FISH & FIRE
Ge ing Back to Our Rts: A FISH AND FIRE INITIATIVE Please join River Action in getting back to our roots and building a more resilient community! — by Greta Solbrig, Green Iowa AmeriCorps E ach year, in observance of Earth Day,
this rich history and hopeful future in mind, the initiative aims to enhance and restore a portion of the Quad Cities’ 66 designated “Wild Places.”The listed public places include beloved forest preserves, local parks, and landscapes with the capacity to support prairie habitat. Long term, enhancing these regions will bene t both the ecosystem and its recreational observers. Currently, River Action is contacting sponsors and potential restoration sites to secure the funding and resources necessary for up to 20 projects. Once the fundraising e ort is complete, each site will receive its own specialized seed mix, tailored to location, sun exposure, and soil type.
The goal is to plant the native species that will most adequately address the concerns of each site. Soil stabilization, pollinator attraction, and habitat creation are among the many bene ts these ecosystems provide. Perhaps one of the most important functions of restored prairie habitat is to serve as a nature-based ood solution. The Quad Cities area has become increasingly familiar with frequent and severe ooding, incurring considerable ecological and nancial loss. By installing prairie natives with extensive root networks, rainfall can be better stored, ltered, and used to recharge our aquifers.
River Action hosts the “Fish and Fire Friendraiser,” a dinner that brings together community members from across the Quad Cities to support local conservation initiatives. Last year, River Action launched “Roll Out the Barrels,” which successfully distributed 400 rain barrels throughout the community. Building on the success of this accomplishment, River Action is announcing its newest project: “Getting Back to Our Roots.” “Getting Back to Our Roots” acknowledges that, to move forward, we must look back on the diversity that once ourished in Midwestern prairies. Keeping
Tallgrass prairie at the Loud Thunder Forest Preserve, where another restoration project will take place through the Getting Back to Our Roots Initiative.
4 eddy Magazine | www.riveraction.org
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