Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Director: Why was the flood workshop important?

Back to Leopold Letter Winter 2008

By JERRY DeWITT, Leopold Center director

Unbelievable. This was, in one word, my reaction to seeing an Iowa landscape ravaged by floodwaters early last summer. The incredible sadness I felt, however, has been partially replaced by a measure of optimism and hope -- for the land, for Iowa's farmers and for our rural and urban communities.

The Leopold Center and the Center for Energy and Environmental Education at the University of Northern Iowa hosted a one-day workshop in December, Learning from the Floods of 2008: Practical Strategies for Resilience. The purpose was to discuss what happened, glean a few lessons, and formulate actions that might help mitigate the impact of similar future disasters.

But it was much more than that.

We heard from farmers, scientists, planners, city and county officials, conservationists, lawmakers and many others. Our common theme was the flood – what exactly happened and why, what could we do differently, how severe will the next flood be?

A spirit of renewal, resilience
From those many voices I sensed a spirit of renewal and resilience. More importantly, I heard a sincere recognition of the need to make meaningful changes on the Iowa landscape. We could have come out of this workshop feeling that we were divided, ill-equipped and unable to accomplish much, but I came away feeling quite the opposite. I think that maybe we do have some viable answers and most of all, people from many walks of life are willing to step up to protect the landscape, our farms and our communities.

We discussed numerous strategies already in our toolbox: better monitoring of our river systems, the need to plan with entire watersheds in mind, updating flood plain maps and restricting the types of development that can or should be allowed. On agricultural lands, we know that improving the soil and its ability to handle water, maintaining conservation structures such as grassed waterways and terraces, and increasing diversity in our farming systems are practical and workable actions for today.

Recognition of the need for change
At this workshop, city officials, those who manage our rivers, and people who farm recognized the need to improve management and decision-making as they relate to watersheds and landscapes. I sensed an agreement and acknowledgment that we can't afford another massive flood, we need to do a better job both in how we use the land and how we work with each other across agency and organizational boundaries.

There also was a recognition that this was not going to be easy because we have some well entrenched patterns and attitudes about land use and practices that are going to be difficult to change. What took place at the workshop was a needed first step – deciding that we can and should change. We had a thoughtful dialogue, understanding that solutions will require changes in policies, numerous new partners, community involvement and, of course, funds to support these activities.

At the Leopold Center, we speak first for men and women on the land. The cost of change cannot be borne solely by those individuals. It's going to take more than an act of the Iowa General Assembly; it will require city councils, neighborhoods, farm organizations, our federal partners and concerned citizens working together toward a shared public will and vision, as opposed to doing your own thing to meet your own needs for the short term.

Three steps forward
So where do we go next? One, we need to sustain this enthusiasm. Typically, we get excited about the leaky roof when it's raining. We need to maintain the momentum for change when we're not bailing out water or filling sandbags.

Another step is to broaden the community of voices. I'm sure we've only heard from some of the people who need to be part of the discussion.

Third, we need to work toward an overall vision and plan for change. It might be easy to say that we simply need more money for grassed waterways, to build the levees two feet higher, or to raise building foundations in flood plains, but that doesn't truly reflect the big picture. Although discussions at our workshop pointed to parts of a vision for change, we need more than that.

I remember seeing how the relentless rains, wind and rivers of water gouged and left scars on the Iowa landscape. Water is a powerful force but so is the human spirit. At our workshop, I saw reason for optimism and hope, the same kind of resilience we want for our land.

We have the knowledge to do better. We must do better. And together I believe we will do better.

 

Back to Leopold Letter Winter 2008