Full research report for Prairie Rivers of Iowa. Complied data between all research groups within our Public Relations Capstone class.

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research
Report
2014

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December 2014
Dear Prairie Rivers of Iowa,
We, the members of the Drake University public relations capstone, present our research report intended to
promote the mission of Prairie Rivers.This semester we conducted primary and secondary research to help us
gain a better understanding of the organizations current state, the current impact on its target publics and potential
opportunities Prairie Rivers could pursue. Our research findings focus on revealing present conditions, key findings and
recommendations for future growth and development.
Our research team divided into six subgroups, each focusing on a different target audience or element of Prairie Rivers.
Prairie Rivers impacts the community through a great number of different projects, services and efforts, and each
of projects has its own unique target audience.Therefore, it is important to include and consider each one of these
audiences. Our subgroups/target audiences are listed below:
•Secondary Research
•Internal Organization
•Land Users and Enthusiasts
•Economic Development and Public Opinion
•Programming
•Potential Partnerships
Some of our main findings revealed a lack of organization and understanding of Prairie Rivers’ mission and main
goals within the organization’s staff and board members.We also discovered that Prairie Rivers may run the risk of
overextending themselves in the future if they continue committing themselves to so many different projects and causes.
Currently, the community is lacking awareness regarding Prairie Rivers and the causes it champions. Despite these
challenges, we found that Prairie Rivers’ positive cause is easy for the public to support and believe in.
We are looking forward to applying these findings and promote the mission and service of Prairie Rivers in the next
phase of strategic planning.Thank you for the opportunity to share our research findings with Prairie Rivers.
Sincerely,
Internal Organization
Christy Baccam christy.baccam@drake.edu
Scott Reeve scott.reeve@drake.edu
Kelly Tafoya kelly.tafoya@drake.edu
Land Users and Enthusiasts
Maryna Rath maryna.rath@drake.edu
Mark Reiter mark.reiter@drake.edu
Taylor Rookaird taylor.rookaird@drake.edu
Anthony Thomas anthony.thomas@drake.edu
Economic Development and Public Opinion
Madison Dockter madison.dockter@drake.edu
Randy Kane randall.kane@drake.edu
Taylor Larson taylor.larson@drake.edu
Laura Plumb laura.plumb@drake.edu
Secondary Research
Tess Fischer tess.fischer@drake.edu
Faith Gachii faith.gachii@drake.edu
Bob Griffith robert.griffith@drake.edu
Mary Kelly mary.kelly@drake.edu
Programming
Jordan Hyde jordan.hyde@drake.edu
Trevor Marchuk trevor.marchuk@drake.edu
Ricardo Martinez ricardo.martinez@drake.edu
Potential Partnerships
Lauren Anderson lauren.anderson@drake.edu
Kaylyn Maher kaylyn.maher@drake.edu
EZ Okeleye ezekiel.okeleye@drake.edu
Raquel Rivera raquel.rivera@drake.edu

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Executive Summary 3
Secondary Research 7
Internal Organization 19
LandUsersand Enthusiasts 25
Economic Development and Public Opinion 33
Programming 45
Potential Partnerships 55
Appendix 63
contents

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secondaryresearch
In order to create a comprehensive plan for Prairie Rivers, the Secondary
Research Team performed a situational analysis of Prairie Rivers in regards to the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the organization.
Our team also performed a comparative analysis, where we analyzed like-organizations
that are involved in conservation efforts in the Midwest.We looked at those
organization’s programs, partnerships, sponsorships, volunteer opportunities/coordination
and media/publications - in order to complete the analysis. By looking at what similar
organizations in the Midwest are doing, we will be able to effectively compare and
recommend changes that can be implemented in order to better serve Iowa, and fulfill
the overall mission of improving the quality of life of citizens while strengthening the
health of Iowa’s environment and communities.
In addition to like organizations, we looked at two organizations that Prairie
Rivers can aspire to regarding overall organizational structure;The Illinois Stewardship
Alliance and the Conservation Fund.
Our team also looked at watershed organizations in Minnesota per client request, and
developed the book design and layout that presents all of the research done by all of the
teams.

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Situation analysis
In addition to the in-depth research conducted by each team in their particular
area of focus, the Secondary Research team determined that it would be beneficial
to include within this report a general overview of the current situation regarding
Prairie Rivers. This situation analysis provides a holistic look at the current strengths
and weaknesses of Prairie Rivers, as well as potential opportunities and threats
facing the organization. Many of the broad themes introduced in this analysis will be
covered in much greater detail and precision later in the report.
strengths
Perhaps the greatest strength of Prairie Rivers is the
cause they champion. The end goal of the organization
is overwhelmingly supported by today’s society, with the
environment and sustainability garnering more support and
attention than ever before. There is nearly no legitimate
resistance to the spirit of Prairie River’s programs, and it can
be confidently stated that the vast majority of people today
are in favor of Prairie Rivers’ efforts. Of course people are
always interested in what’s in it for them – even regarding
the environment and sustainability – but the programs that
Prairie Rivers maintains offer a great deal to individuals both
economically and environmentally. Simply put, protecting
the environment and using our natural resources more
responsibly is en vogue in today’s culture, and Prairie Rivers’
has wisely positioned itself to utilize this general sentiment
to garner support for its impactful programs.
Internally speaking, Prairie Rivers has the benefit of many
passionate and devoted staff maintaining its programs. The
staff and volunteers of Prairie Rivers believe strongly in
the work they are doing, and so dedicate incredible effort
and passion to their job. The positive impact of this cannot
be overstated. Especially in the arena of not-for-profit
organizations, having a dedicated and zealous group of staff
and volunteers to draw from is essential for success. Prairie
Rivers’ staff has a strong belief in the internal leadership of
the organization and the direction it is currently heading. This
atmosphere of excitement and dedication makes all the things
Prairie Rivers aspires to do possible.
Finally, contrary to the situation facing many smaller market
not-for-profit organizations, Prairie Rivers has a strong
foundation and understanding of social media. In today’s viral
society, the impact of an effective social media campaign on
an organization can be massive. Conversely, an organization
that is ineffective in their use of social media loses out on a
major opportunity to build their message and achieve their
goals. Prairie Rivers has a diversified presence across multiple
platforms of social media, and most importantly they have
been very consistent in their activity and presence on various
sites. It is not enough to simply have an account with a
particular social media platform, such tools are only beneficial
if properly utilized and Prairie Rivers has a strong foundation
of online activity.

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Weaknesses
While the programs and partnerships that Prairie Rivers
has engaged in since becoming an independent organization
have been generally very successful and visible to the public,
there are a few areas where we see some room to improve.
The first is the lack of clarity in the eyes of the public of
what exactly Prairie Rivers is all about. Obviously it is
tremendously important for the public to have a clear
understanding of the goals and mission of an organization in
order for it to raise any support for its programs. Because
Prairie Rivers engages in such a diverse and expansive
approach to protecting the environment and its resources,
it can be challenging at times for the uninformed outsider
to grasp the concept of Prairie Rivers. This is something
that needs to be remedied if Prairie Rivers is to move
from grant funding to self-funding. People need to fully
understand something before they are willing to commit
to it, and thus a clear and comprehensible organizational
identity that can be easily communicated to the public is
essential. We are confident that we will be able to provide
this clearly communicated identity to Prairie Rivers.
Second, internally while passion and dedication to the cause
is high, organization and a clear understanding of individual
roles is lacking. It is understood that Prairie Rivers is
involved with a wide range of programs and initiatives, and
that with the limited staff and resources they have to work
with, multi-tasking is unavoidable. However, it is important
to have clear and established primary roles for all staff
so they can have a firm foundation to expand out from.
Not having clear roles within the organization can lead to
decreased quality of work and potential confusion. Above
all, if internal roles are unclear the organization’s mission
will be unclear.
Opportunities
Prairie Rivers is fortunate to have positioned itself to
have numerous opportunities to strengthen their existing
programs and expand into new ones. Part of the reason
for this is their tremendously engaged executive board,
which is a valuable asset to the continued success of the
organization. We are excited by the many opportunities
that are available to Prairie Rivers, especially in regards
to potential partnerships, and these opportunities will be
covered in greater detail later in the plan. However, in this
general analysis we would like to highlight a couple areas
we determined as particularly valuable for expansion.
While the large number and wide scope of projects
Prairie Rivers is engaged in can make the organization
challenging to grasp for the uninformed public, it is also
a huge opportunity to maximize recognition. Because
Prairie Rivers is involved in so many different areas of the
environmental arena so to speak, they have a much larger
surface area for recognition and exposure than a typical
organization. This increased exposure opens the door for
untapped partnership opportunities and funding sources.
Along with the increased opportunity for partnership
and funding, the diversity of Prairie Rivers allows them
to expand their expertise over a wide range of issues.
This is significant in that with the appropriate messaging,
Prairie Rivers can position itself as a leader in all categories
and sub-sets of environmental sustainability. Their
experience with issues from local foods and clean water, to
environmental education and historical byways affords them
a unique position of authority on the subject in Iowa, and
potentially the Midwest.The possibilities are truly expansive.

