A Virtual Thanksgiving Town Hall:

Celebrating Water Stewards

Heather Wilson—  Midwest Save Our Streams Coordinator, IWLA

Chris Henning—  Iowa Division Board Member, IWLA

On Tuesday, November 25 at 7 PM CT, we gathered on Zoom for our Virtual Thanksgiving Town Hall.

This month, we took time to give thanks and highlight the inspiring work happening across Iowa to address our water-quality crisis. We spotlighted several Izaak Walton League members, partner organizations, and community leaders who are bringing people together and demonstrating how meaningful action can influence policy.

Participants also shared who they wanted to thank for their efforts to protect Iowa’s waters.

In addition to updates on our Save Our Streams / Nitrate Watch program and the GoFundMe campaign supporting the University of Iowa’s statewide water monitors, we discussed ways to engage more Izaak Walton League members in this growing grassroots movement. Across Iowa, with 39 chapters of varying strengths and levels of engagement, we emphasized the importance of the League’s statewide network—one that supports collaboration among farmers, community volunteers, and partner organizations alike.

The Panora Conservation Chapter stood out as a powerful example of what strong, coordinated engagement can achieve.

During the session, we heard brief updates from:

• Heather Wilson, Midwest Save Our Streams Coordinator
• Chris Henning, Iowa Division IWL Board Member and Panora Conservation Chapter Board Member

For more than a century, the Izaak Walton League has been committed to protecting and restoring America’s waterways. Today, in Iowa—ground zero for one of the nation’s most pressing water-quality challenges—we continue that legacy with renewed urgency, community strength, and hope.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to this meaningful conversation.

Clean Water and Policy:

Finding Common Ground!

Dane Schumann— attorney and lobbyist with the Izaak Walton League’s Iowa Division

Attendees joined us for an inspiring Watershed Talks program with Dane Schumann, lobbyist with the Izaak Walton League, as he shared how we can help shape policy decisions that protect clean water—for public health, recreation, and the future of Iowa’s waterways.

The conversation explored:


💧 How Iowa’s recent GoFundMe campaign is helping sustain the University of Iowa’s world-class water monitoring system


⚖️ Why bipartisan collaboration is essential to protecting our rivers and streams


🌎 How each of us can play a role in making water quality a top priority in the 2026 legislative session

Dane offered both hope and practical guidance for working across divides to protect what connects us all: clean water.

Founded to defend our waterways and natural resources, the Izaak Walton League continues to inspire action. Together, we can renew that mission and find common ground for Iowa’s clean water future.

—About Dane Schumann
Dane is a Des Moines–based attorney specializing in government affairs and litigation. A graduate of the University of Iowa and Valparaiso University School of Law, he has served on the Iowa Legislature’s caucus staff and worked as both a lobbyist and attorney. In 2021, he founded his own practice, representing a wide range of clients—including the Izaak Walton League—across the state.

The Nishnabotna Settlement: 

What’s Next for Iowa Water?

Neil D. Hamilton— emeritus agriculture law professor, author, and speaker 

We’re excited to share the recorded presentation of The Nishnabotna Settlement: What’s Next for Iowa Water? with Neil D. Hamilton, one of Iowa’s most respected voices on agricultural law and conservation.

This important conversation takes a closer look at the March 2024 fish kill, when approximately 265,000 gallons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer spilled from a NEW Co-op facility into the East Nishnabotna River.

Highlights include:

• Legal insights from Neil Hamilton — unpacking the case and its broader implications for Iowa’s waterways.
• Details of the settlement — on July 30, 2025, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced that NEW Co-op will pay a $50,000 penalty and contribute another $50,000 toward a supplemental environmental project with the Montgomery County Conservation Board.
• Community perspectives — hear from the Nishnabotna Water Defenders, including their eye-catching “Know What You Drink” billboard, along with other local voices.
  This recorded Zoom presentation is not just a recap of the case—it’s an invitation to think about the future of Iowa’s rivers, streams, and communities.
• About Neil D. Hamilton:  Neil is emeritus professor of law at Drake University, a nationally recognized authority on agricultural law, conservation, and natural resources. He is also a widely published author and sought-after speaker.
• Watch the presentation, join the dialogue, and be part of shaping Iowa’s water future!

Cutting Water Monitoring in a Nitrate Crisis?


From Data to Action:  Iowa’s Water Future!

Dr. Larry Weber— scientist, engineer, and co-founder of the Iowa Flood Center 

Learn more by watching this recording of an extraordinary follow-up to the Harkin Institute’s August 4th public panel on the 2025 Central Iowa Water Quality Report. In this eye-opening presentation, Dr. Larry Weber—renowned water scientist, engineer, and co-founder of the Iowa Flood Center—unpacks Iowa’s escalating water quality crisis.

What you’ll learn:

• Why nitrate pollution in Iowa’s rivers is reaching record highs
• The alarming risk of reduced water monitoring systems
• Science-driven tools and policies that can turn the tide 

—About Larry Weber
He is a University of Iowa professor and Director of IIHR – Hydroscience and Engineering. Dr. Weber co-founded the Iowa Flood Center and Iowa Nutrient Research Center and leads the nationally recognized Iowa Watershed Approach.

Toxic Ties: What’s in Our Water


The Public Health Impact of Iowa’s Polluted Waterways!

Dr. Adam Shriver— Director of Wellness and Nutrition Policy at The Harkin Institute

A Vital Conversation on Water, Health & Policy in Iowa
Event Recap: Presentation by Dr. Adam Shriver, The Harkin Institute

We were honored to host Dr. Adam Shriver, Interim Director of Wellness and Nutrition Policy at The Harkin Institute, for an engaging and timely presentation on the links between agricultural pollution, water quality, and public health in Iowa.

