Environmental News and Legislation

EDDYVILLE DUNES A NATURAL HERITAGE OF THE STATE
The wind-blown sands of Eddyville Dunes were deposited 12-15,000 years ago in a process very similar to the formation of Iowa's Loess Hills, according to Pat McAdams and Glenda Buenger. The sand deposits of the "Dunes" are up to 60 feet thick and there are also numerous open water wetlands and wet meadows in the 1200 acres. The state endangered pale-green or tubercled orchid and seven species of special concern have been found there. Dr. Jim Christiansen of Drake University performed a survey in the area in 1997. He wrote that the Eddyville site represents "one of the most complete, although fragile, prairie communities present in Iowa." His survey showed ornate box turtle, a state threatened species, and Blanding's turtle, a marsh species of Federal special concern.

Iowa Code requires that "Cities, counties, and the department [DOT] shall to the extent practicable preserve and protect the natural and historic heritage of the state in the design, construction, reconstruction, relocation, repair, or maintenance of roads, streets, or highways. Destruction or damage to natural areas, including but not limited to prime agricultural land, parks, preserves woodlands, wetlands, recreation areas, greenbelts, historical sites, or archaeological sites shall be avoided, if reasonable alternatives are available for the location of roads, streets, or highways at no significantly greater cost. In implementing this section, cities, counties, and the department [DOT] shall make a diligent effort to identify and examine the comparative cost of utilizing alternative locations for roads, streets, or highways."

This past December, the FHWA required the DOT to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The purpose of the EIS is to assess alternate routes which would avoid and/or minimize environmental impacts. The EIS is supposed to objectively evaluate and compare reasonable alternatives. It is intended to be thorough evaluation and an EIS usually takes a year and a half to complete. However, the Draft EIS for Eddyville Dunes was completed in two months! In the case of Eddyville, fieldwork to gather the facts was limited by the length of time taken and by the winter season. Therefore, it cannot contain enough reliable and accurate information about impacts on the natural resources to provide a fair and equivalent comparison of the alternatives.

If you are concerned about our few remaining unique natural areas, please consider writing to express your views to any or all of the following people. Tell them there has not been sufficient time to gather information and that you as a taxpayer want an adequate Environmental Impact Statement. Tell them you want threatened and endangered species protected. Tell them you don't want a "pre-determined" route to take priority over state and federal laws. Tell them this natural area and these endangered pale-green orchids are an "irretrievable asset" and constructing a road through the Dunes will have "irreversible effects"on the unique resources found there.

Send a letter to the DOT and the Federal Highway Administration and tell them you want an impartial assessment of alternatives and a balanced consideration of impacts:

Harry Budd Director Office of Project Planning Iowa Department of Transportation Ames, IA 50010

Robert L. Lee Division Adminstrator Iowa Division Federal Highway Adminstration 105 Sixth Street Ames, IA 50010

Remind the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of its responsibility to seek the least environmentally damaging practical alternative, and to require adequate documentation of such:

Neal Johnson U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Clocktower Building, P.O. Box 2004 Rock Island, IL 61204

...............................................Jane R. Clark

SPRAWL

 
Iowa has a reputation of being a state covered with farms. The paintings of
Grant Wood are a true depictions of rural Iowa as it once was.   Iowa is
changing from an rural to an urban state. The charts below highlight the
changes that have occured in Iowa.


Population in Iowa

     Year               State                   Metro           Nonmetro
     1980           2,913,808                   1,198,226       1,715,582
     1990           2,776,831                   1,199,892       1,576,939
     1995           2,841,764                   1,255,162       1,586,602
   % Change            -2.47                      4.75              -7.52

Farms and Acres in Farm Land                                                      


Year                       1982                1992           %Change

Farms                   115,413                 96,543             -3
Land in Farms        32,611,964             31,346,565             -4
Urban Land              623,000              1,800,000           +189

Between 1982 and 1992 Iowa lost 18,870 farms and 1,265,399 acres of farm land. Between 1980 and 1995 the state of Iowa lost 2.47% of its population. The nonmetro areas lost 7.52% while the metro areas gained 4.75%. Iowa is changing from a landscape dotted with farms to one filled with subdivisions and malls. While thi s change is happening adjacent to any urban area in Iowa, the two largest metro areas highlight this change. Cedar Rapids and Iowa City are becoming one communi ty. The Des Moines metro area has grown by 7% between 1990 and 1995. This makes the Des Moines metro area the fifth fastest growing midsized city in the country (1).

Des Moines growth has caused an increase in construction of all major highways in the area. Planners have proposed a $58 million expressway looping around the w estern edge of the city which is the fastest growing part of the area. ISU's Department of Community and Regional Planning released a report comparing polcies of Lincoln, Nebraska with the Des Moines area (2). The report states a region looks like Des Moines with heavy commuting loads on the interstate highways, relatively low densities and sprawling suburbs are the result of stagnate boundaries of the central city, utility service that goes beyond city boundaries, and expansion of freeways.

The Lincoln metro area with no suburbs has annexed land next to the central city , limits utility services, and developed an intergrated gird of public streets to serve local community needs.

The cities of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City are another area of the state that is experiencing rapid suburban growth. Iowa City is located in Johnson County. The S ierra Club and other organizations in Johnson County have criticized the plannin g process and its counties comprehensive plan. There has been no philosophical, community-wide discussion of what the greater community want the county to be. The other areas of concerns are zoning, infrastructure, input into the plan by a ll governmental agencies, the encouragement of development in the fringe areas, and the lack of traffic studies of rural roads.

The following stories highlight the impact of sprawl on Iowa.

To the west of Des Moines is Dallas County with the cities of Dallas Center and Grimes. In the past these two cities because of declining inrollment merged their two school districts. With Iowa's declinging rural population, this was a comm on occurance in the 80's. With urban sprawl of the 90's in the Des Moines metro area the Dallas Center-Grimes school district is suffering growing pains.

In March of 1997 a bond issue for a new high school was defeated (3). The citizens of Dallas Center considered seperating from Grimes and forming a new system for their portion of the merged school district. On May 23, 1997 more than 100 j unior high students walked out of school and swarmed the soccer field with signs and banners with "Educate Us Together". At an assemly held that day more than a dozen students me mbers of the school board about efforts to control growth and asked for specific s regarding reorganizing the district.

The issue continues to split the community (4). Some residents support building a new elementry while others support a new high school. Efforts to expand continue to be voted down. On August 13, 1997 a $3.5 million bond issue to for a new elementary school was voted down. This was supported by voters in Grimes and vot ers in Dallas Center voted against it. Dallas Center supports a new high school and acquiring land for the future. This will be in a $7.2 million bond issue to be voted on in the future.



(1) Pins, Kennth, Des Moines Register, "D.M. Boom: How Fast, How Far?", April 13 , 1997.

(2) Petroski, William, Des Moines Register. "Antidote for D.M. Area's Sprawl, August 5, 1996.

(3) Villanueva, Estela, Des Moines Register, " Don't Split Us, Students Plead During Walkout", May 24,1997.

(4) Villanueva, Estela, Des Moines Register, " Contributions Show Division on Dallas Center-Grimes Issue". August 9, 1997.

.........................................................................Debbie Neustadt

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