Conservation investment will pay dividends

With this legislative session coming to a close, Iowa's Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust fund hangs in the balance. Since its inception, this initiative has continually found overwhelming support among Iowans and legislators alike, regardless of political affiliation.

Iowa faces alarming statistics of environmental degradation - half of Iowa's rivers don't meet quality standards; we have lost 5 million acres of wetlands; we lose critical topsoil at alarming rates each year; important wildlife habitats are disappearing. These issues affect local communities and they affect us in Linn County.

In Linn County, we understand acutely the impact of heavy flooding. In 2008, 6,000-7,000 jobs were lost after the flood, and recovery has been a slow and expensive process. The trust fund would make money available for flood prevention projects, which could lessen the impact from heavy rains and lower the risk of future catastrophic flooding events.

Moreover, Linn County provides a model that other areas of the state can replicate with appropriate funding. Our public-private partnerships with farmers, agribusinesses and other watershed projects in the Cedar River are reducing nutrients in the water while controlling flooding. With a predictable funding source, areas of the state currently battling over removing nutrients from drinking water could have the resources to prevent them from ever entering.

We are at a crossroads. We have to choose whether to continue on with business as usual, which means one-time funding for smaller conservation projects, or commit as a state to consistent, reliable funding to respond to major environmental issues. I choose the latter. The Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund represents a smart and effective solution. Issues of environmental degradation will only compound and prove more problematic as time goes on. Small investments today will pay dividends down the road and keep us from having to fix costly consequences in the future.

It is our responsibility to address issues of conservation now. Iowans cannot wait, so our legislators need to act. Doing so will leave a better Iowa for future generations. I encourage you to contact your local state legislators and urge them to support funding the trust.

' Brent Oleson is a Linn County Supervisor. Comments: (319) 892-5000; Brent.Oleson@linncounty.org