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Threats
As is the case with any not-for-profit organization there
exists threats to the continued long-term success of
the organization. Prairie Rivers has done a tremendous
job of establishing themselves as a valuable and stable
environmental sustainability group here in Iowa, yet it is
important to recognize the potential threats that exist.
As discussed earlier, the wide variety of issues and projects
which Prairie Rivers involves itself in offers it many
opportunities for new partnerships and funding sources,
however Prairie Rivers must be careful to extend a clear
mission statement to potential partners. Generally, potential
partners look for organizations which align with their
philosophies and goals, and search for key messaging within
an organization’s website and social media channels that
effectively communicate these goals. Because Prairie Rivers
is involved in so many different causes and it communicates
this involvement to the public, it may be difficult for a
potential partner to see the immediate values in this
partnership at first glance. It other words, it may seem a bit
overwhelming. They might be more included to seek out
more specialized and established organizations with which
they can see immediate benefits from a partnership. This
should not discourage Prairie Rivers from continuing to
maintain its diversity within the environmental community,
but it is a valuable reminder of the importance of a clear and
communicable mission statement.
Finally, as with any not-for-profit organization that depends
on grants and other outside methods for funding, maintaining
adequate levels of funding is always a concern. This is a
major reason why developing programs that are self-funding
or revenue generating is so important. They essentially
preform two functions at once; protecting the environment
and generating needed revenue. Additionally, because of the
nature of many of Prairie Rivers’ programs, state and federal
regulations and requirements are a concern. Keeping up to
date with and adhering to government regulations will be a
constant task, as the penalties for failing to comply can be
severe.
Situation analysiscont.

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comparativeanalysis
The comparative analysis is intended to give Prairie Rivers perspective on what
other organizations are doing in order to discover new opportunities for growth
and development.We focused on programming, partnerships, sponsorships and social
media presence.
LikeOrganizations
KansasAssociationforConservation&
EnvironmentalEducation
Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental
Organization (KACEE) is a statewide non-profit organization
in Kansas that promotes environmental education.The
organization serves as a medium for the exchange of
information among different agencies in Kansas that are
involved in environmental education.
Programming
Kansas Environment Education Conference
KACEE hosts the Kansas Environment Education Conference
every year. During the conference they foster relationships
with community partners while offering workshops that
are catered to a variety of individuals who contribute to
environmental education in Kansas, including preK-12
grade teachers, administrators, and other community-based
educators.The workshops vary, focusing on how all of the
organizations and individuals present can collectively enhance
environmental education in Kansas.
Water Festivals
KACEE hosts several water celebrations as educational
tools to increase awareness and appreciation of local water
resources.
Workshops
KACEE offers a variety of conservation and environmental
workshops, which are facilitated by various formal and
informal community educators. KACEE offers five core-
programs for K-12:
•Project learningTree - PLT uses the forest and trees as
“windows” into the natural and built environments, helping
students gain awareness of the world around them and their
place in it.
•Wild &Wild Aquatic - Project WILD is an environmental
education resource program that helps participants develop
an awareness, appreciation and understanding of wildlife
•WET - water education program which focuses on water
related topics such as atmospheric, surface, and ground water;
water history; chemistry; watersheds; water economics; and
water stewardship.
•Leopold Education Project – An interdisciplinary education,
conservation education activity guide based on the writings of
renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold.
•Project LearningTree Environmental Experiences for Early
Childhood – A core program for children ages 3-6
•Growing UpWILD – An early childhood education program
that builds a child’s sense of wonder about nature and invites
them to explore the world around them.
Partnerships
KACEE offers a variety of conservation and environmental
workshops, that are facilitated by PreK-13 teachers,
community college instructors, camp college instructors, camp
and scout leaders, home school educators, zoo& park staff,
naturalists, child care providers, after school program, staff,
natural resource professionals, and pre-service teachers.
Kansas Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy:
Kansas WRAPS offers a framework that engage in locally
based watershed planning and implementation efforts aimed
at protecting and restoring Kansas Watersheds. KACEE

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supports WRAPS through hosting a forum series, offering
professional development and network opportunities
to stakeholders and coordinators. KACEE also offers
workshops that serve both formal and non-formal educators
in field studies as well as offer teaching resources to build
understanding of local watershed resources and issues.
Sponsorships
KACEE partners with other like organizations to help fund
and promote their programming, aligning interests and
capabilities. Some of their sponsors for different programs
include,
•Kansas Forest Service
•Kansas Department of Health and Environment
•Kansas Corporation Commission-State Energy Office
SocialMedia/OnlinePresence/Publication
Facebook: Kansas Association for Environmental Education
•Frequent posts
•Foster group discussions by posing questions for
members to interact with the administrators
•Sponsoring giveaways on the Facebook page
•Promote events and programming
Twitter
•The organization does not have a twitter page
Newsletter
• Online News on their website
Website
•KACEE has a website that is updated regularly.The
website is hard to navigate and find information.
Volunteers
KACEE meets offers different ways for individuals to get
involved at different capacities such as:
•Fund development
•Publicity/promotion
•Environmental Education Programs
•Conference Planning
•Attending KACEE meetings
•Article Contribution for KACEE news
KACEE organizes its volunteers into different committees,
based on their capabilities, interest, and time commitment
and potential volunteers can indicate which committee to join,
the committees include:
•Membership Committee
•Public Relations Committee
•Fund raising/fund development committee
•Planning and assessment committee
•Leadership development committee
•Education program committee
Board and Staff
•21 board members
•6 staff members
BridgingtheGap,Kansas City
Bridging the Gap is an organization that works to make the
Kansas City region sustainable by “connecting environment,
economy and community”. The organization provides
environmental education and volunteer action through more
than 1,000 volunteers annually and fulfills its mission through
an extensive array of diverse programming.
Programming
Bridging the Gap has six different programs. Its own board,
all under the direction of the main Bridging the Gap board,
oversees each program.The programs that are overseen by
Bridging the Gap’s staff members are:
•Community Recycling Centers – Bridging the Gap manages
three of KCMOs recycling center
•Tree planting through Heartland Tree Alliance –The
Heartland Tree Alliance, engages people of the Greater
Kansas City region, in educating and advocating for a healthy
community forest.
•Keep Kansas City Beautiful – An affiliate of Keep America
Beautiful, Keep Kansas City Beautiful works with citizens,
business and government in creating a cleaner and more
beautiful Kansas City.
•Kansas City WildLands – A coalition of resource
professionals, private conservation organizations, and
conservation minded citizens whose goals are to restore and
manage the remnants of Kansas City’s original landscape.
•Green Business Network – a network of environmental
professionals and business people whose goal is to make
sustainable business decision to protect natural resources.
comparativeanalysis

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•Shadow Cliff Lodge and Retreat Center – Bridging the
gap owns the lodge and retreat center, which is a source
of education, strategic planning, and inspiration, teaching
nature’s sustainability principles to individuals, businesses and
governments.
SocialMedia/OnlinePresence/Publication
Facebook: Bridging the Gap
•Solid Facebook presence with over three thousand likes
•Relatively low engagement from fans
•Event photos
•Promoting other like organizations through their page by
sharing links to articles, websites and events that are relevant
to their fans
Twitter: @btg_KC
•Solid twitter presence with 1,379 followers and over
2,000 tweets
•Re-tweeting, mention and sharing of information that is
relevant to their followers
•Promoting events, pictures of volunteers, and overall
community promotion
Website: bridgingthegap.org
•Updated regularly
•Difficult to find specific programming – hidden pages that
can not be accessed directly from the homepage
Newsletter
•Monthly newsletter
•Newsletters archives can be accessed through the
website
Blogs
•Each program has its own blog that individuals can
subscribe to, based on interest
Volunteer
Due to their unique approach and different programming,
Bridging the Gap works with more than 1,000 volunteers
annually. Volunteers can volunteer for a few hours or make
ongoing commitments. Bridging the Gap has aVolunteer
Services Manager on staff to match volunteers to different
programs.
BoardandStaff
Bridging the Gap has a board that oversees all programming,
and there are is also a different board or a committee for
each of the different programming which brings the total to 3
boards and 3 committees
•12 staff members
•3 boards
•3 committees
rc&d's
For other RC&Ds, we looked at financials, in order to
determine how other similar organizations were receiving
funding.We looked at two different organizations’ financials
for 2013. Recurring themes for income included memberships,
donations, grants, endowments, private and public funds.
Shawnee Resource Conservation &
Development
Shawnee RC&D, shifted its focus to become a self-sufficient
organization, acquiring funding from partnerships with area
agencies such as:
•Illinois Department of Natural Resources
•Prescribed Burn Association
•University of Illinois Extension
Shawnee RC&D also has secured multiple grants from
different foundations, organizations and corporations, as well
as funding for specific programs (Appendix 1.1)
Northeast Nebraska Resource Conservation
& Development
The Northeast Nebraska Resource Conservation &
Development collects membership fees, has funded projects
and also gets federal funding to run different projects.The
financials for the 2013 fiscal year can be found in (Appendix
1.2).

