I saw two bats circling overhead this week, which I thought was unusual, given Iowa’s recent cold streak, but it also made me grateful that we’re still seeing bats in this area. In some parts of the country, white-nose syndrome has devastated bats populations. I view bats as a good friend of the environment, especially […]
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Category: Environment
Switch clocks back one hour first weeken...
Scary, I know. Some people or entities are a bit confused by the time change, which happens next weekend, not in October, as it did several years ago. Standard Time begins the first Sunday in November.
Meetings scheduled in Cedar Rapids to di...
CEDAR RAPIDS – The Emerald Ash Borer, which has devastated ash trees in several other states, has found its way to Iowa and now, two meetings have been scheduled to provide information for industry workers and the public. Most recently identified in a residential tree in Mechanicsville in northern Cedar County, the invasive pest has […]
Public invited to participate in Trees F...
CEDAR RAPIDS – Our friends at Trees Forever are busy with planting projects and much more this fall. Besides the popular TreeKeepers program, coming up Oct. 12 and Oct. 19 in the Corridor, Trees Forever’s expert staff is working on Branching Out plantings, including one in Marion. Also, the group’s annual symposium will be held […]
TreeKeepers program offers timely opport...
Now more than ever – especially in Iowa, where Emerald Ash Borer is on the move – it’s important to know how to be a good steward of trees. Trees Forever is offering the perfect opportunity, with TreeKeepers programs this month in both the Cedar Rapids area and Iowa City. Sign up is happening now, with […]
Emerald Ash Borer found in Cedar County;...
MECHANICSVILLE – We knew it was only a matter of time before the devastating emerald ash borer would make its way across Iowa. This time, the invasive beetle has been positively identified in a residential tree in Mechanicsville in northern Cedar County, the fourth location in Iowa. Allamakee County was declared infested in May 2010, […]
Climate Reality in Iowa set for Sept. 30...
State Sen. Rob Hogg passed along the following about an event this Monday, Sept. 30: Climate Reality in Iowa, Monday, September 30, 6:30 p.m., Solon Public Library – You can join Paul Deaton and myself for “Climate Reality in Iowa ” Monday night at 6:30 p.m. Paul was recently trained by the Climate Reality […]
New home for Indian Creek Nature Center ...
CEDAR RAPIDS – The Indian Creek Nature Center will be moving its offices to a new location, planned for a half-mile away from its current site in southeast Cedar Rapids. Executive Director John Myers said groundbreaking is expected to take place soon after the fundraising campaign wraps up in 2015, with Cedar Rapids-based Solum Lang […]
“Free house” sign attracts attention nea
Cindy Hadish/Homegrown Iowan BLAIRSTOWN – Loren Dostal remembers the one that got away. The solid, two-story farmhouse was demolished to make way for a road-widening project in east-central Iowa. “It was a really nice, square house in really nice shape,” said Dostal, of Dostal Construction and Excavating in Toledo, noting that power lines in its […]
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, reaches out to help ...
One year ago, I was enjoying the beauty of the well-preserved architecture and natural sites in the Czech Republic during my first visit to the land of my ancestors. Less than nine months later, raging floodwaters tore through the country. Now, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids is leading efforts […]