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Low pheasant population also flood indicator
The Gazette Opinion Staff
Dec. 23, 2009 11:23 pm
Orlan Love's Dec. 20 front page article revealing why Iowa's pheasant population crashed has significance for non-hunters. Pheasants are a flood-indicator species. They require extensive grasslands to live - a habitat that effectively absorbs heavy rain.
Recent massive conversion of grasslands to row crops and increased precipitation caused pheasant numbers to drop and raised the flood threat. As long as these factors remain, there is no dry side to any flood wall or levee that might be constructed. Both sides are wet.
Floods will be part of our lives until we take better care of watersheds.
Rich Patterson
Cedar Rapids
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