Linn County selected for roadside enhancement funding

The Linn County Secondary Road Department has been selected to receive $15,850 through the Iowa's Living Roadways Project. Program partners include Trees Forever, the Iowa Department of Transportation and its Living Roadway Trust Fund, and the Federal Highway Administration.

The Iowa's Living Roadways Project provides funding for landscape enhancement projects along transportation corridors. Targeted to small communities and rural counties, the funds are provided through the Statewide Transportation Enhancement Funds administered through the Federal Highway Administration.

Linn County will use the funding to plant 19 acres of diverse mixed prairie species along Jappa Road just north of Ivanhoe Road and along Bertram Road SE between Mount Vernon Road SE and the City of Cedar Rapids' Water Treatment Plant. The Jappa Road planting will also include four species of native shrubs with a total of 510 plants. The Bertram Road planting will also include a County-owned area immediately adjacent to road right-of-way where 15 Oaks (three species) will be planted. Site preparation is underway with the Oak trees and mixed prairie to be planted this spring. The shrubs along Jappa Road will be planted in 2013.

Since the Iowa's Living Roadways Program began in 1996, Iowa communities and volunteers have planted nearly 38,712 trees and shrubs, over 109,177 native perennials, and nearly 33,608 pounds of native prairie seed.

While these plantings add beauty to our landscape, they are also valuable tools for cleaning water that runs off the highway, catching snow before it drifts across the travel lanes and providing important habitats for pollinators adjacent to privately owned farm fields, orchards and vineyards.

Trees Forever is a nonprofit organization based in Marion, Iowa, committed to planting trees, encouraging community involvement and stewardship, and caring for the environment. Programs focus on improving air and water quality, increasing wildlife habitat, providing substantial energy savings and beautifying our landscape. For more information, visit

www.treesforever.org or call (319) 373-0650.