By Steve Weisman
The first weekend of August featured the Okoboji Protective Associatgion’s Saturday’s Clean Water Concert at the Green Space on the shores of West Lake Okoboji.
It was truly a celebration of all the efforts made throughout the Iowa Great Lakes area to improve the quality of the waters in which we spend so much of our leisure time.
Keynote speaker, Joe McGovern, President of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF), reflected on the partners the INHF has worked with since its initial joint effort in 1979 and first completed project in 1985. Over the past 30 years, 62 projects have been realized right here in the Iowa Great Lakes area and Dickinson County.
He noted, “None of this would have happened without the efforts of so many individuals and groups in this area. These projects have all greatly benefited the Iowa Great Lakes.”
However, McGovern challenged OPA members, and all Iowans for that matter, to think beyond local issues and projects. “We need to think larger, state-wide. We need to think how all Iowans benefit from our efforts?”
Yes, water quality is a local issue, but it is also something that involves all Iowans. Illustrating this is the Mississippi River system that carries water all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the sum total of all of the water runoff that enters its banks as it makes its way south. Every clean water project that people do from area to area is a part of an entire clean water project that positively affects the Mississippi River.
By thinking in those terms, McGovern contends, our current adult generation can make a difference for our children and grandchildren. “By what we are doing now, are we giving our grandchildren the framework and tools to deal with their future problems? I would say yes.”
However, when their time comes and they are the leaders, do we want them to ask, “What were you doing?” or will they say, “Wow! They were really thinking of the future!”
A simple answer right at our fingertips
“We have something that we can give our grandchildren right now that will ensure that they have the tools to preserve and protect our natural resources.” It’s the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, which voters approved by 63 percent in 2010 and established that the first 3/8-cent of a sales tax increase would go to fund conservation and recreation projects in the state. While the trust fund exists, the tax has never been approved by the Legislature and no money has been collected. Yet recent polling shows strong support with over 70 percent of Iowans believing it should be funded.
McGovern said, “This is reliable funding that will always be there. This is what we can do to give our grandchildren the tools to preserve and protect. There really are two chances to get this funded. There is a bill in the Senate and a bill in the House. Both are still alive. Think what we could do with this reliable funding!”
Once fully enacted, the statewide sales tax could raise up to $150 million a year to help with soil conservation, water and watershed protection, lake restoration, trails and other projects.
McGovern added, “Together we can leave an Iowa for our grandchildren that they will want to call home!”
Big Blue Sky Band highlights day with Clean Water Concert
Led by Jon Stauvers, the Big Blue Sky Band took the stage as the sun set, and the audience listened to their message of love for life, nature and the great outdoors…on a mild August evening along the shores of West Lake Okoboji. Of course, the “special Iowa/Okoboji” song was well received.
