Everything in nature is connected, including us. Humans have been struggling with this concept since Alexander von Humboldt, in the mid-19th century and somewhat radically for the time, suggested that all of nature is an interconnected ecosystem. Even if this idea may seem obvious to us in the 21st century, we still struggle with it, and for good reason. Recognizing our connection to all of nature means we have to keep all of nature in mind when considering how to best manage our resources and make decisions. That, if nothing else, is just a lot of responsibility.
But for one group of Iowans, the solution is relatively simple: a floating trip down your nearest Iowa waterway.
On a chilly Saturday in January, a local retail store, CrawDaddy Outdoors, hosted its seventh annual Paddle Fest in Waverly, Iowa. Paddle Fest is a small conference organized by and for the paddling sport enthusiasts of northeastern Iowa. This year’s conference featured talks on subjects like whitewater paddling trips and paddling safety. However, Paddle Fest also concerns itself deeply with conservation and Iowa water quality. Interspersed with the expected paddling fare, the schedule of events included talks on Iowa water quality, watershed restoration and the impacts of dams on safety and conservation.
Water conservation is a fundamental focus of the paddling community, and has been central to CrawDaddy Outdoors’ ethos since Darrin and Janeen Siesken first opened the store in 2005. After growing it into one of Iowa’s most celebrated Main Street businesses and one of the Midwest’s largest kayak stores, the Sieskens passed the torch to Jamie Borglum and wife Renee on Jan. 1, 2024, who share the Sieskens’ mindset.
“Our basic belief about conservation and environmentalism,” Jamie Borglum said, “is that you teach someone to love something and they’ll take care of it.”
Vern Fish, a recreational paddler and co-chair of Paddle Fest with Darrin Siesken, completely agrees. “This group [of paddling enthusiasts] has always wanted to protect waterways,” he said.
The most recent testing by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) found just 24 percent of stream segments and 30 percent of lakes tested in the state could be considered healthy. That’s actually a slight improvement from the DNR’s 2022 statewide testing, but the ongoing drought is likely a major factor in that improvement.
Much of Iowa has been experiencing a drought since July 2020, and the meager amount of rain has reduced the amount of fertilizer runoff from farm fields that pollutes waterways with nitrates. But those nitrates remain on the fields and an increase in rainfall could result in a massive increase in runoff.
That’s what happened in 2013, when an exceptionally wet spring followed years of drought and nitrate levels in Iowa waterways increased by more than 400 percent. Some forecasts predict a warmer spring with increased rainfall this year.
The importance of conservation runs deep with Fish. Fish is the former executive director of the Black Hawk County Conservation Board as well as the current president of the conservation group Friends of Wabakimi. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the Conservation Corps of Iowa & Minnesota.
Where the average Iowan is concerned, he sees a personal connection with water as fundamental to successful conservation. “Go out and play in the water! See what’s happening and be an advocate,” Fish urged.
Fish has dedicated his career to Iowa conservation and believes firmly that meaningful improvements have been made, but the Iowa water quality issues that Paddle Fest addresses are still many and complex. First, of course, is the excessive fertilizer use in Iowa’s extensive agricultural system. That causes nitrate and phosphorus buildup in our water systems. Iowa municipalities must then remove them to keep drinking water safe. Even then, some of the buildup filters out of the state and contributes to problems like the Gulf of Mexico’s oxygen-deprived dead zone.
Erosion and sediment loss are also concerns, as are other long-term ecological changes. Pre-colonial Iowa once housed vast wetlands that helped prevent catastrophic floods. However, they were drained to make more room for agriculture, causing difficulties for Iowa’s flood management systems, evidenced by the devastating floods of 2008.
“If we’d had all our wetlands,” Fish said of the historic event, “we would have had a big rain, but not a flood like that.”
So why do the hosts of Paddle Fest think a paddling conference is the appropriate place to raise these concerns? It comes back to connection and community. Borglum, Fish, and other supporters of Paddle Fest operate with the assumption that connection and community allow us to care about the environment. Paddling sport enthusiasts, because they spend time with the water, will likely be receptive to concerns about Iowa’s waterways and want to advocate for solutions.
Clark Porter, a farm manager and environmental specialist with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, works mostly with farmers, advocating for sustainability and supporting farmers making changes. Though his work is in the agricultural field, Porter was at Paddle Fest too, presenting on agricultural impacts on Iowa’s water quality.
“Anyone who recreates in the outdoors has an ethical responsibility to advocate for conservation,” Porter said.
If you’d like to experience the close connection and dedication of Paddle Fest’s community and engage personally with the larger connections water makes in our world, you could take advice from Vern Fish.
“Iowa is lucky to have so many state-designated water trails. Go floating.”
