REAP Builds Communities: Attend this year’s regional assembly to help build yours!

Are you interested in improving natural resources such as soil, water, air, wildlife, and habitat for the direct benefit of Muscatine & Scott Counties? Please join us on Thursday, October 26, 2023, from 10:00 am to noon at the Blue Grass Public Safety Building. Engage with other like-minded people to share ideas for how Iowa’s premier funding program for outdoor recreation, conservation, and environmental education can assist our counties and communities.

Established in 1989, the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program has funded nearly $389 million for city, county, and state park projects. These projects have included water quality improvements, habitat protection, roadside prairies, historical development, and conservation education. Check out https://www.iowadnr.gov/Conservation/REAP/Projects-by-County to discover REAP projects close to where you live.

Scott and Muscatine Counties have benefited from approximately $5 million in REAP funding since its inception in 1989. A few of the projects completed include exhibits at the Environmental Learning Center, repairs to the Pine Creek Grist Mill, several Historic Preservation projects and exhibits, equipment for roadside vegetation management, as well as a diversity of forestry and water quality improvement projects.

REAP assemblies are held across the state every two years and are a great opportunity for local citizens to learn more about REAP, work with like-minded citizens who are also interested in natural resource work, and share ideas on how REAP can work better for our counties and communities. Together, we will work to identify opportunities for regional projects, and review and recommend changes in policies, programs, and funding.

Please join us at our regional assembly, targeted at Muscatine and Scott Counties, but open to anyone. We will be meeting at the Blue Grass Public Safety Building at 606 West Mayne, Blue Grass, Iowa on Thursday, October 26, 2023, from 10:00 am to noon.

Delegates will be selected from each region to attend the statewide REAP Congress in January 2024 to be held at the State Capital in Des Moines. Regional priorities will be voted on by the entire REAP Congress and sent to the Governor and legislature. Ultimately through this process, you help Iowa preserve a rich and diverse natural environment for future generations.

REAP builds communities, how do you want to build yours? Come join the conversation! Learn more or find out about other regional REAP assemblies at: https://www.iowadnr.gov/reap. Questions, contact Muscatine County Conservation at 563-264-5922 or Scott County Conservation at 563-328-3280.