Posts in category: Grant Projects

Wings2Water is awarding $1,000 to the League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region ILO to support their mobile “pop art” conservation exhibit. This traveling display features four freestanding panels and a whimsical oversized aluminum can labeled “Pure Iowa Water”—a fictional brand delivering real-world lessons about nutrient pollution and healthy watersheds. By showcasing landowners who model conservation best practices, the exhibit sparks conversations about protecting water resources and promoting sustainable land use.

The League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region ILO unites 58 local and four state Leagues across the Upper Mississippi watershed, from Minnesota’s headwaters to Illinois’ southern tip. Their mission focuses on reducing nutrient pollution, mitigating climate change, and safeguarding both surface and groundwater. By working across political and geographic boundaries, they bring communities together to address water quality issues that impact millions of people.

Learn more about the League of Women Voters Upper Mississippi River Region ILO here.

As part of the 2025 Wings2Water Grant Awards, we are awarding $10,000 to the Izaak Walton League’s Nitrate Watch Program. This grant will provide more than 300 nitrate test kits for volunteers who are working to monitor and protect local water quality.

All test results are submitted to the Clean Water Hub, a nationwide database that tracks water health across the United States. By equipping and engaging volunteers, the Nitrate Watch Program empowers communities to better understand their water and take action to improve it. To date, nearly 64,000 water quality readings have been reported nationwide.

Why nitrate testing matters

Nitrate is a compound made of nitrogen and oxygen. While nitrogen is essential for plant growth, too much of it—often from fertilizers, manure, and sewage—can create serious risks.
High levels of nitrate in drinking water have been linked to health problems such as certain cancers, thyroid disease, and birth defects. In waterways, nitrate pollution contributes to algae blooms, fish kills, and the creation of dead zones that devastate aquatic ecosystems.

Take the Nitrate Watch Pledge

You can play an important role in protecting water quality. When you take the Nitrate Watch Pledge, you will receive a free nitrate test kit that includes everything you need to measure nitrate levels in your drinking water or local streams.

By participating, you’ll join a growing network of volunteers dedicated to cleaner, healthier water for all.

Wings2Water is proud to award $15,000 to Linn County Conservation as part of our 2025 Grant Awards. The funding will support the construction of a pond/wetland hybrid in Morgan Creek County Park on Cedar Rapids’ southwest side. This innovative system will filter runoff from 145 acres of row-crop farmland, reducing sediment and erosion before it reaches Morgan Creek—and ultimately protecting the Cedar River, a key source of drinking water for Cedar Rapids residents.

Linn County Conservation, a department of Linn County, manages over 9,000 acres of natural areas—more than 2% of the county’s land—including 30+ parks and trails. From hiking, biking, and camping to unique facilities like the Wickiup Hill Learning Center and the county’s arboretum, their work connects people with the outdoors while preserving natural resources for future generations.

Learn more about Linn County Conservation here.

Wings2Water awarded two $500 grants to Iowa State Extension and Outreach – Johnson County. The funds were used for two educational workshops for women in agriculture and female landowners to learn the basics and economics of tile drainage, as well as other water quality considerations.

The Tile Drainage Workshop answered questions on the benefits of tile drainage and what makes a good design. They also addressed typical costs and the economic return. Tile drainage is a type of agricultural drainage system designed to remove excess water from soil.

The Water Quality Workshop focused on water quality practices for fields, how tenants and landowners can work together on water quality goals, and cost share opportunities.

The John County division of Iowa State Extension and Outreach serves Iowans in these program areas: agriculture and natural resources, health and human sciences, 4-H youth development, and community economic development. According to their website, the Johnson County Extension Council, county staff, and ISU Extension and Outreach staff work together to provide research-based learning opportunities. They also carry Iowa State University’s land-grant mission across the county.

Learn more about Iowa State University Extension and Outreach here.

Wings2Water awarded a $1,500 grant to Friends of Lakeside Lab to support the stabilization of the shoreline at Little Millers Bay on West Okoboji Lake. A collapse of a shoreline would impact the diverse fisheries and recreational activities that take place in Little Millers Bay.

Founded in 1996, Friends of Lakeside Lab is a nonprofit in Milford, Iowa at Okoboji Lake. They’re focused on water quality monitoring, environmental education, and research initiatives at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory. The organization furthers its impact through scholarships, internships, and financial support of an in-house scientist. Opportunities to get involved include donating, volunteering, or attending events.

Learn more about Friends of Lakeside Lab here.

Wings2Water awarded a $5,000 grant to Iowa Rivers Revivals (IRR) to help plan, support, coordinate, and execute a series of river cleanup events across Iowa.

One of the river cleanup events took place on August 14, 2024. Volunteers walked over two miles of Indian Creek, filling a canoe with tires, bikes, plastic, and other trash. In 2023, IRR removed nearly 62,000 pounds of trash from Iowa rivers and waterways.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refers to garbage in U.S. streams, rivers, creeks, etc. as “aquatic trash.” Littering isn’t the only contributing factor. Illegal dumping and garbage that isn’t properly contained or disposed of easily become aquatic trash when carried by wind or rain into our waterways. All of the trash in our waterways affects water quality, marine animals and plants, and contributes to the pollution in areas used for tourism and recreation. The EPA provides detailed information on environmental, social, and economic impacts here.