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Because Prairie Rivers expressed interest in watershed
programs, we’ve done some research on successful
watershed organizations in Minnesota.Two of these
organizations are focused on water and soil efforts alone
while the third we consider to be more aspirational as
they, similar to Prairie Rivers, are committed to a number
of conservational efforts. All of our research is pulled
from these organization’s online presence and is meant to
give Prairie Rivers an idea of what other organizations are
doing and how to begin their own program.
Whitewater River Watershed
about
The Whitewater River Watershed is the area of land and
water, including homes, farms, forests, and cities, that drain
into the Whitewater River.The Whitewater, in turn, drains
into the larger Upper Mississippi River Watershed at
Weaver Bottoms.
The Whitewater River Watershed Project is governed by
a Joint Powers Board of local elected officials.The JPB is
made up of a County Commissioner and a Soil andWater
Conservation District Supervisor from each of the three
counties in the watershed.The mission of the watershed
project is to nurture a land stewardship ethic in the
watershed.The project focuses on improving water quality,
reducing sedimentation and flooding, and improving habitat
for all plants and animals.
The watershed is in Southeast Minnesota, and includes
parts of Winona, Olmsted and Wabasha Counties.
The Whitewater River Watershed consists of 205,000
acres of land which drain into the Whitewater River.
The Whitewater River drains into the Mississippi River
at Weaver Bottoms.The maps section outlines the
boundaries of the project.
Partnerships
Cannon River Watershed Partnership
Olmsted County Soil & Water Conservation District
Root River Watershed Project
Southeast Minnesota Water Resources Board
Wabasha County Soil & Water Conservation District
Winona Soil and Water Conservation District
Zumbro Watershed Partnership
Staff/Board
•6 board members
•3 staff members
SocialMedia/OnlinePresence
•No social media presence
•Website is a bit outdated but updated semi-frequently
•http://www.whitewaterwatershed.org
Programs
Education and Outreach:
•Forest Stewardship Plans - A natural resources
professional will work with you to develop a forest
stewardship plan describing your forest resources and
recommending appropriate management based upon your
goals
•Workshops and field days on land and water stewardship
•Nutrient and manure management planning
•Customized GIS mapping for sensitive feature setbacks
•Neighborhood meetings
•One on one contacts with watershed residents
•Newsletters
•Brochures on watershed forestry, biodiversity, and
history
Monitoring:
•Citizen stream monitoring program: Since 2001, sixteen
citizen volunteers, as well as staff from the Whitewater
River Watershed Project have participated in Citizen
Stream Monitoring Program (CSMP) activities in the
Whitewater River Watershed.Volunteers collect data on
stream transparency, stream stage, water temperature and
precipitation.
•The CSMP activities have been helpful to develop stream
awareness and to better understand the relationship of land
use and precipitation to stream conditions. Local data are
also included in the state database compiled in St. Paul.
Forestry
•Tree Planting: CRP (conservation reserve program),
Windbreaks and Direct Seeding
•Timber Stand Improvement: Seedling release, Pruning,
Thinning and Crop tree release
•Stewardship plans
comparativeanalysis
Watershed organizations

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•Harvest recommendations
Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program:
•In 2013 the Whitewater River Watershed was selected
as one of four pilot areas for the new Minnesota Agricultural
Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP).The
program is designed to speed voluntary adoption of
agricultural practices that enhance water quality, while
maintaining a productive agricultural economy.
Stearns County Soil& Water
Conservation District
about
The Stearns County Soil & Water Conservation (SWCD)
District is a local unit of government that manages and
directs natural resource management programs at the local
level.The SWCD works in both urban and rural settings,
with landowners and with other units of government,
to carry out a program for the conservation, use, and
development of soil, water, and related resources.
MissionStatement
To provide local leadership in the conservation of soil,
water, and related natural resources through programs and
partnerships with individuals, businesses, organizations, and
government.
Partnerships
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Mississippi River Renaissance
Board of Water and Soil Resources
Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture
University of Minnesota
Minnesota Association of Conservation District Employees
Staff/Board
•12 staff members
•5 board supervisors from each county district
SocialMedia/OnlinePresence
•Strong Facebook presence
•Updated website and monthly newsletter
•http://www.stearnscountyswcd.net
Programs
The SWCD has many programs, we selected a few that we
think could be modified and applied to suit Prairie Rivers needs
and interests.
Lake Koronis Subwatershed Protection Project:
•(SWCD) received a Clean Water Partnership Grant
from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
to work with the public in an effort to protect and/or
improve the water quality of Lake Koronis.The goal of
the project is simple. It is to work with property owners
on or near Lake Koronis to create natural buffers, fix
shoreline erosion issues and capture excess runoff
Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment:
•In 2008, Minnesota voters passed an amendment to
increase tax by three-eighths of one percent to help four
different funds.
•Outdoor Heritage Fund
•Parks and Trails Fund
•Cultural Heritage Fund
•Clean Water Fund
•SWCD applies for grants from this fund to help:
protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams and
groundwater
•Protect drinking water sources
The Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnerships (HLRP)
program:
The Program empowers local shoreline associations to
improve the quality of their lakes or rivers by helping
them:
•Enhance the leadership skills of key lake/river
association members.
•Provide a forum for shoreline property owners to plan
for the future of their watershed.
•Obtain opportunities to network, work cooperatively,
learn from one other, and advocate for healthy waters in
central Minnesota
•Create visions, missions, goals, and management plans
for their watershed using a template developed by the
Healthy Lakes program and modeled after the State
Interagency Lakes Coordinating Committee guide.
•Establish indicators to measure the success of their
association’s efforts.
•Receive training, technical assistance and support for
citizen-based planning and project implementation.

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Washington Conservation District
The Washington Conservation District (WCD) is a local
unit of government in Washington County, Minn. dedicated
to soil and water conservation. Our mission to enhance,
protect, and preserve the natural resources of Washington
County through conservation projects, technical guidance,
and educational services is governed by the state law and
the Soil and Water Conservation Policy. We have been
providing local expertise on water quality, erosion control
and natural resource information since 1942 through
partnerships with individuals, local government units, and
other organizations and agencies to meet our mission of
the protection, conservation, and enhancement of natural
resources.
Partnerships
•East Metro Water Resource Education Program
(EMWREP)
•EMWREP is a partnership formed in 2006 to serve
18 local units of government in the east metro area.The
purpose of the shared education program is to provide
education about the impacts of non-point source pollution
on local lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands and groundwater
resources and to engage people and communities in
projects that will help to protect and improve water quality
in the region. http://www.mnwcd.org/emwrep-resources
•Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts (MAWD)
•Brown’s Creek Watershed District
•Carnelian-Marine St. Croix Watershed District
•Comfort Lake Forest Lake Watershed District
•Middle St. Croix Watershed Management Organization
•Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District
•Rice Creek Watershed District
•Valley Branch Watershed District
•South Washington Watershed District
Staff/Board
•18 staff members
•5 board members – one from each of the 5 districts of
Washington County
SocialMedia/OnlinePresence
•Updated website with new content posted often, http://
www.mnwcd.org/
•Very active on Facebook
Programming
103C.005 Soil and Water Conservation Policy
The soil and water conservation policy of the state is to
encourage land occupiers to conserve soil, water, and the
natural resources they support through the implementation
of practices that:
•control or prevent erosion, sedimentation, siltation, and
related pollution in order to preserve natural resources;
•ensure continued soil productivity;
•protect water quality;
•prevent impairment of dams and reservoirs;
•reduce damages caused by floods;
•preserve wildlife;
•protect the tax base; and
•protect public lands and waters.
Water Quality Monitoring
•Stream Monitoring Program
•Lake Water Quality Monitoring Program
•Observation Well Program
•Rain Gauge Program
•Lake Gauge Program
•Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program
•Zooplankton Monitoring
•Macrophyte (Aquatic Plant) Surveys
•Sediment Surveys
•Infiltration Monitoring
Blue Thumb Program
•Blue Thumb - Planting for Clean Water is a partnership
program with the Rice Creek Watershed. Its mission is to
help homeowners beautify their yards while improving local
water quality by creating native flower gardens, building
raingardens and stabilizing shoreline property with plants.
•bluethumb.org
•They host neighborhood parties to make learning about
planting for clean water fun with drinks and presentations.
•They list a number of resources on the site to help
people make smarter choices when choosing what plants to
put in their gardens and how to construct raingardens.
comparativeanalysis
Watershed organizations

17. 17
aspirational organizations
We also found it to be beneficial to look at organizations that
Prairie Rivers can aspire to in order to fulfill their mission.
Illinois Stewardship Alliance
Illinois Stewardship Alliance (ISA) promotes environmentally
sustainable, economically viable, socially just, local food
systems through policy development, advocacy, and education.
ISA is a membership-based organization.The organization
works to get individuals who want to increase the supply of
fresh, local foods.
Programming
•Local Flavors – A farm-to-table series that connects Illinois
growers and produces with local restaurants.The participating
restaurants offer a lunch or dinner special highlighting fresh,
seasonal, locally produced food.
•Chef-Farmer Mixers- A series of events that are designed
to bring local chefs and farmers together in order to create
new partnerships that will foster relationships that encourage
the use of locally grown food.
•10% Pledge Campaign – ISA is asking chefs, cooks and
restaurant owners to make a pledge to try and buy 10
percent of the food that they use locally. By doing so, ISA will
connect those who have made the pledge with local farmers
in their area in order to fulfill their commitment.
•Golden Beet Award – The Golden Beet Award is an award
that is presented t to recognize creative, innovative individuals
organization or businesses that are pioneering local food
activities in Illinois
•Farm Speaker Bureau – provides organizations and event
planners, as well as the media, with easily accessible contact
list of experts in the fields of local food and farming that are
willing to speak publicly about their areas of expertise.
Policy
Illinois Stewardship Alliance also works to drive policy change
in Illinois on a state level as well as on a federal level. ISA
represents sustainable agriculture, family farms, and local food
producers to policymakers, supporting good policy, and oozing
policy that hinders the sustainable agriculture.
Conservation
The Illinois Stewardship Alliance also offers resources for
those interested in conservation, including the endorsement
of Cover crops, which prevent soil erosion, offer consultation
and additional resources for farmers through the
Conservation Stewardship Program, as well as act as a liaison
to partner farmers with different environmental organizations
and groups in Illinois.
Sponsorships
•Goodness Greenness: Certified Organic Produce
•Farm Here
•Bacaro
•Physiotherapy Professionals
•Advance Cover Crops
•Mud Prairie Farm
OnlinePresence/SocialMedia
•Facebook: Illinois Stewardship Alliance
•Twitter: @ILStewards
•Newsletter
•Monthly newsletter archived on the website
•Website: www.ilstewards.org
staffandboard
•5 staff members
•9 board members

