Planning for the Summit is being underwritten with a grant from the Amy P. Goldman Foundation
Honoring Nature's Place in Iowa
Anyone paying attention knows nature in Iowa is under great pressure and many of our most cherished resources are degrading and in danger. From soil erosion to water pollution, from habitat loss to urban sprawl, economic forces and wasteful actions threaten nature. Many public policies contribute to the stress: we underfund efforts to improve water quality and enhance nature, farm policies promote cropping floodplains and on fragile lands, and annexation leads to converting thousands of acres of prime land to housing and development. Our failure to set reasonable stewardship standards exposes nature to unlimited threats, jeopardizing future productivity. State and local governments are restrained in maintaining and acquiring natural lands and planning for the future.
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This constellation of challenges makes it imperative Iowans who care about nature and who believe it has a place in all aspects of Iowa’s social and economic life come together. We face a future framed by a changing climate and a growing need to use justice as a lens to measure our conduct. The Summit offers the opportunity to discuss what can be done, to learn from inspiring nature advocates, to hear examples about what is working, and to develop a hopeful, optimistic plan for the future based on shared values and commitments. Plus we will have fun!
2025 Agenda
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Wednesday Nov. 19th - Summit Opening Day – Olmsted Center
8:00am – 8:45am: Registration and Breakfast
8:45am – 9:00am: Welcome, Update and Summit Overview - Prof. Neil Hamilton, Emeritus Professor of Law, Drake University
9:00am – 9:50am: Navigating How Shifting State and National Policies Impact Nature: Seeking Resilience - Prof. Neil Hamilton; and Prof. Jerry Anderson, Calkins Distinguished Professor of Law, Drake University
9:50am – 10:30am: The Role of Local Governments as Nature's Advocates - Pat Boddy, Urbandale City Council, Moderator. Speakers: Susan Judkins, Clive City Council; Tom Hadden, West Des Moines City Manager; Alex Pfaltzgraff, Grimes Planning Director
10:30am – 11:00am: Networking Break
11:00am - 12:15pm: Nature and Public Health: Cancer, Water Quality and More – Prof. Jennifer Zwagerman, Director, Drake University Agricultural Law Center - Moderator. Speakers: Audrey Tran Lam, Environmental Health Program Director, UNI Center for Energy & Enviromental Education; Dr. Adam Shriver, Director of Nutrition and Wellness Policy Harkin Institute; Dr. Richard Deming, Richard Deming Cancer Center, Mercy One Medical Systems
12:15pm – 1:30pm: Lunch, Recognizing the Anniversaries of Iowa Nature Organizations:
Iowa County Conservation Boards, 70 years
Seed Savers Exchange, 50 years
Iowa Raptor Center, 40 years
Center for Energy & Environmental Education at UNI, 30 years
Iowa Environmental Council, 30 years
Great Outdoors Fund, 30 years
Raccoon River Watershed Association, 20 years
Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, 10 years
Keynote Speaker: Curt Meine, Senior Fellow, Aldo Leopold Foundation and Editor "We Can Do Better; Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy" by Paul W. Johnson
1:30pm – 2:20pm: Measuring Nature's Economic Impacts Reports from Luke Hoffman, Executive Director, Iowa Bicycle Coalition; Adam Shirley, Executive Director, Iowa County Conservation System; Stephanie Oppel, Executive Director, Iowa Confluence (ICON) Water Trails
2:20pm – 3:15pm: Loving Nature to Death: Land Use Tensions and Lessons from the Iowa Great Lakes - Joe McGovern, President, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation - Moderator. Speakers: Greg Grupp, past board chair, INHF; Mary Skopec, Executive Director, Iowa Lakeside Laboratory; and Mark Gulick, retired Northwest Wildlife Supervisor, Iowa Department of Natural Resources
3:15pm – 3:40pm: Networking Break
3:40pm – 4:40pm: Local Efforts to Protect Water Quality: Iowa's Newest Civil Rights Issue - James Larew, Video and Update from Driftless Water Defenders; Jodi Reese, Nishnabotna Water Defenders; Mike Delaney, Raccoon River Watershed Association, and Dr. Claire Hruby, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science & Sustainability, Drake University
4:40pm – 5:15pm: Empowering Citizen Water Quality Monitoring - Christine Curry, Moderator. Speaker: Heather Wilson, Midwest Save Our Streams Coordinator, Izaak Walton League of America
5:30pm – 7:00pm: Evening Reception – honoring the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT) on its 10th Anniversary.
Day Two - Thursday November 20th – Olmsted Center
8:00am - 9:00am: Policy Opportunities for Nature in the 2026 Iowa Genera Assembly - Legislative Breakfast
Moderated by Anna Gray, policy director and counsel, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation - panel of 4 legislators to be named.
9:00am – 10:30: Follow Your Passion, Pick Your Path – select from three 90-minute education sessions on Nature Opportunities:
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Nature Based Education: Fostering the Next Generation of Iowa's Nature Advocates
Instructors: Jay Gorsh, Director, University of Iowa's School of the Wild; Mark Dorhout, Educator, Panorama Schools; Kathy McKee, Development Coordinator, Blank Park Zoo
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County Nature Bonding Campaigns: the Nuts and Bolts
Instructors: Dr. Jim Pease, Story County bonding initiative, Rich Leopold, Polk County Conservation, Dennis Goematt, Linn County Conservation
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Using Conservation Easements to Protect Private Lands
Instructors: Ross Baxter, INHF Senior Land Protection Director and Counsel; Graham McGaffin, The Nature Conservancy Iowa State Director; Erin Van Waus, INHF Conservation Easement Director; Paul Morf, Simmons Perrine
(1.5 hours Continuing Legal Education credit applied for)
10:30am – 10:50am: Networking Break
10:50am – 11:20am: Promoting and Protecting Wildlife in Urban Iowa - Ryan Smith, Executive Director, Iowa Wildlife Federation; Jenni Boonjakuakal, Founder, Iowa Bird Rehabilitation
11:20am – 11:50am: How Federal Farm Policy Impacts Nature, CRP, Soil Erosion, Wetlands and More - Matt Russell, Executive Director, Iowa Farmers Union, former State Director, USDA Farm Services Agency - Iowa
11:50am – 12:00pm: Update on the GoFundMe Campaign for Iowa water quality monitoring
12:00pm – 1:45pm: Lunch, The 2025 Iowa’s Nature Champion Awards - Seven Iowans will be recognized for their outstanding work protecting and enhancing nature in our state.
1:45pm: Summit Concludes – Closing Words - Prof. Neil Hamilton