By Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa)

The gates of the Iowa State Fair will open at 8 o’clock this morning and early birds are encouraged to join the 10th annual Iowa State Fair Historical Walking Tour.

State curator Leo Landis says the goal of the tour is two-fold, to entertain fairgoers with interesting fair facts, and to start the day with a little exercise.

“We’ll begin with some opening remarks at 8:15 at the DNR Courtyard, so just off of Grand Avenue on the west side of the fairgrounds,” Landis says. “We’ll start the walking tour at about 8:30. It’ll be about a 1K walk. We’ll go from the DNR Courtyard and wrap up for the opening ceremonies at the Sheep Barn at nine o’clock.”

Several of Iowa’s top leaders will be on the tour, including Governor Kim Reynolds, State Historical Society of Iowa Administrator Valerie Van Kooten, and Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon.

Landis notes the fairgrounds in Des Moines weren’t always the site of the Iowa State Fair, as the location shuffled around to several cities in its first few decades.

“The State Fair began in 1854 in Fairfield, and then it moved around the state — being in Muscatine, being in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, at different times,” Landis says. “It moves to that location in 1886. The city of Des Moines and the state legislature appropriated funds to purchase the Calvin and Armenta Thornton farm.”

Landis says guides from the State Historical Society of Iowa will share stories about a host of historic sites along the walk.

“We like to remind people of the history, buildings like the permanent building of the Agriculture Building, opening in 1904,” Landis says. “Those first buildings were just wooden structures, but we also talk about things like the Varied Industries Building. When it first opened, it was Machinery Hall in 1911.”

Walkers will learn about the importance of Iowa’s wool industry in the Civil War, and about role of Mary Beaumont Welch of Ames in promoting domestic economy, later called home economics, in the late 1800s. They’ll also hear about Iowan Jay “Ding” Darling, a national leader for wildlife habitat protection who earned two Pulitzer Prizes for his political cartoons in the Des Moines Register.

Today’s event is being co-hosted by the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative, and the historical walking tour is included with fair admission.

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources announced today that eight Iowa Soil and Water Conservation Districts will receive $273,489.81 in water quality cost-share funding from the Publicly Owned Lakes program to help protect and enhance nine public lakes in Iowa.

Jointly administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Publicly Owned Lakes program provides cost-share funding to landowners for conservation practices on private land within watersheds above public lakes and reservoirs. Eligible practices include soil conservation and water quality practices that reduce nutrient loss and sediment delivery to Iowa’s public lakes. These resources complement additional efforts by the state and other public and private partners to enhance and protect water quality in Iowa lakes and other surface water.

“Iowa’s public lakes are invaluable assets to our state, and we want Iowans to continue to enjoy and recreate on these beautiful attractions for generations to come,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “By establishing partnerships with public and private partners as well as farmers and landowners, we can effectively accelerate the adoption of proven conservation and water quality practices to help enhance our public lakes.”

“Iowans value water quality and desire safe, healthy lakes for outdoor recreation,” said Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon. “Establishing partnerships to implement conservation practices on land draining into our public lakes is crucial for enhancing and protecting water quality for future generations.”

Each year, a percentage of funding the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship receives for soil conservation cost-share goes toward protecting the water quality of publicly owned lakes in Iowa. Local Soil and Water Conservation Districts submit applications, which the Iowa Department of Natural Resources uses to establish a priority list of watersheds above significant public lakes. Private landowners are then eligible to receive additional cost-share for practices that improve water quality.

The funding will allow for targeted conservation practices, including cover crops, water and sediment control basins, terraces, grade stabilization structures, and other proven practices. The adoption of these practices, implemented through landowner cost-share and state investment, will help protect these lakes for the enjoyment of all Iowans and those who visit our state.

The following lakes were selected for cost-share funding this year:

Clarke County Reservoir

Clarke County Soil and Water Conservation District

$36,762.00

Lake Geode

Des Moines County Soil and Water Conservation District

Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District

$19,162.50

Lake Icaria

Adams County Soil and Water Conservation District

$111,000.00

Lake Miami

Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District

$4,979.81

Three Mile Lake

Union County Soil and Water Conservation District

Adair County Soil and Water Conservation District

$46,863.75

Twelve Mile Lake

Union County Soil and Water Conservation District

Adair County Soil and Water Conservation District

$6,640.65

West Lake

Clarke County Soil and Water Conservation District

$20,025.00

Big Hollow Lake

Des Moines County Soil and Water Conservation District

$7,469.10

White Oak Conservation Area Lake

Mahaska County Soil and Water Conservation District

$20,587.00

By Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa)

The American Red Cross says we’re now under a blood shortage emergency, as extreme heat, natural disasters and summer vacations are causing a critical drop in donations.

Josh Murray, spokesman for the Red Cross’ Nebraska-Iowa Region, says Iowa has seen more than its share of destructive storms and flooding lately, and those elements combined with routine summertime activities are causing a serious problem.

“Since July 1st, we’ve seen a dip in donations of about 25%, a little bit more than 25%, which is obviously concerning,” Murray says. “We usually see a dip in the summer but it’s even more so in the recent month here, so we know people are still busy, back-to-school is coming up, Labor Day is just around the corner, but we really need people to get out and give, and help us provide that blood for patients who need it.”

Murray says the heat impacted almost a hundred blood drives during July in nearly every state where the Red Cross collects blood, compounding other seasonal obstacles to blood donation, like travel and summer activities.

“We’ve had severe weather, whether it’s tornadoes or flooding in parts of the state, that have also impacted either blood drives or people’s ability to get out and give, so a lot of factors play into that,” Murray says. “It’s normal this time of year but we’re seeing an even greater deficit this time around.”

Hurricane Debby made landfall today in Florida, which forced more blood drives to be cancelled in that state, and he says even a minor hurricane can cause significant, domino-effect troubles nationwide. Murray says -all- blood types are needed in Iowa, especially Type-O.

“Type-O positive is the most-transfused blood type, because it’s most common, and Type-O negative is the universal blood type, so in an emergency situation when they don’t have time to check, that’s what they reach for. So Type-O is definitely in need, but I also want to emphasize that’s not it. So if you think, ‘I’m not Type-O, I don’t need to worry about it,’ don’t think that way. Other blood types are in need as well.”

Anyone in Iowa who gives blood, platelets or plasma during August will get a $20 Amazon gift card. For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/Help or call 1-800-RED CROSS.