18. 18
aspirational organizationscont.
Theconservationfund,Arlington,VA
The Conservation Fund is very aspirational organization
in that it is a nationwide organization that is involved in
conservation efforts in almost every state in the country, but
it is still worthwhile to look at the Conservation Fund to
draw on some inspiration for efforts that can be reciprocated
and made relevant to the work that needs to be accomplished
in Iowa.The Conservation Fund works to save land for
future generations and find ways to make economic and
environmental goals work together.
Strategy
The Conservation Fund works to balance conservation and
the economy.The Conservation Fund implements different
strategies for different cases, from land acquisition to
empowering rural communities.The Conservation Fund is
also involved in strategically planning infrastructure as well
as investing in sustainable businesses in order to accomplish
conservation goals.
Programs
Since the Conservation Fund is involved in such a large
capacity all over the country, it has divided up its programming
into five different categories:
1.) Conservation Leadership Network – A team of
experts working together to forge conservation solutions to
communities, government and corporate leaders.
2.) Freshwater Institute – A team that works with
government, industry, nonprofits and individuals in order to
shape sustainable, solutions to water resource management.
3.) Resourceful Communities – This program, based in
North Carolina, works to preserve the rural landscape and
elevate individuals out of poverty.This program promotes
local resources and encourages youth to participate in
programming.
NationalScenicBywayProgram
The National Scenic Byway program is a part of the
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway
Administration.The program is a grass-root collaborative
effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance
selected roads throughout the United States.
In May 18, 1995 the Federal Highway Administration set
an interim policy, which still provides the criteria for the
National Scenic Byway Program. The Iowa Lincoln Byways
would have to meet the standards, which are outlined
in the policy (appendix 1.1), in order to be recognized
nationally as a Scenic Byway.
4.) Strategic Conservation – This program offers business,
government leaders, conservationists and others to help
create strategic plans in order to conserve land.
5.) Sustainable Efforts in the Midwest – This program
works to combat issues in the Midwest, ranging from issues
of land use, food security, green energy, farming flood
management and more.

19. 19
Internal organization
Introduction
To ensure an effective and efficient plan is executed for Prairie Rivers, it was essential to research all
angles of the organization which could have a direct effect on their sustainability. Because Prairie Rivers is
a smaller, growing non-profit organization it was feasible to involve all internal staff, the board of directors
and Prairie Rivers’ donors and volunteers.
By engaging with the staff members, past or present donors and volunteers, it gave us a better
understanding of the internal successes and shortcomings of the organization. Because these publics have a
close relationship to Prairie Rivers, they will play a part of the success in the company going forward.
The purpose and goal of conducting research on the internal staff of Prairie Rivers was to gain a better
understanding of three key things:
1. ) Mission and Values – Because most businesses use their mission statement as a base of what they stand
for and what they believe in, it was important to see how employees of Prairie Rivers interpreted their
statement and if they felt their day-to-day responsibilities stayed true to that mission.
2.) Current Situation – Analyzing internally how the company functions, their work environment, daily
interactions with coworkers on and off site, their leadership and any challenges would provide more
feedback on what those successes and shortcomings were.
3.) Forecast – In order for any business to grow and be successful it is important to see beyond the present
and plan for the future. Having a clearer understanding of where the organization wants to go, will help
become a starting point for where this plan will go.
Although the internal staff members play a big part of Prairie Rivers’ success, it was also beneficial to get
some insight on what past or present donors and volunteers thought of the organization, their satisfaction
levels and their connection to the company.These findings will help us understand how these relationships
are built, as well as maintained and help us provide valuable suggestions to improve community engagement
with this target audience.

20. 20
Methods
Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to
gather the information needed to further the research. A
questionnaire was used as a guideline to conduct in-depth
face-to-face interviews that took place onsite over a course
of two days on Friday, November 7, 2014 and on Wednesday,
November 19, 2014. During that timeframe, the internal
communications team met with the in-house staff members
of Prairie Rivers.Those participants engaged in a 45 minute
interview and answered a series of questions regarding their
job descriptions, daily responsibilities, challenges, successes, the
leadership of Prairie Rivers, and their future predictions for
Prairie Rivers.
In addition to the interviews that took place at Prairie Rivers,
the team conducted face-to-face interviews with employees
who were housed offsite throughout the city and held phone
interviews with a number of individuals who currently has or
had a relationship with the organization.
Since Prairie Rivers has access to their past and/or present
donors and volunteers, a well tailored survey, which would be
quick and easy for participants, was created. This survey is to
provide reliable data needed to determine how to best target
past, present and future volunteers and donors.
The survey’s uniqueness allowed it to tailor to a specific
audience. It contains three different tracks based on the
relationship the individual had with the organization. Each
participant answered the same first four questions used to
collect general demographic data. Depending on how the
fifth question was answered determined which survey the
participant took; donor survey, volunteer survey or both.
Finding#1
Passion for the organization
Employees and executive board members at Prairie Rivers
of Iowa care about the programs that they work for.All
employees in our in-depth interviews showed enthusiasm
about the projects they were affiliated with and discussed their
passion for the organization as a whole.
“I believe in Prairie Rivers of Iowa’s programs, they greatly
benefit the communities they affect. I’m proud to work for my
particular program.”
In-Depth Interview Themes
“Prairie River’s of Iowa produces programs and projects that
benefit communities through the use of natural resources.
There’s no one out there like us!”
Analysis: This provides a great opportunity to engage
employees and executive board members further so that they
continue to (and further) invest in the organization. Whether
that’s in monetary support or wanting to stay with the
organization as an employee.
Finding#2
Need for more collaboration and
empowerment amongst employees
Employees at Prairie Rivers of Iowa described that for the
most part, there wasn’t a very collaborative environment and
they lacked the ability to make decisions within their job.
Due to the variety of programs that exist, the staff rarely
works collectively and doesn’t feel that they can make
decisions within their position. Employees also lack a benefits
package which results in high turnover.
“I love my job don’t get me wrong, I just don’t make a lot
of decisions within my position. Penny is a great leader but
everything has to go through her, so when she’s not here,
everything slows down…I don’t know what’s going on with
other programs, the staff meetings don’t serve that purpose. I
don’t see myself working here in five years.”
“I’m not aware of the progress with other programs, the staff
doesn’t work that way even though we work well together…
One time when Penny went on vacation, everything just came
to a halt because decisions aren’t made without going through
her first. I don’t see myself working here in the next five years
because the liberal vacation policy isn’t enough to make me
want to stay since there’s no benefits and poor compensation.”
Analysis: Employees could use more autonomy over their
positions to make decisions regarding their programs in
order for the organization to be overall more efficient. More
collaboration would help employees feel more empowered in
their work.

21. 21
Finding#3
Employees and executive board members
strongly believe in the current leadership
Executive board members and employees are proud of their
leadership within the organization and feel that leadership
positively affects the organization.
“Penny has been instrumental in the success of Prairie Rivers
of Iowa. She is a great visionary that knows the direction we
need to be going in order to continue to exist and thrive.”
“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the leadership
of our executive directors. Penny stepped into her role and
became a great leader for the staff. She really knows where
we need to go and how to get there.”
Analysis: The organization is strong due to the leadership
exhibited by the past and present executive directors.
This keeps the organization moving in a positive direction
according to executive board members and employees
.
Finding#4
Lackofinternalcommunicationwithinthe
organization
Employees and executive board members did not fully
understand why certain aspects of Prairie Rivers of Iowa
work the way they currently do, resulting in disgruntled
employees that lack awareness of how the overall
organization is functioning.
“It feels like there’s new people at Prairie Rivers of Iowa
every month. It’s difficult to keep track of who everybody
is and what they all do. Some days there’s people loudly
talking in the conference room and other times maybe
one or two people are in the office.”
“There’s people constantly coming into the conference
room and they talk loudly and disrupt those of us
attempting to work. I don’t know why they’re there and
when they’ll be there.”
Analysis: By not communicating with employees,
employees perceive a lack of transparency and become
unhappy with certain situations in the office that could
easily be explained via email or in person through Penny
the executive director. There’s a need to communicate
more with employees so everyone is up to date on what’s
happening within the organization.
Finding#5
Lackofcohesiveunderstandingofwhat
PrairieRiversofIowastandsfor
Very few executive board members and employees could
recite the mission statement or explain what Prairie
Rivers of Iowa stands for in less than a minute or two.
People had very different understandings of what Prairie
Rivers of Iowa stands for.
“I have no clue what the mission statement is without a
piece of paper in front of me, we have so many different
programs that it’s hard to summarize them all in one
statement. I would say the best way to explain what we
stand for is that we provide community based programs
that utilize natural resources.”
“The mission statement has something to do with
conservation? It’s really vague and could be applied to
almost any non-profit.”
Analysis: Employees and executive board members should
all be on the same page for what the organization stands
for and would benefit from a cohesive understanding so
that name recognition and awareness could be an easier
process.
SurveyThemes
The survey for Prairie Rivers’ donors and volunteers was taken
by 25 current or past volunteers and donors. Of these 25,
twelve were male, eleven were female and two chose not to
specify.The majority of participants were 56 plus (65 percent).
Eight participants were between 33 and 55 (32 percent). No
participants in this survey were under the age of 26.
The sample overall was well educated. Seventy six percent of
participants had obtained at least a bachelors degree. Only four
participants had only a high school education.Two had associates
degrees and eleven had bachelors degrees. Eight participants
had a masters degree or higher.This distribution means that the
majority of people volunteering and donating to Prairie Rivers
are well educated.This helps create a target market for Prairie
Rivers’ donor and volunteer databases.

