Environmental News

Although fertilizer costs have spiked, farmers still have a business case to use it. Farmers from central Missouri describe their challenges in balancing business and practices that would benefit the environment. They often want to use alternative methods but are hesitant to make changes that could affect their profits.

If your holiday plans include a dip in a nearby lake -- good news -- most of Iowa’s 40 state park beaches have water quality within safe standards for swimming this week. Seven don’t, so take a look at our list.

In its 20th year, the Iowa Project AWARE summer cleanup is July 9 to 14 and covers 65 miles of the middle Iowa River from east of Marshalltown to Belle Plaine.

The lingering presence of wildfire smoke has made for an unusual start to summer across the Midwest. It also comes during a near-record drought and the threat of hotter summers.

The Gazette will be answering reader inquiries about the smoky conditions and what they mean for Iowa.

The government is keeping tabs on air quality with a color-coded index as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts south. The Environmental Protection Agency uses this air quality index to monitor five kinds of air pollutants and rate how clean or polluted the air is across the country. Here’s how to understand the index.

Drifting smoke from the ongoing wildfires across Canada is creating curtains of haze and raising air quality concerns throughout the Great Lakes region, and in Eastern Iowa.

The Nature Call: New bike trail on Sac and Fox is a challenge, just like life with ups and downs and twists and turns