The City of Iowa City has been awarded a $200,000 grant to begin implementing the Adaptation Plan for the Terry Trueblood Natural Area. This plan was developed and written by Environmental Policy and Management students (URP 6256) in 2018. It was part of an Iowa Initiative for Sustainability Communities and Sustainability Theme Semester project. The Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) grant, a program within Iowa DNR, will be used to remove invasive species in the park and promote woodland restoration. The class’ climate project is the first municipal parks climate adaptation plan implemented in the state of Iowa.
The plan was created for the western portion of the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. It includes recommendations to add an exploration trail, with prairie and wetlands restoration work to increase access to the Iowa River. The area will remain very natural, keeping maintenance costs low for the city and making it adapted to flooding and sustainable. Residents will be able to spend time in nature by walking through the wooded area, exploring the wetlands, or spending time by the river. Work on implementing the plan will start soon with completion taking several years.
When forming the adaptation plan, the students were challenged to think broadly and creatively to include all aspects, such as people’s needs for natural outdoor spaces, plant and animal biodiversity, the unique history of this land, and the frequent flooding of the adjacent Iowa River.
According to the students, this was a great experience to work on a one-of-a-kind environmental planning project. The hands-on involvement and opportunity to work with two faculty, Lucie Laurian and Scott Spak, who have a combination of environmental science training and adaptation planning experience prepares them well for their future careers.
Congratulations and sincere thanks to the alumni, faculty, Iowa City project partners, and Provost’s Office of Outreach and Engagement staff for their contributions to this project.
(Photo: Zach Berg / Press-Citizen)