22. 22
Volunteers
None of those asked in the survey volunteered more than
ten hours.Three of the sixteen respondents to answer this
question said they volunteered six to ten hours per month.
The other thirteen said they volunteered zero to five hours
per month.
The majority of participants heard about Prairie Rivers
from other people. Going forward it is important that
Prairie Rivers get their name out by engaging in the
community rather than just through staff or friends of the
organization.
Most participants reported that they were “satisfied” or
“very satisfied” with the volunteer work they did through
Prairie Rivers. Because of this, keeping volunteers coming
back to the organization should not be hard. Once Prairie
Rivers engages volunteers who work with the organization
keeping them engaged and coming back to work for the
organization will be critical.
Participants in our survey enjoyed almost all aspects of
volunteering for the organization including: the project
or event, the staff, their role volunteering, the other
volunteers of the organization and advancing the mission
of Prairie Rivers.When asked what could be improved, six
participants responded “other volunteers,” five reported
both “the event” and “your role.” While there are some
improvements that could be made, overall participants did
not have a problem with Prairie Rivers or their projects.
When asked what projects participants would be
interested in working on in the future, participants
responded evenly across all categories with a slight drop
for log products. Because the log product program is fairly
established while the others are growing this is a good sign
for the direction of Prairie Rivers as an organization as as a
growing non-profit.
Donors
Based on survey responses most participants stated that
they donate $0-100 to Prairie Rivers every year.There were
however several respondents that stated that they donated
between $2,500-5,000. If this target market can be reached
and they can become loyal donors, Prairie Rivers can worry
less about funding and more about the programs they want
going forward.
Beyond this category many of the responses were tainted
by participants who elected to take both the donor and
volunteer survey rather than just the volunteer survey.
Accurate responses cannot be collected based on some free
response questions in this portion of the survey implying that
the donor donated time rather than money.These participants
should have chosen to take the volunteer only survey but
did not. Because of this there is a significant error in the data
collected in this portion of the survey and these questions
will not be helpful.

23. 23
Recommendations
To improve the day to day production and internal
communication amongst Prairie Rivers staff, we recommend
having accessible staff meetings that provide every member
with an overall understanding of all existing and future
projects. In order to keep everyone involved and present, a
recurring meeting time and place should be established that
will allow all Prairie Rivers of Iowa staff to attend.
Although there is a liberal vacation plan, employees seek
more benefits and job security. Health benefits and 401K
plans should be provided to employees to reduce employee
turnover and attract top candidates for their position
openings. Offering opportunities for career development
amongst staff members could assist in greater investment
within the organization and increase success within programs.
An evaluation process needs to be established to hold
employees more accountable for their day to day
responsibilities.This process will include quarterly reviews for
all staff members in their first year and a yearly review going
forward. Included in this review will be the staff member’s
strengths, weaknesses, goals and benefits/reimbursement.
Having a written documentation will allow both the leader
and subordinate to assess and compare quarterly or annual
development plans and find new areas of improvement.
To increase collaboration and to increase team efforts,
internal communication networks should be established
including but not limited to a staff calendar, weekly staff
email updates and implementing an instant messaging system
accessible to all staff members.As new staff members join the
team, Penny should send out an email with their overall job
description and overall introduction to the current employees.
At staff meetings this person should be introduced by Penny
to each member of the organization.
In addition to technological improvements personnel in the
form of an assistant director should be hired to further
improve communication amongst employees and executive
board members. Penny estimates that she spends half of her
work week out of office, having a dedicated staff member
onsite to act in her absence will improve the efficiency within
the organization.
Make the executive director’s office more visible and
accessible to the staff members that are in-house.
Centralizing her location within the office will allow
employees to communicate with her easily and feel more
support and collaborative with the executive leader.
Job descriptions need to be better adhered to so staff
members feel that they know what programs and projects
they are in charge of or are working on.This will alleviate
any confusion amongst staff members of who is in charge of
what and provide a why for what they’re doing.
Create a new mission statement that is more clear and
concise about what the organization stands for.The
statement should be made easily identifiable and connects all
programs to the organization.
Make the relationship with other companies that utilize
Prairie Rivers facilities and resources more transparent
to the staff and board of directors. Doing so, will provide
employees a clearer understanding of their job description
and what their priorities are within Prairie Rivers.
Target both donors and volunteers who are highly involved
both financially and with their time to Prairie Rivers.Ask
these people for contacts to people like them who may buy
into the mission of the project and also donate significant
money or time to Prairie Rivers.

24. 24

25. 25
land users & enthusiasts
Prairie Rivers of Iowa is a diverse organization with several different programs
and initiatives that touch many areas across the state of Iowa.To narrow
this down, the area that held our focus consists of individuals and other
organizations that fit within two diverse segments: land users and enthusiasts.
Land users are defined as individuals or groups who occupy land for business
or personal means and are directly affected by the condition of the land.
Enthusiasts are defined as individuals and organizations that share similar ideals
as Prairie Rivers of Iowa, such as preserving the ecological integrity of the land,
and working towards more sustainable communities in Iowa.These two groups
of people are in touch with the environmental needs of Iowa, as they are the
ones out every day interacting with other individuals and organizations that
have a similar passion for the nature resources of Iowa.
The purpose of our two research areas was to gain a better understanding of
the current environmental situation in their areas.We wanted to learn more
about the current public awareness of the organization and its programs.
Knowing this information would be beneficial for us to decide how to best
focus our time and in allocating Prairie Rivers resources.The second insight
we wanted to learn from our research was about what current programs are
in Iowa right now, and their thoughts on conservation efforts in Iowa - what
they do well, what could be improved, what resources are under-utilized and
what area should be allotted more time and dedication. Last, we wanted to
learn about how the organization approaches the “average Iowan” about
conservation efforts and how to live greener and more environmental friendly.

26. 26
Methods
After extensive research and discussion, the decision was
reached to use both qualitative and quantitative methods. Both
of these methods will assist in capturing a full image of the two
audiences we are working with.
In-depth Interviews
In-depth interviews were conducted with a non-profit
conservation group, a land enthusiast, an individual in higher
education and a regional utility. The goal was to gain a
better understanding of current environmental situation,
we formulated interview guides that best represented
our interviewee and their position in the community. Each
guide focused on themes of resource use, community and
organizational involvement, obstacles faced, and environmental
impact. Our question bank that was used for all of the
individual interviews can be found below in Appendix 3.1.
Within each of these guides, more specific questions were
formed based off of secondary research gathered on the
organization/individual being interviewed.
Potential interviewees were contacted via email and interview
times were set up according to the interviewees schedule
and preferences.The scheduled interviews were conducted
in pairs of two over the phone, a greener solution that was
suggested by our interviewees. All audio from the interview
was recorded for accuracy and physical notes were taken. The
average length of time for an interview lasted about 45 minutes.
Although conducting interviews over the phone was a greener
solution, interviewing in person would have provided a more
complete picture. Gauging responses through body language
and the ability to observe the reactions of interviewees are
qualities lost in a phone interview.
FocusGroup
Working with our second target audience, land enthusiasts, ten
individuals were brought together from various organizations
for a focus group.This consisted of four men and six women.
The concentration of the group was focused on what
environmental efforts are happening within Iowa communities
and their attitude toward them.
Research was conducted to find individuals to include or
organizations that aligned with the intent for the focus group.
Once a list was compiled, outreach began to each of the
selected individuals inviting them to a focus group to be held
during a weekday evening at the Franklin Avenue Library.We
requested no more than 60 minutes of their time and offered
a light dinner catered from Gateway Market as an incentive.
A guide was created to structure the focus group.This can
be found in Appendix 3.2.The guide contained four distinct
sections, an introduction, an overview of their participation,
talking points, and a conclusion.The introduction served as a
formality and welcoming statement.The participation section
covered confidentiality, the recording process and the general
format the focus group would be taking. Third, the talking
points served as an outline for potential questions that were
asked depending on the direction the participants took with
their answers.When the focus group ended, the conclusion
served to wrap-up conversation and participants were warmly
thanked for their time.
The discussion of the group focused on what relevant
conservation programs were growing, and about conservation
efforts in Iowa.There was a moderator present to lead
the group and recording methods were used to capture all
information discussed.The focal point was on what is done
well, what can be improved, what resources are under-utilized
and what area should be allotted more time and dedication.
Discussion also touched on how organizations approach
the “average Iowan” about conservation efforts and how
to live a greener, more environmentally friendly lifestyle.
The session lasted about 50 minutes. Factors such as time
constraints, access to participant contact information, and
the convenience sample nature of our focus group all served
as obstacles that should be taken into consideration in the
future.

