Fill the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Fund

Over the past months, Iowa's conservation organizations have leveraged at least $3 million in federal funding to improve water quality, reduce flood risk and decrease soil loss in the Cedar River watershed.

The City of Cedar Rapids received $2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the Middle Cedar Partnership Project to increase voluntary conservation practices by more than 400 producers along the Cedar River. An additional $1 million of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services funding will be used by The Nature Conservancy in Iowa, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and other partners to protect and restore 1,150 acres of wetlands in the Cedar River watershed upstream of our community.

As valuable as these grants are, they are still one-time funds. Conservation is a long-term investment in our communities.

In 2010, Iowans overwhelmingly approved the creation of the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Fund, yet the fund remains empty. Once funded, an estimated $150 to $180 million of revenue would be available every year to protect our water, land and soil, with as much as two thirds of the funding available for water quality projects.

These additional resources would expand implementation of federally funded projects like the Cedar River project and upstream wetland protection and restoration - projects which use the best available science and have the potential to reduce flooding and high nitrate levels that have impacted the Cedar Rapids water supply in recent years.

Water quality issues impact us now and affect the future we create for our children and grandchildren. Currently, nearly half our rivers, lakes and streams fail to meet water quality standards. We have lost an astonishing 5 million acres of wetlands that help prevent flooding and provide habitat for wildlife.

Expanding collaborative, long-term strategies and solutions throughout our state's watersheds requires consistent, reliable funding. Take the next step and ask your legislator to fund the trust this year.

' Tom Aller retired in 2014 as President of Alliant Energy's utility serving Iowa and Minnesota. Kathleen Aller is a community volunteer and board member for The Nature Conservancy in Iowa. Comments: 1089 Cedar Woods Rd., Cedar Rapids, IA 52403.