(NOTE: Story/photos will be updated as electricity/Internet become available) UPDATED: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 14, with more photos; comments from Stacey Walker Dutch elm disease and invasive pests such as emerald ash borer change landscapes over time, but the Aug. 10, 2020, derecho windstorm that swept through Iowa with hurricane-force winds dramatically altered many parts of […]
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Category: Environment
“This is not the end” neighbors vow afte
CEDAR RAPIDS — Homeowners near a prairie where Cargill wants to build an industrial railyard are considering their options after a judge ruled against them. “We are extremely disappointed with Cargill’s plans to ruin this prairie to the public’s detriment and the property damage that it will inflict on surrounding neighborhoods,” Jeremiah Kenny, president of […]
One last hurrah? Fate of Iowa prairie po...
CEDAR RAPIDS — Acres of prairie transform in summer to a sea of lavender and gold in southeast Cedar Rapids. Years in the making, the Prairie Pollinator Zone, at Stewart Road and Otis Avenue SE, provides a tranquil sanctuary in the city for butterflies, bees and other pollinators that dance flower-to-flower, with milkweed — the […]
Environmental challenges remain as world...
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the world is marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day somewhat in isolation, even as environmental challenges mount around the globe and close to home. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 to draw attention to environmental issues and advocate for clean air and clean water. This year, April […]
Legal filing calls Cargill attempts to b...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A lawsuit that attempts to halt Cargill from building a 200-car, 12-track industrial railyard in a residential neighborhood has new backing. Members of the Prairie Park neighborhood, in southeast Cedar Rapids, have filed to intervene in the lawsuit by State Sen. Rob Hogg and his wife Kate Hogg, which seeks to […]
Demonstrators brave cold to turn up heat...
CEDAR RAPIDS — Protesters greeted the chairman and CEO of Cargill to Cedar Rapids with signs and chants against the global ag giant for its environmental track record. Hosted by Mighty Earth, a global environmental organization that works to protect tropical forests, oceans and the climate, more than a dozen people demonstrated Wednesday, Jan. 29 […]
Hundreds demand factory farm moratorium ...
Iowans living in rural communities are virtually helpless when a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, also known as a factory farm, sets its sights on nearby properties. Issues go beyond the stench that neighbors are forced to tolerate, as the sewage produced by these facilities, which pack in animals in small quarters, leads to pollution of […]
Cedar Rapids City Council legacy: sacrif...
By Cindy Hadish CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Mayor Brad Hart wished everyone “happy holidays” at the end of a 3-hour City Council meeting. Hart might have an easier time achieving that than the residents of the Rompot/Prairie Park Fishery neighborhood, where the council had just approved rezoning to allow ag giant Cargill to build a […]
City leaders hear message touting value ...
CEDAR RAPIDS — Urban dwellers who live near green spaces are less likely to die early, according to a new study; one of several presented at the Trees Forever “Our Woodland Legacy” Symposium. The forum, on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, comes coincidentally just days before the Cedar Rapids City Council is scheduled to vote on […]
One council member votes for nature in C...
CEDAR RAPIDS — Residents of a southeast Cedar Rapids neighborhood once again pleaded their case to halt Cargill’s proposal to build an industrial railyard next door to their homes and a nature corridor. More: Neighbors say truth on their side About 25 people spoke during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, with […]