Northeast Iowa
RC&D, Inc. concentrates it work in five focus areas;
Private
Lands Conservation
Community & Economic Development
Local & Value Added Sustainable Agriculture
Education
Alternative Energy, Recycling & Waste
. At any given time the RC&D is assisting with 25-40 projects,
below are a few selected current and past projects.
All projects are funding through grants and private donations. If
you wish to make a donation to Northeast Iowa RC&D, a non-profit
organization, click here
to download the donation form.
Northeast
Iowa Regional Watershed Project The
Upper Iowa River Watershed has been recognized on local,
state and national levels as an important natural and
economic resource. Recognizing the importance of water
quality in this sensitive watershed, local agencies,
organization and landowners united to form the Upper
Iowa River Watershed Alliance. Their mission is to improve
the water quality in the Upper Iowa River and its tributaries,
and improve the health of the Upper Iowa River Watershed.
The Alliance has conducted research, and recruited other
to conduct research, throughout the watershed.
The
Upper Iowa River Watershed Project through the RC&D
began to receive funding in 1999 and continues through
2005.
This
project is funded by Iowa DRN- Bureau of Forestry,
Northeast Region of the US Forest Service. The goal
of this project is to promote forest and timber related
conservation practices in Northeast Iowa. The environmental
and economic benefits of timber are a driving force
behind promotion of this project. Initially this project
started from the Trout Run Reforestation Project,
a effort aimed at reducing soil erosion on steep cropped
slopes by planting hardwood timber.
The Trout Run Reforestation Project has resulted in
the targeting of other timber related programs in
Northeast Iowa. The use of GIS and water quality modeling
have played a key role in determining were forestry
outreach occurs. Along the Upper Iowa River in Winneshiek
County GIS was used to identify land qualifying for
NRCS Conservation Program 31, Bottomland Forestry.
Qualifying land was then cross-referenced with landowner
data and contact lists were created. Being that the
program is only 50% cost-share, additional funding
was secured through the Iowa Farm Bureau to increase
cost-share to 90%.
NE
IA RC&D is cooperating with NRCS to maintain
and restore cropland, forestland, grazing land,
and fish and wildlife habitat and protect water
and air resources in Northeast Iowa by providing
information and education to producers about participation
in the Conservation Security Program. This project
encourages and prepares producers in the Upper Iowa
River Watershed and the Yellow River Watershed to
prepare for future CSP participation. It also targets
approximately 500 producers in the Turkey River
Watershed that have already been accepted into the
CSP to help them maximize their involvement in the
program. Town hall meetings, newsletter articles,
press releases, one-on-one individual contacts and
farm visits, field demonstration days, informational
mailings, and project poster displays will be utilized
to accomplish the goals. Project personnel work
closely with personnel from the NE IA Comprehensive
Watershed Project, SWCD and NRCS offices to identify
and target landowners for outreach and reduce duplication
of efforts in the region.
Naturally
Guttenberg, Economic Development Project
The
goal of this project was to recreate the Mississippi
River town of Guttenberg as a town for tourists, businesses,
and employees to invest their time and money as they
enjoy the beauty and splendor of a cluster of speculator
natural sites in and near Guttenberg. This project was
accomplished through natural resource based development
in three strategic locations.
Northeast
Iowa RC&D assisted the task force by facilitating
communication and planning efforts between and with
existing project partners and potential partners. The
RC&D is also assisted with grant identification
and grant writing for all phases of the project.
The
Golden Ridge Cheese Cooperative (GRCC) is a small
Blue Cheese factory north of Cresco, Iowa. The factory
is owned by approximately 50 small farmers that produce
grade B milk. The Cooperative members requested assistance
with grant writing to help them get the factory up
and running. Northeast Iowa RC&D wrote a Value
Added Development Grant for Blue Cheese production,
the grant was approved for $500,000.
The
RC&D began a partnership in 2001 with Iowa State
University in Ames, Iowa, the Coulee Region Organic
Producers Pool (CROPP) in LaFarge, Wisconsin, and various
dairy and beef producers from NE Iowa and SW Wisconsin.
The partnership focused on researching CLA, a unique
fatty acid found in animals and many foods derived from
them. Results from prior studies demonstrate that CLA
clearly decreases formation of tumors in experimental
animals. CLA also has been implicated to have several
other health benefits including protection against heart
disease, obesity and diabetes. The questions these partners
want answers to include, "How should producers
manage dairy and beef herds for high CLA content?"
and "Can we quantify the human health benefits
associated with consumption of beef and dairy products
high in CLA?"