27. 27
Surveys
Working with our second subgroup within our audience,
conservationists, a three- minute survey was created.
This survey was then emailed out to various county
conservation boards (CCB) as well as soil and water
conservation districts (SWCD).The goal was to identify
trends in the survey that would reveal more information
about issues faced, resource use and distribution, programs,
and community engagement.
The survey consisted of 7-8 multiple choice and open-
ended questions. Individual surveys were created for county
conservation boards and soil and water conservation
districts. 129 surveys were emailed with a total of 40
participants completing the survey. Contact information
was gathered from websites and a comprehensive email list
was created. Completed surveys were submitted through
Qualtrics online survey system. Scheduled follow up and
conclusion emails were sent to ensure the highest number
of surveys was completed. Some issues we faced were
the method of survey distribution as well as participant
engagement.
CountyConservation Boards
For county conservation boards a combination of personal
and general email addresses were collected. In total, 97
emails were sent the survey.A total of 28 participants
completed the survey; however, not all of the participants
answered every question on the survey.The survey itself
was 8 questions that sought to identify how county
conservation board resources were being distributed and
their interaction with the community. (Appendix 3.4)
Soil and WaterConservation Districts
One part of the created survey was to be delivered to
go to the district conservationist at the Soil and Water
Conservation Districts in the 99 counties within Iowa.
Preliminary research was performed and personal email
addresses for 32 district conservationists or other members
of the SWCD in that county.To reach the other 67 SWCDs,
the decision was made to submit information to the SWCDs
through an online submission form.
After sending out the first round of requests for survey
participation, it was discovered this method was not reliable,
as email messages were not going to the intended individuals
they were submitted for.The decision was made to only
approach the 32 SWCD’s that personal emails were obtained
for.The survey itself consisted of nine questions and asked
about the programs happening in their county, how they feel
their time and resources are being utilized, and their thoughts
on the largest environmental issue within their county. In
total, there were 12 counties that participated in this survey.
(Appendix 3.3)

28. 28
Results
After completing our various methods of research, below
we would like to summarize and explain what we learned
throughout our research process that will be helpful to
Prairie Rivers going forward.
Interview#1
A phone interview was conducted with an employee
of a nonprofit conservation group.The nonprofit had a
large focus in sustainable farming and increasing outdoor
recreation and education engagement.The interviewee
made it very clear that their mission is not to facilitate and
provide local economic impact, although they do contact
local businesses and encourage them to be ready for
tourists.Their primary mission is to attract people to visit
a large ecological preservation that they oversee. Other
than volunteer opportunities, these ecological visits are the
primary way they engage the surrounding community. Their
hope is that after seeing the natural history and beauty of
the land, the community will help to preserve it.
The nonprofit engages in multiple promotional mediums.
Apart from quarterly newsletters, website, and email blasts,
they also provide agricultural tours. Currently, they have
30 roadsigns and plan to add another 10. These signs will
advertise sustainable farming, ecological preservation, and
natural history. An interesting way they attract people is
to provide a venue for weddings. Apart from the extra
operating money, this serves as a way to bring hundreds
of people to their ecological preserve and show them the
conservation efforts that are taking place.They would also
like to begin developing a community garden as well as
roadside produce stands.
The nonprofit seeks advice from experts in state
conservation groups and scientists from various universities
and colleges.The interviewee explained that an outside
nonprofit could assist them in the development of a
strategic plan. He/she also mentioned assistance in creating a
master plan for how to manage their landscape.
Interview#2
A phone interview was conducted with an enthusiast who
runs a website that benefits and empowers public interest.
In relation to conservation, he/she contributes by providing
public outreach specifically for small houses and green belts.
The interviewee sees small houses as an affordable and
environmentally friendly alternative for people in their
early 20’s with no kids.This type of minimalist living is
more affordable and forces people to look at what they
truly need and how they can lessen their impact on
the environment.The interviewee sees small houses/
unconventional neighborhood developments as a way to build
community.The interviewee gave the example of Peninsula
neighborhood in Iowa City, which contains a community
center, a central location for mailboxes, and different types
of houses all mixed together.The interviewee believes that
conventional neighborhoods force people into isolation.
People have everything they need in their homes and when
they leave they drive a car rather than walk or bike.Another
unconventional community he mentioned was pocket
neighborhoods.These areas function as a central park style
green space surrounded by small cottages.The idea is this
urban forestry encourages people to walk and interact rather
than stay inside their homes or drive.
To further promote and increase development of small
houses, the interviewee suggested setting up an independently
operated small house chapter in Iowa. Currently, there are
seven small house encampments in Des Moines; they are
working with nonprofits to improve housing conditions.
The main obstacle preventing further development of these
encampments and small houses in general is a law that
specifies minimum size standards for small houses and houses
on wheels.

29. 29
Interview#3
A phone interview was conducted with an employee of
an institution for higher education in a department that
works specifically with agriculture and natural resources
within the state of Iowa. A majority of the work that the
interviewee does is the education of farmers in regards to soil
conservation, water quality and farm profitability.There is a
special emphasis that they place on making sure that farmers
are aware that being efficient means both for their individual
short term profit, but also for the long term profitability of
the land and the ecosystem they are a part of. One of the
methods this institution uses to instill this message, they
remind farmers of the common farmer mantra of leaving the
land better than they found it.
The interviewee discussed the several different educational
programs that they put on in order to inform farmers of the
different effects common farming practices have on their
environment at a local, state and national level. In addition
to receiving education from institutions of higher education,
many receive educational materials from salesmen of
agribusinesses.This has potential to reverse the work that
people these higher institutions do by presenting ideas that
only have the corporation’s business goals in mind.
In order to remain the honest broker of objective information
that this institution of higher education strives to be, they also
provide education and workshops for these agribusinesses.
While they might not see eye to eye on all issues, it is
important to educate and be a source of information and
research for these corporations on issues that they can find
common ground on.
To further promote and increase the development of farmers
who are educated on the issues of soil conservation and
water quality across the state, the interviewee suggests
the continuing of educational programs like the ones they
are currently putting on, while evaluating and discovering
important issues that farmers and agribusinesses will need
answers to in the coming years.
Interview#4
The interviewee works for an independent utility that focuses
on water use and distribution.Throughout the interview, the
interviewee emphasized the issue of water pollution, engaging
the community and collaborating with different organizations
to help reach conservation goals.
The interviewee went into detail on the various causes of
water pollution. Much of the runoff that contaminates rivers
stems from draining districts and the tile systems that funnel
water off the land.Although draining districts are beneficial to
farmers, the chemical runoff from fertilizer negatively impacts
Iowa’s drinking water; this is a conflict of interest between
farmers and the independent utility.The interviewee stressed
the importance of holding discussions with nonprofits on
ways to help reduce the water pollution problem.
The primary method the independent utility uses to
engage the community is through a large recreational park;
specifically, natural filtration systems called water retention
ponds.These ponds take in contaminated water and naturally
filter out the chemicals.Apart from providing opportunities
for recreation such as kayaking and canoeing, water retention
ponds allow visitors to physically see the filtration process
and show them the effects of runoff.This is an important and
tangible education tool.

30. 30
results of focus group
#1
Wording is everything.The average person does not view the
words ‘conservationist’,‘environmentalist’, or ‘naturalist’ the
same way someone does that is working within the industry.
Although a worker may use the words interchangeably, the
word naturalist seems less aggressive to the average Iowan.
A simple way to start a discussion is to have the other party
view nature as a benefit.The consensus in the focus group was
to know your audience. When speaking with someone, he or
she may already have barriers involving your organization or
based on your title from past experiences. Once barriers are
down, what is left is to figure out what to do and how to do it.
#2
Education is key, especially at a young age. Connecting with
communities to show the value of the quality of life outdoors
should be built upon. Any action is unlikely to happen until
there is a crisis or depletion.The responsibility is on the city
to educate their citizens and council members.
#3
Providing programs to the community and giving access to
the land and its resources will push attendees to explore
their surroundings. For example, the focus group believes that
water activities will become more popular within the next
three years. Once citizens are out on the water, they often
want to know what else is out there.
FocusGroup
Background research was conducted to find ten individuals
in various environmental and conservation positions and
organizations to take part in a focus group. Individuals taking
part in the focus group was based on a ‘first come, first
serve’ basis.This meant that all individuals the researchers
had an email for were emailed. As responses came in and
the individual was able to attend, that would mean one less
spot was available for the group.The maximum amount of
participants was ten based on the researchers discretion.
Possible participants that were contacted had positions
including: director, chair, board member, vice-president and
more. Although the organization or group may be working on
state initiatives and/or programs, every group was Des Moines
based.This was due to travel constraints due to the time the
focus group was conducted. As stated earlier, the focus group
was conducted at the Franklin Library at 5pm on November
12th.
#4
In today’s world, a social approach tends to draw more
interest than a traditional approach. Finding a common cause
or hobby between friends or even strangers can make a
difference.
#5
The focus group defined conservation effort many ways.All
of the responses could be summarized as preserving and
protection resources can be summarized as perserving and
protecting resources.
#6
It is difficult to get politicians on board.The pressures of big
money and development are enormous. In return, natural
resources suffer.Although money is available, legislation is not
getting passed. A small minority can change any plans, even if
money was secured previously.
Although there was a large amount of information about
organizations that pertain to our research topic, access to
contact information, was more difficult than our research
group initially thought. For groups that did not have a staff
member, it was a challenge due to issues arising around a
specific contact due to the fact that these members were
voluntarily part of the organization.
As stated earlier, selection was based on whether or not the
person responded and how quickly he or she responded. Due
to this, the selection of the focus group was a convenience
sample of the individuals who could have been part of the
group.
The time constraint also poised an issue for the focus group
that was conducted.To be of convenience, the focus group
began at 5pm, after the group was out of work. However, the
library where the focus group was conducted was set to close
at 6pm.This meant that introductions, procedure, discussion
and conclusion had to be conducted within 50 minutes in
order to have time to cleanup and set the room back to its
original state. More time to discuss could have allowed room
for other questions the research group had in the original
guide. It could have provided more insight to the individuals’
thoughts and concerns regarding various initiatives and
organizations.

