Backers of Iowa natural resources trust fund to make case Friday

CEDAR RAPIDS - Backers of a three-eighths cent increase in Iowa's sales tax to fund natural resources initiatives, including those focused on water quality and outdoor recreation, make their case Friday in Cedar Rapids.

Representatives of Iowa's Water and Land Legacy coalition are to present their study: 'Unmet Needs: How the Natural Resources & Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund Can Address Our Biggest Challenges” during a news conference at 9:30 a.m. at Beems Auditorium A at the Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 Fifth St. SE. They are to talk about their plans for the natural resources trust fund that 63 percent of Iowa voters approved in 2010.

The study identifies $673.3 million worth of fully planned projects that are ready to start throughout the state and can be completed with a fully funded Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Trust Fund with money from a three-eighths penny sales tax increase.

The study was compiled by the coalition in collaboration with members, including the Iowa Soybean Association, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and The Nature Conservancy.

It identifies $492.8 million in shovel-ready projects for water quality and soil conservation, including $434 million for watershed management plans ready to implement, $32.6 million for needed funds for watershed management authorities, $17.2 million for cover crops and other cost share programs and $5.4 million for the Iowa Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Progarm is part of the federal Conservation Reserve Program, a private land conservation program. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 'CREP targets high-priority conservation concerns identified by a state, and federal funds are supplemented with non-federal funds to address those concerns.”

The study also identifies $44.5 million in shovel-ready projects for outdoor recreation, including $23 million for Iowa's county conservation system, $16.7 million for multiuse trails and $4.8 million for Iowa's Resource Enhancement and Protection Program for county parks and county conservation efforts.

'There's just no question that a higher quality of life attracts higher quality jobs,” said tour participant Jon Kruse, mayor of Storm Lake. 'I know what parks and outdoor recreation means to communities throughout the state. This includes open spaces and proper maintenance of our lakes, trails and parks.”

Another $136 million in shovel-ready wildlife habitat projects are identified, including $88 million over 10 years for the Conservation Reserve Program and $48 million for lake restoration projects.

l Comments: (319) 398-8375; james.lynch@thegazette.com