(Des Moines)– A popular program in Iowa that helps fund outdoor recreation, conservation and historic preservation projects will have a series of regional meetings in coming weeks, including one in Okoboji.
The REAP, or Resource Enhancement and Protection program, has been in existence since 1989. Michelle Wilson, REAP program coordinator for the Iowa DNR, says what they’ve done since then is phenomenal…
“To date it’s funded nearly $430 million worth of projects that include water quality improvements, habitat protection, roadside prairie work, historic development, park and trail development and conservation education. The really cool thing is since 1989, I can look at even the grants the Department of Natural Resources administers, we had funding to to every single county in the state of Iowa. I think that’s one of the really cool things about the REAP fund is every single county since 1989 has benefited is some form of action from REAP.”
She says while a majority of people associate REAP with the DNR, a number of other state agencies are also involved…
“The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship administers a portion of REAP funding; the Department of Administrative Services through historic preservation administers some REAP funding; the Department of Transportation through the Living Roadways Trust Fund and Integrated Roadside Management administer some of the funding and the Department of Natural Resources administers some of the funding.”
Wilson says REAP has had a direct impact on a number of projects in northwest Iowa and the Iowa Great Lakes in particular…
“It just does really a lot of great things for a lot of great communities. I know up in your area I don’t know of one of the trails that probably hasn’t had some REAP dollars in it from a DNR grant perspective. We’ve had a lot of funding go into your community and a lot of trails activity and parks activity you have up in your area.”
Wilson says the upcoming REAP assemblies are intended to give residents some direct input…
“And they also select five delegates from their region to represent them at REAP Congress which will be on August 29th down at the state capitol, and those five delegates carry that information, they carry those policies and motions forward to that congress and then as a large body they vote on what they believe should be the most important things for REAP moving forward.”
She adds the assemblies are also a great way to hear from those who have benefited from REAP grants in the past…
“We’re really focused on having people share what their projects are, and that goes for two reasons. Number one, that brings a lot of knowledge about these projects. Maybe some people didn’t know about some of the types of project or some of the ways they can interact with REAP, but also I’m really hoping that maybe if you’ve never applied for a REAP fund grant from any of our agencies before, you’re going to come and you’re going to see an actual project, how they made it come to be, and say well, I can do that in my community, too.”
The REAP Assembly meeting for Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto and Sioux counties will be held at 1:00 pm Thursday, July 23rd at Maser Monarch Lodge in Okoboji.