31. 31
SurveyResults
SoilandWaterConservationDistricts
Survey
Each of the different counties represented in this
survey provided valuable insight into the status of the
environmental conditions in their county.To start off, the
first question asked what the largest issue facing their
county was.This question allowed for multiple answers
by each respondent.The most selected answer was land
erosion, followed by clean water and soil preservation.
Other answers available that were not chosen or were
not as frequently chosen were restoring wildlife habitats,
improved crop and forestry, forestry management,
management of mineral resources and availability of local
foods. On average, each of the participating counties also
hold on average, two to three workshops or events in one
calendar year. One county said they hold on average six or
more events in one calendar year.
Moving into the functionality of the SWCDs, when asked if
they felt the resources they provide the residents of their
county were utilized to their greatest potential, half of the
respondents answered neutral, declining to say yes or no.
The other half followed by saying they agreed with the
question. Last, half of SWCD’s responded they are currently
working with a non-profit organization in their county,
and half also agreed they would be interested in forming
relationships or partnerships with other nonprofits if they
shared the same ideals and goals.
When asked about their thoughts on
programming, here were a few of the
answers:
“Sometimes I think we would do more good just spending
time with producers to talk about soil conservation
and water quality and not spending so much time with
program.”
“The most valuable program that we offer the public is
our technical conservation planning efforts. We assist land
users and landowners to identify resource concerns and
apply the most effective conservation practice to solve
the source of the resource concern. At times we are able
to utilize local, State or Federal conservation programs to
assist with the funding of a conservation practice to help
in the application of our customers conservation plans.”
“Time is a huge issue for us, we spend as much time with
the public as our workload will allow.”
“Takes time to develop and offer quality information -
sometimes, time that we don’t have available.”
“We offer a large variety of cost share programs that
promote conservation. We implement a lot of practices
but not with the majority of landowners.”
Whenasked about their SWCD's
involvement in area elementary, middle
and high schools, here were a few of
their responses:
“We hold an outdoor classroom for all county 5th graders
each year; we have a tree program for all county 2nd
graders; we offer a poster contest to all students; and
we offer an agricultural scholarship program to county
seniors going onto a college ag program.”
“Poster contest sponsor in the past. Also offer educational
materials to teachers. Have presented as guest speakers
for classes.”
“We do a variety of presentations at elementary schools,
we have also partnered with polk county conservation
board to do a high school education program where we
worked with 6 area high schools with a combination of in
class and field trip learning opportunities.”

32. 32
County Conservation Boards
The CCB survey results revealed multiple trends that offer insights into thoughts on conservation
and resource usage.When asked if they would collaborate with a nonprofit with similar goals,
an overwhelming majority of CCBs responded yes. According to survey results, the largest
issue that they face is water quality. As made evident by our respondents, water pollution is a
statewide problem that is affecting multiple organizations. In contrast, CCBs indicated that water
conservation consumes the least amount of their resources while land conservation consumes
the most. Other issues raised were habitat loss, funding, and urban sprawl.
Another theme that arose through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and surveys was the success
and growth of education programs.Youth education programs have the highest enrollment rate
among CCBs while wild life improvement and invasive species cleanup ranked low.The CCBs also
indicated multiple ways that they educate the community on their conservation efforts.The most
common methods were education programs, newsletters, and through their website.
FurtherSuggestions
From our interviews and focus group, an area that was highly referenced by our participants was
education in the communities with a focus on school-aged children. Multiple individuals expressed
their thoughts about how important of a tool education programs could be when utilized
correctly.This seemed to be a field many thought Iowa was lacking a leader in.
The second topic that was frequently discussed was the importance of community building
across the state. By building on these relationships within communities, it allows everyone to
work together toward supporting different initiatives and programs. If legislation is passed, money
will be allocated amongst these efforts throughout the state, so it is best to have a civil, working
relationship that will better all communities.

33. 33
economic development,
public opinion ,and policy
Introduction
The purpose of the research conducted in this section was to gain an
understanding of how to better serve Iowans. In order to conduct our research,
we used a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research techniques: depth
interviews and surveys.
We split our category of economic development, public opinion, and policy into
key publics to best gauge how Iowans interact with the environment and the
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway. We identified three key publics:
•Economic Development, which includes small businesses, convention &
visitors bureaus, tourism boards, and chambers of commerce.
•Public Opinion, which includes statewide residents and residents that
live along the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway.
•Policy, which includes both city and state government.
Our research gave us insight on the perception of the environment all across the
state. We conducted research in a variety of locations, taking particular focus to
variety in size of the city and where in the state the city is located.

34. 34
Economic Development(Businesses,CVBs,
Chambers of Commerce)
In order to understand how Prairie Rivers of Iowa can better serve local communities
along the Lincoln Highway and around the state of Iowa, we decided to investigate
economic development.We chose to research local businesses, convention and visitors
bureaus (CVB), and chambers of commerce along the Lincoln Highway to determine how
these organizations promote the Lincoln Highway and environmental efforts.These groups
will be key allies for Prairie Rivers of Iowa as they promote the Lincoln Highway and
improve the environment around the state.
METHODS
For local businesses, we sought to connect with regionally
owned businesses in Denison, Clarence and Boone that we
identified from the city website. It was difficult to get ahold of
the owners and managers, so we expanded our outreach to
include the chambers of commerce for all counties along the
Lincoln Highway. In addition, we contacted employees of the
Convention andVisitors Bureaus in Cedar Rapids, Council
Bluffs and Ames by phone.These three cities represent a
non-probability sample of cities along the Lincoln Highway.
We selected Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, and Ames in order
to get a good grasp on how these organizations interact with
the Lincoln Highway.This selection represents three of the
largest cities on the Highway, including east, west and central
Iowa, as well as the cities in which Prairie Rivers of Iowa
hopes to grow.
Our research questions revolved around two major
themes: the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway and more
general knowledge about the environment.We investigated
the small business owners’ knowledge of the Lincoln Highway,
their perception of their stake in environmental issues, how
willing they are to get involved, and what an organization can
do to help them in their environmental efforts.We modified
these questions slightly for chambers of commerce, and
convention and visitors bureaus to better understand the
efforts they were taking in their region, and the way the
organizations they work with deal with the Lincoln Highway
and conservation efforts.We conducted the depth interviews
over the phone, in order to efficiently reach our target
audience.
FINDINGS
The majority of the organizations we spoke with didn’t
promote the Lincoln Highway in any way. Their reasons were
varied, but focused on the fact that the Lincoln Highway is
seen mainly as a way of getting from one place to another.
•The Council Bluffs CVB reported that they don’t
promote the Lincoln Highway because in their area, there are
six different byways that run through.They also believe that
it’s also hard to get people to appreciate natural prairie lands
in Iowa.
•The Cedar Rapids CVB only promotes the Lincoln
Highway as a way to get to other communities, such as
MountVernon and Marion.
•The owner of a small bowling alley in western Iowa knew
that the Lincoln Highway ran in front of his building, but has
never promoted the fact. He does do some advertising, but
it’s mostly local residents that come through bowling, not
tourists from the Lincoln Highway.
•The Nevada Economic Development Council
representative we spoke with said that the Lincoln Highway
brings a lot of people in for the Lincoln Highway Days
festival, but in terms of the highway itself, there are a lot of
people who don’t know about the history. People in outlying
communities in Iowa probably aren’t aware of it, especially
younger people. She believed that the Lincoln Highway is
almost like a service road at this point, because it’s only two
lanes. It serves a more historical purpose rather than people
actually going across it.To travel across it, someone going
across the country or state would probably be going on
Highway 30.The highway initially was used more, but now it’s
just historical and a business road between communities in
the country.
•The Ames Chamber of Commerce believed that
businesses in the area would be willing to promote the
historical piece of the Lincoln Highway. It contributes to
community pride.