Northeast
Iowa RC&D assisted Wild Rose Timberworks in obtaining
a grant to help them expand their business. The RC&D
also provided marketing for the business for an extended
period of time. Through the Wild Rose Timber works
project the RC&D was able to help the owners add
value to Iowa woodlands and wood products. Wild Rose
is able to utilize local timbers for their structures,
including timbers from their customer's land, if suitable
for the project. They carefully select each part,
and cut joinery and plane surfaces using traditional
hand tools. The resulting structure maximizes the
value of the timber.
Northeast
Iowa RC&D has been a leader in regional environmental
education for over 15 years. The RC&D helped start
several successful education programs including the
Environmental College for Young Leaders at Luther
College, the Lull's Park Environmental Haven and the
Upper Iowa Valley Quest.
The
RC&D has also provided information and technical
assistance to dozens of local and regional education
programs and classes; educating students from kindergarten
through college. Through various projects the RC&D
sponsors public workshops, field days, and educational
presentation and publications for all age groups.
Northeast
Iowa RC&D has a long history of assisting rural
fire departments throughout the six county RC&D
area to obtain funding for installation of dry fire
hydrants as well as funding for other necessary equipment.
Dry fire hydrants are used in rural areas where water
supplies are limited. They function to withdraw water
from farm ponds and water bodies that have sufficient
water capacity. A dry fire hydrant is simply a suction
pipe laid underground from an all-weahter access road
to a natural or man-made source of water. Like their
pressurized counter parts, the dry fire hydrant is fitted
with special fire department connection threads that
are standard throughout or nation and unique to the
fire service. The comparative cost of a dry fire hydrant
is far out weighted by its benefits in potential savings.
Many rural fire departments do not have the funds needed
to install them. The RC&D has assisted dozens of
these departments to find funding and technical assistance
to install strategically placed dry hydrants.
The
Upper Iowa River Watershed has been recognized on local,
state and national levels as an important natural and
economic resource. Recognizing the importance of water
quality in this sensitive watershed, local agencies,
organization and landowners united to form the Upper
Iowa River Watershed Alliance. Their mission is to improve
the water quality in the Upper Iowa River and its tributaries,
and improve the health of the Upper Iowa River Watershed.
The Alliance has conducted research, and recruited other
to conduct research, throughout the watershed. 
This
project is funded by Iowa DRN- Bureau of Forestry,
Northeast Region of the US Forest Service. The goal
of this project is to promote forest and timber related
conservation practices in Northeast Iowa. The environmental
and economic benefits of timber are a driving force
behind promotion of this project. Initially this project
started from the Trout Run Reforestation Project,
a effort aimed at reducing soil erosion on steep cropped
slopes by planting hardwood timber. 
The
goal of this project was to recreate the Mississippi
River town of Guttenberg as a town for tourists, businesses,
and employees to invest their time and money as they
enjoy the beauty and splendor of a cluster of speculator
natural sites in and near Guttenberg. This project was
accomplished through natural resource based development
in three strategic locations. 
The
Golden Ridge Cheese Cooperative (GRCC) is a small
Blue Cheese factory north of Cresco, Iowa. The factory
is owned by approximately 50 small farmers that produce
grade B milk. The Cooperative members requested assistance
with grant writing to help them get the factory up
and running. Northeast Iowa RC&D wrote a Value
Added Development Grant for Blue Cheese production,
the grant was approved for $500,000. 
The
RC&D began a partnership in 2001 with Iowa State
University in Ames, Iowa, the Coulee Region Organic
Producers Pool (CROPP) in LaFarge, Wisconsin, and various
dairy and beef producers from NE Iowa and SW Wisconsin.
The partnership focused on researching CLA, a unique
fatty acid found in animals and many foods derived from
them. Results from prior studies demonstrate that CLA
clearly decreases formation of tumors in experimental
animals. CLA also has been implicated to have several
other health benefits including protection against heart
disease, obesity and diabetes. The questions these partners
want answers to include, "How should producers
manage dairy and beef herds for high CLA content?"
and "Can we quantify the human health benefits
associated with consumption of beef and dairy products
high in CLA?" 
Northeast
Iowa RC&D assisted Wild Rose Timberworks in obtaining
a grant to help them expand their business. The RC&D
also provided marketing for the business for an extended
period of time. Through the Wild Rose Timber works
project the RC&D was able to help the owners add
value to Iowa woodlands and wood products. Wild Rose
is able to utilize local timbers for their structures,
including timbers from their customer's land, if suitable
for the project. They carefully select each part,
and cut joinery and plane surfaces using traditional
hand tools. The resulting structure maximizes the
value of the timber. 