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To the editor:
"I am from Iowa, Iowa! That's where the tall corn grows." We used to sing this anthem loudly with my grandmother. Now Iowa is known for having one of the highest rates of cancer in the United States.
Iowans have the privilege to vote for representatives that will direct our priorities for the next several years. This is our opportunity to hold our present and future legislators accountable to Iowans and the future of our great state.
In 2010, over 64 percent of Iowans voted to approve Iowa's Water and Land Legacy, a constitutional amendment to create The Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. The Trust is a pathway to provide reliable, sustainable, and dedicated funding for proven conservation practices and outdoor amenities. The Trust has not yet been funded, and Iowans have lost out on over $2 billion in investment in Iowa's water, land, parks, trails, and public places. The Iowa Constitution requires an amount equal to 3/8 cent be deposited into The Trust Fund prompted by the next increase in state sales tax. For the past 16 years, lawmakers have failed to act. Both gubernatorial candidates support using The Trust Fund to investigate and combat high nitrate levels and water pollution.
If you travel to other states, it is obvious that outdoor recreation and conservation practices have been implemented more broadly than in Iowa, making residency more attractive to young Iowa families. My adult children have chosen to live in western states because of more shared outdoor spaces.
The Iowa Constitution lists six purposes for the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund: 1. Protecting and enhancing water quality, 2. Natural areas, 3. Parks, 4. Trails, 5. Fish and wildlife, and 6. Soils. The funds are distributed through existing programs and government agencies and are measurable and accountable through required annual reporting.
This moment in time is our opportunity to educate our legislators, candidates and friends, and ask them to fund Iowa's Natural Resource and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. Please do not procrastinate for another 16 years.
Laura Ludgate
Board Member, Friends of Webster County Conservation