A farmer’s cooperative near Red Oak, Iowa was responsible for a 265,000 gallon spill of liquid nitrogen fertilizer into the East Nishnabotna River last week. According to The Gazette, after four days of field work, a DNR fisheries biologist has not found any living fish (except some not quite dead yet carp) in a 50 mile stretch of the river. The biologist also found dead amphibians, reptiles, and mussels.
In February, the Iowa Senate voted to approve SF2324 which seeks to prohibit the Iowa DNR or its conservation partners, such as Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation from buying land at auction (even with the seller’s approval) to become public natural outdoor conservation areas. Thanks to a large turnout of public land supporters (in person and by contacting legislators) this bill did not survive “funnel” week when law makers see which bill to pursue and which to discard. But we’ve seen these discarded bills perennially reemerge like some persistent zombie. It’s only supporters, lobbyists at The Farm Bureau and The Cattleman’s Association, will be sure to bring us more anti-public land conservation in the future.
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