at The Central Des Moines Public Library (9:30am-4:30pm) and
The Pappajohn Center (4:45pm - 8:30pm)

The Women's International League for Peace & Freedom has organized a
full day of films and dialogue about water quality, water conservation
and water protection in Iowa. The festival is free, with six films of
different lengths and tones, from POISONED WATERS, a Frontline special
that takes a serious look at pollution around the nation, to a trilogy
of short films from the Iowa Learning Farm at ISU that look specifically
at the impact of agriculture and conservation here in Iowa.

http://www.iowarivers.org/Portals/0/Water%20Films%20POSTER%20Completed.pdf
http://events.desmoinesregister.com/details_events.php?eventID=130733


South Skunk Water Quality Open House
November 9, 5-7pm at the Ames Water Pollution Control (WPC) Facility,
56797 280th St.

The public has been invited to attend and learn about disinfection
alternatives for the Ames Facility and to provide input on the project
prior to a final recommendation to the Ames City Council.

The Ames WPC Facility can be reached by taking Hwy 30 east to R70, and
R70 south to 280th.


You may also have seen the article by Perry Beeman in last Sunday's Des
Moines Register, "Sewer plants pollute water"
(http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20091101/NEWS/911010345/1001/).
   Great article, I thought, but the South Skunk was unfairly represented
as carrying "almost nothing but sewage" during dry weather.

The Ames discharge to the South Skunk may account for the majority of
flow at times, but it is not sewage. The facility has a remarkable
record of compliance with its NPDES Permit and the proposed improvements
will further protect public health and the environment.


--
www.skunkriverpaddlers.org
www.squawcreekwatershed.org