Environmental News

A Cedar Rapids landscaping company has partnered with a team of former Iowa State University researchers to sell a climate-friendly additive to fertilizer that some experts tout as key to soil rejuvenation and carbon sequestration. It may also help with water quality.

They’re monitoring wind gusts and rains as the storms creep into Minnesota and Iowa by Tuesday evening.

Summer in Iowa is prime time to get outdoors and hike, swim, boat, fish or garden. The Gazette’s Erin Jordan is starting an Environment & Outdoors newsletter to share stories about Iowa’s natural environment and the things that impact it.

The report, released last month, shows increasingly wetter conditions in the Upper Mississippi River over the past few decades, a trend that — spurred by climate change and land-use practices — looks likely to continue.

The city of Cedar Rapids has published its annual water quality report for 2021, which provides a comprehensive look at the past year’s drinking water quality. The city’s finished water had no violations.

The marina recently was fined $5,000 for the infraction but was granted an “after-the-fact permit” to approve the excavation.

The redemption businesses that remain are worried about a sudden influx of containers, similar to what they experienced after the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. Some fear it will sour Iowans’ attitudes about recycling the containers.

The Nature Call: I found plenty of evidence of a black bear on a recent visit to a Dubuque bird feeder.