Richard Leopold, director of the state Department of Natural Resources, delivered a yearly report on the status of Iowa’s natural resources and environment on Tuesday and the report card was a mix of good news and bad.
“This year’s report shows we’ve made strides in a number of areas, as more Iowans fish, hunt and camp, and water quality in the state’s streams improves. Challenges also exist, as the continuing loss of grassland habitat makes it difficult for pheasant, jackrabbits, prairie chickens and other Iowa species to thrive…
“However, in 2009, Iowa saw one of its largest investments in environmental protection and natural resource development,” he added. “This more than $100 million investment, largely a result of federal stimulus funding, I-JOBS and the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program, will no doubt have positive effects on our environment, both short term and long term.
Some other notable figures from the report:
- Boat registrations were up by 15,430 in 2009, or nearly 7 percent, at 247,190.
- State biologists report Iowa’s rivers on average gained six points on a biological index, but that still left them in the “poor” category.
- Fishing license sales jumped to 380,589 last year, up 13.5 percent from 2008, when floodwater covered boat ramps and made boating hazardous in places. The 2009 sales were the highest since at least 2002.
The full report can be found here in pdf format.
