Introducing our new look

We hope you like our new look! This is the first major design change in the newsletter since 1990. The new masthead (above) incorporates an aerial view of Winneshiek County in northern Iowa. The design was chosen to reflect the Leopold Center's vision statement: to explore and cultivate alternatives that secure healthier people and landscapes in Iowa and the nation.

We hope the new headings and spot color make our newsletter easier to read. We also are providing additional information on our web site for those who want details beyond what appears in each newsletter.

And finally, we hope you enjoy the stories, written to keep you up-to-date on what's happening at the Leopold Center and in sustainable agriculture. The biggest compliment you can pay us is to use the information and pass along your newsletter to someone else.

This issue marks the second phase of our newsletter evaluation that began about a year ago with a survey of our readers. Since then we have updated our mailing lists, initiated an e-mail version of the newsletter, and received wonderful ideas and suggestions from many readers.

The newsletter is still printed on recycled paper and with soy-based ink. The switch to a less expensive paper nearly compensates for the cost of adding spot color.

Many thanks to our readers for feedback this past year. Thanks also to Juls Design of Ankeny who worked with staff on the redesign, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for the aerial photo. -- Newsletter editor Laura Miller