Filling the Trust benefits well-being

We need hope. We need peace. We need stillness.

When I need these things, I turn to friends and family and to singing. I also turn to nature. It soothes. It provides solace in a crazy world. It is a source of therapy for me.

Eight years ago, an overwhelming majority of Iowans voted for nature. We voted for the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. Yet, to fund this Trust, the legislature must vote for the 3/8ths of one cent sales tax we supported in 2010.

Once funded, the Trust will provide much-needed funds for water quality. That means improved human health. Dozens of studies link elevated levels of nitrates to birth defects, cancer and thyroid problems. It means going to our nearest swimming hole without checking bacteria counts. The $180 million generated every year will get people out in nature for a dose of peace and tranquillity, too, because the Trust will fund parks, trails and wildlife habitat.

In the midst of all that we need in Iowa today, we need nature and the peace and solace it provides.

Ask your legislators and candidates if they will speak for our land, our water, our humanity. Ask them to fund the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund.

Susan Salterberg

Iowa City