35. 35
FINDINGScont.
•However, when we spoke with the Ames Convention &
Visitors Bureau, they told us about an event they held last year:
the Lincoln Highway centennial celebration.A car group came
through town last year as part of the celebration.They were
already promoting the Lincoln Highway and holding events,
but the Ames Chamber of Commerce wasn’t aware of those
efforts.
•The Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce believed that
the Lincoln Highway can be economically beneficial, but that
it is not currently. For towns along its path, it certainly played
an important role and allowed a path to prosperity when it
opened as the first transcontinental highway.Today, the highway
is too far away from the interstate system that it doesn’t have
much impact.
•The Crawford County Chamber of Commerce expressed
disappointment that they are often excluded from specific
projects because they aren’t on a four-lane highway.
However, many people also agreed that the benefits of
Lincoln Highway are numerous. They emphasized that the
Lincoln Highway has a niche audience, but the benefits can be
plentiful for this group. They stated the following reasons:
•The Lincoln Highway brings people in who like to travel
and who like history, said a Council Bluffs CVB representative.
•The Cedar Rapids CVB also emphasized that the biggest
benefit to them is linking them to other cities.
•MissouriValley’s Harrison County Welcome Center is
largely tied to the Lincoln Highway, and the MissouriValley
CVB is working to divide the Lincoln into two parts: one for
commuters and trucks, and one for travelers and scenic drivers.
The Chamber of Commerce representative we spoke with
highlighted the importance of finding the niche audience for
the Lincoln Highway.
•The owner of a small bowling alley in western Iowa said
that,“I think the highway actually benefits me because more are
travelling through right in front of business.”
•The owner of a small store in Boone had heard of the
Lincoln Highway, but wasn’t sure exactly where it was in
relation to her store. She thought it probably helps with
economic development.They don’t currently see a lot of action
because of it, so she has no problem with it becoming more
important.
•For the Nevada Economic Development Council, there
is no question that the highway has an economic impact.
DuPont is building a $250 million facility right on the highway.
The proximity to Interstate 35 and US 30 is important for
companies. DuPont will have 100 trucks a day going in and
out of their new facility.Transportation access is an extremely
important aspect of the Lincoln Highway.
•The Ames Chamber of Commerce believed that the
highway can aid in economic development, but not necessarily
to a great degree. However, the Ames CVB didn’t consider
being on the Lincoln Highway a benefit to them at all.
•The Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce thought that if
the goal was to promote tourism and encourage travel on the
Lincoln Highway as an alternative to the Interstate, then there
is still work to be done.According to the representative we
spoke with, the Lincoln Highway doesn’t compare to Route 66,
but could be a way for people to experience the country in a
way that would be unique.
•The Crawford County Chamber of Commerce thought
that most people are aware of the “life goal” of driving the
Lincoln Highway, although it is a niche goal. Last year, visitors
came from Europe with their classic cars and stopped at local
businesses along the Lincoln Highway in town.
•In addition, the Crawford County Chamber of Commerce
explained that transportation opportunities for businesses
is important for economic development.Although the
highway isn’t four-lanes, it’s still their number one method of
transportations. It’s their most important highway.They are
part of the Highway 30 Coalition that lobbies for the future
economic development of the Lincoln Highway.

36. 36
When asked what kind of support they could use from a non-
profit, the local businesses, CVBs and chambers of commerce
emphasized assistance with educating the population and
area businesses on environmental efforts and the benefits of
the Lincoln Highway. Other ways to provide support that they
mentione are:
•Promoting the reasons for travelling the Lincoln Highway
and its unique attractions, such as museums, breweries, and
wineries, would be helpful for the Council Bluffs CVB.
•Increase signage along the Lincoln Highway to clearly
designate the historical route.“Signage is key,” said a
representative from the Cedar Rapids CVB.
•The owner of a small bowling alley in Western Iowa
thought that an outside organization could support the bowling
alley with advertising, possibly by including the business on a
general ad about businesses along the Lincoln.
•The owner of a small store in Boone would be interested
in doing more environmental and conservation efforts if she
had more information.
•The Ames Chamber of Commerce thought that non-profit
groups like Prairie Rivers can partner with the city government
on educational efforts. For example,Ames partners with
groups for a Lunch & Learn program.
•The Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce emphasized that
if businesses realized that investments in the Lincoln Highway
would result in increased traffic, they would be more willing
to support it. It needs to be clear to the store owners how
the tourists are coming in. For example, a Lincoln Highway
card that is organized by a statewide organization that offers
discounts would help the store owners connect that the
Lincoln Highway is the reason for this business.
•The representative from the Cedar Rapids Chamber of
Commerce also discussed that the business owners have
learned about conservation through best practices or code.
Various organizations have done a good job of
promoting energy conservation, but there is room for
more groups. He said it is rare for someone to call them
out of the blue, unless they’re looking for what is most cost
effective for them. They’re looking for grants, incentives and
other support from state and federal government:
•The Crawford County Chamber of Commerce thought
that a nonprofit could educate businesses on break-even
scenarios for environmental efforts.They have a good mix of
businesses that would be interested in something like that.
He thought a campaign that would reach outward, instead
of waiting on businesses to ask about environmental issues,
would be most useful because beyond reaching out to
utilities, they don’t have a lot of information on hand.
Some communities already participated in eco-tourism, while
other thought this might be an area to grow:
•Cedar Rapids has the Prairie Woods & Indian Creek
Nature Center that is an eco-tourism destination for the
region.
•The Harrison County Welcome Center has large ties to
the Lincoln Highway, with their walking trails and museums in
the area.
•MissouriValley’s Chamber of Commerce said that the
biggest conservation effort locally is soil preservation.
•The Nevada Economic Development Council works on
the annual Lincoln Highway Days festival.The woman we
interviewed has been attending for years and years and years.
•The Ames CVB recognized that Story County
conservation and other organizations similar to Prairie Rivers
of Iowa helped Ames participate in environmental tourism.
Ames has plenty of biking and hiking trails, and outdoor
businesses to bring visitors, including Jack’s Outdoor and
Skunk River Cycles.
Economic Developmentcont.

37. 37
A few local businesses and their chambers reported that they
were already taking environmental conservation efforts. They
might not be communicating those efforts to their patrons
and the general community, though. For these businesses,
they were working to conserve and improve the environment
because it made financial sense for their business:
•The small store in Boone participates in environmental
efforts.Their main effort is recycling, as much as they possibly
can, according to the owner.They reuse and recycle materials
when they can. She says that they do a crazy amount of
recycling, like saving peanuts and packing paper for people to
reuse, but that her customers just don’t know about it.
•The Nevada Economic Development Council believed
that they were conserving and improving the environment as
well.They are working with a company in Minnesota and Iowa
State University to turn cattle and hog feed into fertilizer.
There are also land conservation efforts and they understand
the importance of water quality.They said that there was “a
lot more of that going on than people realize. Some people
think we don’t care about the next generation and our land,
but it’s simply lack of education.We aren’t getting out there
and telling people what’s going on.”
•The Ames Chamber of Commerce sees that local
businesses subscribe to the SMART business principles that
outline environmental criteria.
•Ames is an area for growing the local foods program,
according to the Ames CVB.They added that the local foods/
farm to table movement has lots of opportunity in Ames.
•In Cedar Rapids, the Chamber of Commerce has seen
local businesses cutting electricity and gas costs, and generally
being smarter with utility usage. Many businesses are looking
to “green” their facilities, use wind energy, etc. Companies in
Cedar Rapids are also doing things for the watershed – to
control the flow of water to decrease flooding and to be a
better steward of streams too, by minimally disrupting wildlife.
•The Crawford County Chamber of Commerce noted that
they mostly receive complaints about conservation and the
EPA.They have certain businesses that go out of their way to
implement processes. Recycling is an easy one as they have a
good county recycling program. Beyond that, water usage and
wastewater chemicals are heavily regulated by municipal utility
there.The representative we spoke with wasn’t aware of any
businesses going above and beyond the legal requirements. In
his experience, 99 percent of the time cost cutting is more
important than any concern for the environment.
In terms of responsibility for maintain the Lincoln Highway
and the environment, the response was more split. The
local businesses we spoke with didn’t want to take full
responsibility for either, while the CVBs and chambers were
more willing to assign responsibility to themselves and the
organizations they work with:
•According to a representative from the MissouriValley’s
Chamber of Commerce, people rely on the government
to pass environmental initiatives, but it takes every public
(government, businesses, individuals, etc.) to make something
happen.
•The owner of a bowling alley in Western Iowa said that
he was not willing to be involved in environmental efforts
because he was pretty full on everything running his business.
He said he probably didn’t have a whole lot of interest in
getting involved in environmental efforts. However, he was
more willing to get involved in improving or conserving the
Lincoln Highway.“I guess I would help, I guess it’s right out in
front of my building so, yeah, sure I’d help,” he said.
•The Ames Chamber of Commerce said that city
government, not the chamber of commerce, is responsible for
mandating environmental efforts.

38. 38
LIMITATIONS
Our biggest limitation was time constraints. It was difficult to
find a good time to speak with local business owners when they
weren’t assisting customers or working with employees.We
expanded our research to include Chambers of Commerce in
order to minimize the impact of this limitation.
RECOMMENDATIONS
We would recommend conducting further discussions with
chambers of commerce and CVBs around the state of Iowa
in order to understand their challenges and limitations, and
identify opportunities for collaboration.There are plenty of
partnership opportunities with just the organizations we spoke
with.Although many of them haven’t heard of the organization,
they all expressed interest in learning more about Prairie
Rivers’ mission. It would also be useful to try to get ahold of
additional small businesses to determine their needs.
In addition, we would recommend connecting with the parks
department in these local cities to determine whether they
have any parks, whether city, county or national, and how that
impacts their efforts surrounding conservation.Another useful
organization to connect with is Keep Iowa Beautiful, which
has a similar message and a branch in Boone (Keep Boone
Beautiful). Finally, another group we would recommend speaking
with is the Department of Transportation, to determine their
goals for the Lincoln Highway and understand any sort of
promotion efforts they are making.
The organizations we spoke with brought up many events that
Prairie Rivers of Iowa would benefit from being involved with.
For example, the Lincoln Highway Days, and the Crawford BBQ.
These events could help expand the organization beyond the
niche audience already interested in the Lincoln Highway.
Additionally, there appears to be many opportunities to work
with the chambers of commerce on an education campaign
for local businesses to improve their environmental and
conservation efforts.The chambers were willing to partner
and thought that the information might best be disseminated
through them.
Economic Developmentcont.