Iowa DNR to Facilitate Outreach Meetings in the Five Protected Water Areas

The Iowa DNR will facilitate meetings at the five Protected Water Areas throughout the state. The five Protected Water Areas (PWA) were designated with public input as having outstanding cultural and natural resource values from 1985 through 1990 in accordance with Iowa Code. These consist of sections of the Wapsipinicon River, Upper Iowa River, Middle Raccoon River, Boone County River and Little Sioux River. These meetings will be attended by land and resource agency staff and are open to the public.

The purpose of these meetings is to gauge each area's current capacity and community interest in rivers as important natural resources. One existing Protected Water Area will be selected as a pilot project to update the management plan. The selected PWA will receive capacity-building assistance for support of cleaner water and leadership in protecting the river's most valuable natural qualities for future generations.

The dates, times and places for these meetings are as follows:

Waspinicon River
October 24 at 11 a.m., Pinicon Ridge Park, Horseshoe Falls Lodge, Central City

Upper Iowa River
October 25 at 10 a.m., USDA Service Center, Decorah

Boone County River
October 30 at 1:30 p.m., Briggs Woods Park Main Office Building, south of Webster City

Middle Raccoon River
November 7 at 10 a.m., Springbrook Conservation Education Center, north of Guthrie Center

Little Sioux River
November 9 at 1 p.m. Oneota Cabin at the Clay County Conservation Board Headquarters, in Spencer

For further information regarding these meetings, please contact Pat Weber, Protected Water Areas assistant, at (515) 281-0174.