Organizations across the state push to fund Iowa's Water and Land Legacy

Organizations across the state push to fund Iowa's Water and Land Legacy

July 14, 2026 · 46 min

About this episode

The episode discusses efforts to fund Iowa's Water and Land Legacy and features insights from conservation leaders.

The Iowa Water and Land Legacy (IWiLL) Constitutional Amendment passed in 2010 with 63% of the vote. It was designed to fund a Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation trust fund, but 16 years later, the trust has never been funded. A new effort to fund the trust is underway. On this episode, we hear from Adam Shirley, CEO of Iowa’s County Conservation System, Anna Gray of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, and Lindsay Brice of Audubon Upper Mississippi River. We talk about the strain of stagnant or dwindling funding on county conservation boards and what IWiLL could mean for those programs. Then, we listen back to a conversation about some of the oldest book clubs in Iowa from their members. (Part of this show was originally produced March 31, 2026.)

People in this episode

Guests: Adam Shirley, Anna Gray, Lindsay Brice

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Iowa Water and Land Legacy, Iowa’s County Conservation System, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Audubon Upper Mississippi River

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