Dr. Shriver shared details about The Harkin Institute’s current initiatives, including:

A forthcoming panel discussion on the 2025 Polk County Water Quality Report, and
A series of statewide Cancer Listening Sessions in collaboration with the Iowa Environmental Council.

These initiatives aim to shed light on how environmental factors—especially those linked to industrial agriculture—may be impacting Iowans’ health.

One of the most pressing issues discussed was Polk County’s recently released water assessment, which revealed that nearly 80% of nitrate contamination in the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers—key drinking water sources for over 600,000 Central Iowans—comes from agricultural runoff.  The data raises urgent questions about water safety, land use, and long-term public health impacts.

The Cancer Listening Sessions are gathering real stories and data from across Iowa, exploring the possible links between environmental exposures and increasing cancer rates.  Dr. Shriver emphasized the importance of public engagement in shaping smarter, community-informed policies.

About Dr. Adam Shriver:
Dr. Shriver leads efforts at The Harkin Institute focused on clean water, sustainable agriculture, and public health. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology and has held academic appointments at the University of Pennsylvania, University of British Columbia, and Oxford. His work bridges science, ethics, and policy to advance environmental and human health.

Vanishing Wings:  A Wake-Up Call for Nature

How Neonics Threaten Our Insects, Aquatic Life, and More!

Mike Miller– Stream Ecologist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 

This eye-opening presentation is about neonicotinoid insecticides (neonics) and the growing threat they pose to the insects that live in our streams, rivers, and wetlands—especially dragonflies, mayflies, and other aquatic bugs.

These fragile flyers are far more than summer scenery. They help keep our waters clean, support fish and bird populations, and signal the health of entire ecosystems. But neonics—widely used in agriculture and urban areas—are silently wiping them out.

🔍 This talk explores:

• What neonics are and how they enter our waterways
• The essential roles of aquatic insects like dragonflies and mayflies
• How insect loss impacts the entire food web—from bugs to birds to fish
• What we can do to turn the tide

💧 If you care about clean water, healthy rivers, or just love the shimmer of dragonfly wings—this conversation is for you.

About the Speaker:
Mike Miller is a stream ecologist with the Wisconsin DNR in Madison, focusing on stream and watershed assessment, neonicotinoid contamination, and innovative technologies like UAVs for stream research. He co-authored A Field Guide to Wisconsin Streams, teaches at the University of Wisconsin, and collaborates with citizen scientists. In his free time, he enjoys fly fishing in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area.

A discussion with podcast producer Beth Hoffman 

Beth Hoffman— Author, Farmer & Podcaster

Learn about Beth Hoffman’s “At the Iowa Farm Table” podcast program.  The podcast explores how and why we can make Iowa’s food and farming culture a thriving, sustainable and equitable food system.  Beth shares what she’s learned about Iowa farming and shares some highlights from her latest podcast series, such as “Drenched in Chemicals” and “Adding Value on Iowa Farms”.  

Beth Hoffman has been reporting, writing and doing audio for twenty-five years on food and agriculture. She wrote Bet the Farm: The Dollars and Sense of Growing Food in America, blogs at In the Dirt with the Iowa Writers Collaborative, and produces At the Iowa Farm Table for the Iowa Food System Coalition. She also runs Whippoorwill Creek Farm with her husband John. The farm raises grass-fed and finished beef, pastured goats and vegetables, and offers cooking and writing classes and overnight stays.

Fish in the Nish?  One year later—

How community members are working with the newly formed Nishnabotna Water

Defenders to advocate, educate and litigate!

Jodi Reese— Secretary, Nishnabotna Water Defenders

Learn about what’s taking place in the Nishnobotna watershed. It’s been a year since one of Iowa’s largest fish kills. 

Jodi Reese of the newly formed Nishnobotna Water Defenders will discuss how community members are working together to restore and protect the Nish after last year’s fish kill.  

Other experts and concerned community members  join the discussion to reflect on what has and what has not happened during this past year. They talk about how to move forward. 

Jodi is encouraged by the possibility of NWD and similar groups bringing people together to work on this common goal.  She is a nurse and grower who believes the foundation of well-being starts with what we consume and that depends on clean food and water.

Watershed Talks ~ This monthly series is a project of the Iowa Division of The Izaak Walton League of America, with rotating co-hosts from other Iowa Chapters. We feature guests for 30-40 minute presentations that shed daylight on good works done in Iowa watersheds. In this way we uplift our shared goals for cleaner water, a healthy environment, and kinder communities. Recorded programs will be available at iowaikes.com shortly after they air live. 

Nature Defenders of Iowa—

How organizations work everyday to defend our natural resources both at the state

and federal level!

Anna Gray— Public Policy Director and Counsel, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation 

Kate Hansen— Agriculture Program Director, The Izaak Walton League of America

Learn about  the current challenges in defending nature at the state and federal level.   Anna and Kate will discuss the most recent legislative issues which include major budget cuts associated with conservation that impact our agriculture lands, natural resources, and outdoor habitats.

Anna Gray is the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation’s Public Policy Director and Counsel.  She works to shape public policy priorities that promote sustainable agriculture, preserve natural resources, and connect people with the outdoors.

Kate Hansen is the Izaak Walton League of America’s national Agriculture Program Director. In her role, she leads the League’s work to influence federal policies to increase conservation practices, improve water quality, and restore soil health on farm and ranch-land across the country.

Watershed Talks ~ This monthly series is a project of the Iowa Division of The Izaak Walton League of America, with rotating co-hosts from other Iowa Chapters.  We feature guests for 30-40 minute presentations that shed daylight on good works done in Iowa watersheds. In this way we uplift our shared goals for cleaner water, a healthy environment, and kinder communities. Recorded programs will be available at iowaikes.com shortly after they air live.