EARTH DAY 2005- NRCS Highlights Voluntary Conservation at Ada Hayden Heritage Park

April 22, 2005

Ames, Iowa- USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) commemorated the 35^th Anniversary of Earth Day in Iowa by celebrating the successful partnership efforts that have led to the development and enhancement of wetlands and reduced soil erosion in the watershed at Ada Hayden Heritage Park.

Merlin Bartz, Regional Assistant Chief - Central for NRCS, Mayor Ted Tedesco, local dignitaries and 4^th graders from Mrs. Tallman’s class at St. Cecilia Catholic School kicked off the Earth Day celebrations on April 22, at 10 a.m. The dignitaries and others will saw a student demonstration on how to stencil storm drains to reminding residents that what goes into the drains will end up in the Ada Hayden Lake, which is a potential water supply for more than 50,000 central Iowa residents.

The City of Ames, NRCS and the many partners on this 2,456 acre watershed project have installed a number of conservation practices, including wetlands, to filter water entering the lake and by treating upland farmland to reduce soil erosion. Soil loss within the watershed has been greatly reduced.

“Earth Day is an opportunity to celebrate the gains we have made in conservation throughout Iowa,” said Rick Van Klaveren, Iowa State Conservationist. “Without the cooperation of our partners, the Ada Hayden project wouldn’t have been such a tremendous success. It is an illustration of how we can conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment by working together.”

To help achieve wetlands goals, such as those of the Ada Hayden project, NRCS provides voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs that help private landowners protect and restore wetlands, as well as enact conservation measures that reduce soil erosion and runoff. Farmers and ranchers can choose from a variety of voluntary programs including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), and Conservation Technical Assistance. 

Over the past year, roughly 850,000 acres of wetlands nationally have been restored, created, protected and improved nationwide through the cooperative conservation efforts of federal and state governments, private landowners and nongovernmental organizations. 

Additional information on this year’s Iowa-NRCS Earth Day Celebration, as well as conservation programs and partnerships, can be found at http://www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov/ .