Went for a walk today

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We've had a prairie restoration area that the state has been working on since 1960. A couple weeks ago a newly restored area opened to the public and this was the first time we were able to walk it with the dogs. The slight "haze" in the photos is actually smoke from the fires in Canada.

Part of the wetlands have had river otters reintroduced. The den is one of several along the way-I couldn't get pictures of the otters but they were playing around the area. There are also cranes, blue herons, beavers, and just an incredible amount of wildlife.



They've been working on restoring the prairie to what it would have looked like before the advent of plows, along with the backwaters, marshes and wetlands.




The dogs love the new sights and smells. They also love to run off-leash. We were the only ones out there this morning so they could run all they wanted. A few times they disappeared, but a quick whistle brings them right back.



Part of the wetlands that was restored.



We only walked about 5 miles today, but the area stretches a little over 10 miles.
 
Yeah we have those fires burning all around us. Your scenery reminds me of up here. I love not seeing a single mountain
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
Where is this located? State? I like to take walks.


Iowa. We have a number of prairie restoration areas, the photos are part of the chichaqua greenbelt.
 
About 90% of Iowa's land base has been turned into agricultural use. With only a paltry 1% of its native prairie habitat left, it's good that Iowa is at least trying to preserve or recreate a speck of its former glory for future generations to visit. I had the pleasure of assisting (just a tiny bit) on a riparian research project in Iowa about a decade ago.

I thought my home state of Indiana was too agriculture. I don't think I could live in Iowa or similar states.

Beautiful pictures.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
About 90% of Iowa's land base has been turned into agricultural use. With only a paltry 1% of its native prairie habitat left, it's good that Iowa is at least trying to preserve or recreate a speck of its former glory for future generations to visit. I had the pleasure of assisting (just a tiny bit) on a riparian research project in Iowa about a decade ago.

I thought my home state of Indiana was too agriculture. I don't think I could live in Iowa or similar states.

Beautiful pictures.


Your numbers are a bit misleading.

Our highest GDP industry is manufacturing; agriculture is our #4 GDP industry (manufacturing GDP is almost 4 times the agriculture GDP). Agriculture takes a lot of acreage, but that also includes orchards, vineyards, vegetable farms, livestock and most recently, aquaculture. Iowa has some of the richest soil on the earth, so it makes sense that agriculture would do so well here. And personally, having lived around both cities and farms, I'll take a rural lifestyle anytime.

And of course, if it weren't for all that farmland, folks like you wouldn't eat.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
About 90% of Iowa's land base has been turned into agricultural use. With only a paltry 1% of its native prairie habitat left, it's good that Iowa is at least trying to preserve or recreate a speck of its former glory for future generations to visit. I had the pleasure of assisting (just a tiny bit) on a riparian research project in Iowa about a decade ago.

I thought my home state of Indiana was too agriculture. I don't think I could live in Iowa or similar states.

Beautiful pictures.


Your numbers are a bit misleading.

Our highest GDP industry is manufacturing; agriculture is our #4 GDP industry (manufacturing GDP is almost 4 times the agriculture GDP). Agriculture takes a lot of acreage, but that also includes orchards, vineyards, vegetable farms, livestock and most recently, aquaculture. Iowa has some of the richest soil on the earth, so it makes sense that agriculture would do so well here. And personally, having lived around both cities and farms, I'll take a rural lifestyle anytime.

And of course, if it weren't for all that farmland, folks like you wouldn't eat.


Pop-Rivet,

Sorry I evoked a knot in your knickers response from you. There's no need to sabotage your own nice thread. My attempt to emulate your "not mince words" style clearly failed if it provoked a defensive reply.

- My numbers ARE misleading in that there are only 0.1 percent of native prairie left in Iowa, not the 1.0 percent I stated. It is STILL good that Iowa is attempting to salvage what is left (that's a compliment). My natural resource ties at Iowa State tell me its tough to fight the ag. industry machine in the corn belt states.

