Access to natural landscapes and recreational opportunities are among the top factors that motivate people to visit and move to Iowa. Healthy natural resources and clean water that provides for recreation starts with good land stewardship — which requires support for farmers and landowners, opportunities for public partnership and collaborative community planning.
Learn more about the issues and opportunities facing our land, water and wildlife to understand how public policy can help address concerns and maximize Iowa’s potential.
Public Parks and Wildlife Areas 
Issues
- Recent legislative efforts seek to cap Iowa’s public land acreage or restrict landowners’ ability to contribute land to a public area — even in the case of our most sensitive landscapes.
- Very few of Iowa’s native remnant habitats remain — less than 0.01% of prairie, 10% of wetlands and 33% of forests.
- In recent decades, Iowa has lost more than 1.5 million acres of habitat suitable for pheasants and other small game.
Opportunities
- Wildlife management areas provide much-needed habitat and attract outdoor enthusiasts to all corners of the state.
- Numerous studies show that nature and open space supports our physical and mental health, leading to enriched quality of life and wellbeing.
Trails 
Issues
- In Iowa, only 30% of children — and only 20% of adults — meet the national recommendations for physical activity.
- There’s a greater demand for trails than funding currently supports.
Opportunities
- Multi-use trails engage communities, getting people outdoors and connecting them with their local parks and businesses.
- Trails are locally led projects made possible through thoughtful planning and collaboration and support from state, federal, local and private funding sources.
- Studies show that people that live near trails are 50% more likely to meet physical activity guidelines, leading to healthier lifestyles and reduced public health costs.
- Iowa has an opportunity to be a trail destination through national projects such as the Great American Rail-Trail.
Regenerative Agriculture 
Issues
- Iowa loses an average of more than five tons of soil per acre each year. Conservation is a critical component of ensuring long-term viability of farming and ranching.
- Farmers and landowners need support and options to diversify their operation and manage land holistically.
Opportunities
- To sustain Iowa’s tradition as a leading agricultural state, we must empower landowners and tenants to protect and enhance soil, water and fragile lands.
- Regenerative agriculture utilizes a diverse set of practices, such as no-till planting, year-round ground cover and holistic grazing.
- Through restoration, unproductive agricultural land can become highly productive conservation land by providing habitat for wildlife and pollinators, natural water filtration systems and opportunities for outdoor recreation.
- Public policy can support cost-share programs and other options that landowners and farmers have for managing their land, including their choices for how to retire land from production.
Water 
Issues
- Poor water quality can pose serious health risks and often disproportionately impacts rural areas, where the cost of cleaning drinking water is shouldered by a smaller population.
- Beach closures due to excess bacteria and toxins have a negative impact on economic opportunity.
Opportunities
- Iowa’s lakes, rivers and streams are important sources for drinking, fishing and recreating. The quality of our water has a direct impact on the economic stability and health of our communities.
- Lakes and rivers support local businesses by attracting visitors and tourists.
- The Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS), Iowa's primary water quality and sustainable agriculture policy, identifies effective nutrient management and erosion control practices, such as wetland and grassland restoration, cover crops and extended crop rotations, and perennial buffers and floodplain protection. While implementation of the NRS is underway, public policy and investment can accelerate the adoption of conservation practices.