CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — EcoFest, the popular Earth Day celebration in Cedar Rapids, made a comeback on April 23, 2022, after a two-year hiatus. After cancelling in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and going virtual in 2021, EcoFest returned to NewBo City Market, 1100 Third St. SE. High winds offered a challenge, but storms […]
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Category: Environment
EcoFest set to return to NewBo City Mark...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — After cancelling in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and going virtual in 2021, the popular Earth Day celebration known as EcoFest is scheduled to return on Saturday, April 23, 2022. The event will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at NewBo City Market, 1100 Third St. SE. See photos of […]
Cedar Rapids City Council to consider re...
UPDATE : March 8, 2022 — Despite an objection from a resident who pointed out the agenda item was inaccurately worded — giving the impression that Cargill paid $32,800 for the land rather than $83,200 — the City Council voted to approve the reimbursement to the Iowa DNR as part of the consent agenda. The […]
Impaired Iowa creek changes course to be...
Farmers Creek in Eastern Iowa has become a candidate for delisting from the state’s impaired waters list and has been recognized as a water quality success story by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Jackson County creek was placed on the impaired list in 2000 after fish kills in 1997 and 1998 caused by livestock […]
Nature’s gardeners: Celebrating National
They’re not everyone’s favorite, as the ubiquitous squirrel wreaks havoc on birdfeeders, electrical cables and more, but Iowans and the country as a whole can celebrate their benefits during National Squirrel Appreciation Day on Jan. 21. The holiday began in 2001, at the suggestion of wildlife rehabilitation specialist Christy Hargrove “to encourage kind attitudes towards […]
Neighbors win one round in battle agains...
UPDATED 10 p.m. with statement from Cargill Residents opposed to Cargill constructing an industrial railyard in a prairie pollinator zone in their Cedar Rapids neighborhood were unfairly denied a hearing, according to the Iowa Court of Appeals. The court ordered in its Nov. 23, 2021, opinion that plaintiffs Rob and Kate Hogg and neighboring homeowners […]
No fear: Daylight Saving Time continues ...
Don’t worry about setting your clocks back an hour until next week. Daylight Saving Time ends in 2021 on the latest date possible: Nov. 7. The switch to Standard Time happens annually on the first Sunday in November, making Nov. 7 the latest possible date for the change. Be sure to “fall back” and set […]
Residents worry Rompot will meet same fa...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Cargill plans to demolish a home in the Rompot neighborhood near the industrial railyard the ag giant is constructing that displaced a prairie pollinator zone. More: See “before” and “after” photos of the Prairie Pollinator Zone According to City Assessor records, Cargill bought the 1,000-square-foot, single-family home in August for $150,000 […]
Iowa River Corridor battles reed canary ...
Our family’s heritage farm, known as Sandhill Acres, is located in rural Chelsea, Iowa, and while we seem to be in a constant battle with weeds, another battle takes place nearby along the Iowa River Corridor. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources notes that a program is underway to cut and bale reed canary grass […]
Survey finds Iowa lost more than 7 milli...
Iowans lost an estimated $20 million in annual benefits from urban tree canopy damaged by the hurricane-strength derecho in August 2020, according to the results of a recently completed survey conducted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Findings were included in a report, available online at https://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/forestry/DerechoReport.pdf, which estimated nearly 4.5 million trees were […]