- My dislike of my Indiana factory farm corn belt upbringing has nothing to do with your choice to live in Iowa. Not sure what your discussion about GDP has anything to do about prairie restoration and Iowa land base facts. And, it's definitely nothing to do about rural vs. urban lifestyles. I just happen to prefer living in a state that has a larger, more diversified, and sustainable natural resource component. If you like Iowa, more power to you. Didn't mean to rain on your parade.

- I complimented your pictures. Very nice. I work in the outdoors so much that I have to occasionally stop and "smell the roses". For me, its kind of exciting to visit the big city lifestyle. Something different. Wading in a flooded beaver swamp full of mosquitoes and black flies is sometimes not quite idyllic.

Finally, I have no idea what your "folks like you" comment means. This past year, we made 50 gallons of cider, 5 gallons of maple syrup, 20 pounds of honey, 50+ dozen eggs (credit the hens), 200 jars of garden produce and meat canned, countless pounds of fruit and veggies dried, 15 face cords of firewood...... your arrow kind of missed the target.

Again, my apologies if you misconstrued my comments.
11.gif
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
About 90% of Iowa's land base has been turned into agricultural use. With only a paltry 1% of its native prairie habitat left, it's good that Iowa is at least trying to preserve or recreate a speck of its former glory for future generations to visit. I had the pleasure of assisting (just a tiny bit) on a riparian research project in Iowa about a decade ago.

I thought my home state of Indiana was too agriculture. I don't think I could live in Iowa or similar states.

Beautiful pictures.


Your numbers are a bit misleading.

Our highest GDP industry is manufacturing; agriculture is our #4 GDP industry (manufacturing GDP is almost 4 times the agriculture GDP). Agriculture takes a lot of acreage, but that also includes orchards, vineyards, vegetable farms, livestock and most recently, aquaculture. Iowa has some of the richest soil on the earth, so it makes sense that agriculture would do so well here. And personally, having lived around both cities and farms, I'll take a rural lifestyle anytime.

And of course, if it weren't for all that farmland, folks like you wouldn't eat.


Pop-Rivet,

Sorry I evoked a knot in your knickers response from you. There's no need to sabotage your own nice thread. My attempt to emulate your "not mince words" style clearly failed if it provoked a defensive reply.

- My numbers ARE misleading in that there are only 0.1 percent of native prairie left in Iowa, not the 1.0 percent I stated. It is STILL good that Iowa is attempting to salvage what is left (that's a compliment). My natural resource ties at Iowa State tell me its tough to fight the ag. industry machine in the corn belt states.

- My dislike of my Indiana factory farm corn belt upbringing has nothing to do with your choice to live in Iowa. Not sure what your discussion about GDP has anything to do about prairie restoration and Iowa land base facts. And, it's definitely nothing to do about rural vs. urban lifestyles. I just happen to prefer living in a state that has a larger, more diversified, and sustainable natural resource component. If you like Iowa, more power to you. Didn't mean to rain on your parade.

- I complimented your pictures. Very nice. I work in the outdoors so much that I have to occasionally stop and "smell the roses". For me, its kind of exciting to visit the big city lifestyle. Something different. Wading in a flooded beaver swamp full of mosquitoes and black flies is sometimes not quite idyllic.

Finally, I have no idea what your "folks like you" comment means. This past year, we made 50 gallons of cider, 5 gallons of maple syrup, 20 pounds of honey, 50+ dozen eggs (credit the hens), 200 jars of garden produce and meat canned, countless pounds of fruit and veggies dried, 15 face cords of firewood...... your arrow kind of missed the target.

Again, my apologies if you misconstrued my comments.
11.gif



There was nothing defensive about it. In my "not mince words" style, I simply like to point out ignorance when I see it.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
About 90% of Iowa's land base has been turned into agricultural use. With only a paltry 1% of its native prairie habitat left, it's good that Iowa is at least trying to preserve or recreate a speck of its former glory for future generations to visit. I had the pleasure of assisting (just a tiny bit) on a riparian research project in Iowa about a decade ago.