Connect with Iowa Rivers Revival on Facebook here.

Wings2Water awarded a $7,500 grant to Linn County Conservation (LCC) to be used for a wetland at The Bird Preserve. The Bird Preserve is an 83-acre natural area located along Ellis Road NW that was donated to LCC in 2022. An additional 57 acres of woodland is along the Cedar River.

Today, The Bird Preserve provides the community with fishing access, a pavilion, and a number of trails. This includes the Wetland Loop Trail off of Ellis Road, a 0.6-mile loop that passes by Morgan Creek.

Wetland areas are crucial for water quality, controlling floods, and healthy ecosystems. A healthy wetland system serves as a type of filter for downstream waters, keeping rivers and lakes clean. Healthy wetlands also serve as an important ecosystem and habitat for various plants and animals.

Linn County Conservation, a department in Linn County (Iowa), provides outdoor recreation opportunities to the community while preserving and enhancing natural spaces. The department oversees more than 30 parks, 100 miles of trails, 300+ campsites, and various natural areas. Their work ensures the community can spend time in nature through hiking, biking, camping, fishing, and hunting, while they remain dedicated to protecting natural resources.

You can learn more about Linn County Conservation and The Bird Preserve here.

Wings2Water awarded a $10,000 grant to Indian Creek Nature Center (ICNC) to support the Etzel Sugar Grove Farm in Marion, Iowa. The funding provided allowed ICNC to focus their efforts on a 40-acre field that was previously conventionally farmed. ICNC began the process of converting the field to organic by preparing and planting the hay and cover crop. They also planted seeds to create a prairie buffer along the borders of the field. That seed mix included 18 grasses and sedges and 61 flower species. These measure help prevent soil loss, improve soil conditions, and help reduce runoff to improve overall water quality. Soil samples were taken before the project began and will be taken annually to monitor progress. This field’s transition will be a three-year process before it’s fully converted to a certified organic portion of the farm.

Indian Creek Nature Center was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1973, with their first public program held in 1974. The organization’s mission “is to promote a sustainable future by nurturing individuals through environmental education, providing leadership in land protection and restoration and encouraging responsible interaction with nature.” In addition to their efforts in sustainability, Indian Creek Nature Center is known for several events, including Backcountry Film Festival, Maple Syrup Festival, and Indian Creek Cleanup.

Explore more about the Etzel Sugar Grove Farm here.

F.W. Kent Park Lake, located about five miles west of Iowa City/Coralville, is one of the most heavily used publicly owned lakes in East Central Iowa. The 27-acre lake serves as the focal point in a 1,052-acre park. The lake is used by people of all ages for fishing, canoeing, kayaking and swimming and a two-mile length trail provides excellent access around the lake.

Cedar River Crossing Wetland Development

• Removes high levels of nitrates from water being transported by more than 100 miles of an agricultural drainage system, before the water enters the Cedar River.
• Expands the flood storage capacity of the Cedar River floodplain equivalent to 40 football fields, one foot deep.
• Provides outstanding wetland habitat for hundreds of species of wildlife, such as eagles, waterfowl, turtles, wading birds and river otter, including several threatened species.
• Cleans and purifies surface water runoff from more than 800 acres of watershed before entering the Cedar River.

Cedar River Crossing is a public area, located in northeast Johnson County, near Sutliff, Iowa. The Cedar River winds its way through the property and in the recent past, surface water drainage systems have been channeled directly to the river, resulting in loss of hundreds of acres of wetland habitat and reduced water quality. This project restores the natural wetlands and removes excess nutrients from entering the river system and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.

Wings2Water grant money helped Johnson County Conservation convert the old cow pasture into a grass and wetlands area which serves as a natural water filtration system for nearby Kent Park Lake. Past studies showed that runoff from the nearby pasture was polluting the popular recreational lake. The newly created wetlands is keeping the lake free of pollutants, so it can remain open for swimming and fishing. Kent Park is a 1,052-acre recreational park. It is considered to be one of the finest county parks in the state with more than 200,000 people visiting it each year to camp, hike, fish, and swim.

Larry Gullett, Executive Director Johnson County Conservation Board, said this about the project, “The funding we received through the Wings2Water program will be used to restore about 10 acres to prairie and wetland in the watershed of Kent Park Lake. We just acquired the property last January and are now preparing the seed bed a year before seeding. The area was used as a feedlot for cattle and all the runoff was going directly into our lake. We have been monitoring water quality coming from the site for five years, including this year, and the difference is remarkable since the cattle were removed. Bottom line is, this project will have profound positive impacts on improving water quality in Kent Park Lake through reduction of bacteria and nutrients (primarily phosphorous).”