I thought my home state of Indiana was too agriculture. I don't think I could live in Iowa or similar states.

Beautiful pictures.


Your numbers are a bit misleading.

Our highest GDP industry is manufacturing; agriculture is our #4 GDP industry (manufacturing GDP is almost 4 times the agriculture GDP). Agriculture takes a lot of acreage, but that also includes orchards, vineyards, vegetable farms, livestock and most recently, aquaculture. Iowa has some of the richest soil on the earth, so it makes sense that agriculture would do so well here. And personally, having lived around both cities and farms, I'll take a rural lifestyle anytime.

And of course, if it weren't for all that farmland, folks like you wouldn't eat.


Pop-Rivet,

Sorry I evoked a knot in your knickers response from you. There's no need to sabotage your own nice thread. My attempt to emulate your "not mince words" style clearly failed if it provoked a defensive reply.

- My numbers ARE misleading in that there are only 0.1 percent of native prairie left in Iowa, not the 1.0 percent I stated. It is STILL good that Iowa is attempting to salvage what is left (that's a compliment). My natural resource ties at Iowa State tell me its tough to fight the ag. industry machine in the corn belt states.

- My dislike of my Indiana factory farm corn belt upbringing has nothing to do with your choice to live in Iowa. Not sure what your discussion about GDP has anything to do about prairie restoration and Iowa land base facts. And, it's definitely nothing to do about rural vs. urban lifestyles. I just happen to prefer living in a state that has a larger, more diversified, and sustainable natural resource component. If you like Iowa, more power to you. Didn't mean to rain on your parade.

- I complimented your pictures. Very nice. I work in the outdoors so much that I have to occasionally stop and "smell the roses". For me, its kind of exciting to visit the big city lifestyle. Something different. Wading in a flooded beaver swamp full of mosquitoes and black flies is sometimes not quite idyllic.

Finally, I have no idea what your "folks like you" comment means. This past year, we made 50 gallons of cider, 5 gallons of maple syrup, 20 pounds of honey, 50+ dozen eggs (credit the hens), 200 jars of garden produce and meat canned, countless pounds of fruit and veggies dried, 15 face cords of firewood...... your arrow kind of missed the target.

Again, my apologies if you misconstrued my comments.
11.gif



There was nothing defensive about it. In my "not mince words" style, I simply like to point out ignorance when I see it.


In the interest of pointing out ignorance here, wonder if you can shed some insight into this (note the source, FWIW):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/16/largest-crop-each-state_n_6488930.html

2015-01-16-MapofAnimalvsHuman-thumb.jpg


IOW, all that great soil doenst make anything fit for human consumption (besides the livestock that eats it).

Again, note the source, but they claim in there that the most lucrative human consumption crop is $4.5M/yr on wheat... Yet I thought IA had a very good wine trail (notionally good grape valuation unless the transfer cost is exceptionally low) amongst other things.
 
Well, most of the animal feed get turned into human food eventually. Iowa isn't just a featureless sea of corn though.
We've visited http://www.seedsavers.org/visit and its quite the rural paradise in that area atleast.
I'm sure they could grow lots of veggies there, but farmers tend to grow what makes sense to grow in their area, given the soil, climate, and market. Cheap meat consumption world wide is going up and the demand for corn will most likely rise with it.
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Well, most of the animal feed get turned into human food eventually. Iowa isn't just a featureless sea of corn though.
We've visited http://www.seedsavers.org/visit and its quite the rural paradise in that area atleast.
I'm sure they could grow lots of veggies there, but farmers tend to grow what makes sense to grow in their area, given the soil, climate, and market. Cheap meat consumption world wide is going up and the demand for corn will most likely rise with it.


Understood. It is the 100% claim for IA that is most dubious.
 
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