This article first appeared in July 2008.
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Dr. Erwin Klaas, a 2008 Hagie Heritage Award nominee, is called "the guru of conservation in Ames, Iowa" by friends and colleagues.
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For many, retirement marks the end of a career. Dr. Erwin Klaas has a different idea.
Since his retirement as an Iowa State University professor, Klaas has taken on project after project as he champions myriad conservation causes around Ames. His friends and colleagues have honored his dedication by nominating him for a prestigious statewide conservation award.
The Hagie Heritage Award is given annually by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit conservation group, to a person who has demonstrated extraordinary service and commitment to improving the quality of Iowa’s natural environment while encouraging others to do the same. The recipient will be awarded $1,000 and a hand-carved acorn sculpture.
Klaas was nominated by Sue Ravenscroft, professor of accounting at Iowa State University; LaVon Griffieon, interim director of 1000 Friends of Iowa; Steve Lekwa, Story County Conservation Board director; Jeri Neal, ecology research leader at ISU’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture; Laura Belin, 1000 Friends of Iowa board president; and Nancy Carroll, Ames Parks and Recreation director.
In her nomination letter, Neal wrote, “Erv is an absolute treasure in his commitment to bring a strong, science-based background to tough issues—clean water, energy, environment and climate change—and to the thornier and more messy questions of if and how we should care as a community.”
The man Ravenscroft called “the guru of conservation in Ames, Iowa” grew up along the Mississippi River in Missouri, exploring the wetlands his family owned. His time in the wild inspired him to learn about nature and conservation.
Klaas earned his bachelor’s degree in wildlife conservation and his master’s and PhD in ornithology, the study of birds—an interest that had stuck with him since his duck hunting days of childhood. He taught biology at Rockhurst College in Kansas City and then joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where he researched the effects of DDT on birds.
He came to Ames in 1975 to teach wildlife biology and conservation at Iowa State University. There, he initiated the school’s first course in restoration ecology and worked with the Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife research unit. Klaas retired in 1999 and remains a Professor Emeritus of Animal Ecology.
Upon retirement, Klaas found time to expand his conservation horizons. His endeavors span a wide range of issues, but a main focus of his work is on sustainable urban growth. He also advocates preserving adequate farmland for food production.
To help promote smart growth policies, Klaas formed Ames Citizens for Better Local Government. He also helped found the Ames Smart Growth Alliance, which educates the public on sustainable growth issues. A few years ago Klaas led efforts to save Hallett’s Quarry from housing development and led the bond campaign to turn it into Ada Hayden Heritage Park.
Water quality is another important issue to Klaas. “Water is a very important resource that we need to clean up and try to preserve, to use our rivers and streams and lakes as useful resources instead of sewers,” he said.
Toward that aim, Klaas has studied stormwater management issues extensively. He has been a Story County Soil and Water District Commissioner since 2000. Klaas helped start the Urban Resources and Borderland Alliance Network (URBAN) and the Squaw Creek Watershed Coalition. He volunteers as a trainer and water quality monitor for the IOWATER Volunteer Monitoring Program, among other efforts.
Klaas organized the popular “Ames Reads Leopold” event to raise a discussion about humans’ relationship to the natural world. His run for the Ames City Council in 2006, although unsuccessful, brought conservation and sustainability issues into the spotlight.
That’s only a sampling of Klaas’ endeavors. He is involved in many more organizations and efforts maintain and improve environmental quality around Ames. His activities range from wildlife and prairie conservation projects to educational talks. When Klaas wants to tackle an issue, “if there isn’t a venue for it, he goes to work to organize and create it,” Neal wrote.
Klaas believes public education and civic action are vital to environmental integrity, a conviction that stems from his teaching background. It also motivates him to devote 30 to 40 hours a week to his conservation projects.
“I think a lot of people just go on with their lives without realizing the impact they’re having,” Klaas said. “We’ve got to raise awareness of what’s happening with the environment. It’s important to educate the public, and I feel that being involved with these organizations helps do that.”
He encourages concerned citizens to get involved as well. “It all goes back to that old saying,” he said: “Think globally, act locally.”
Klaas has received numerous awards for what Ravenscroft called his “indefatigable service, his deep understanding of conservation issues, and his solid, grounded approach to people and issues.”
Griffieon called Klaas a “living civics lesson” for the depth and breadth of his community involvement.
Although technically retired, he hasn’t slowed down a bit as he continues his mission to make central Iowa a better place to live.
Klaas’ family includes his wife Janet, son Ben in Minneapolis, son Zak in Ottawa, Canada, and daughter Abby Chungath in Des Moines.
The four other nominees for the 2008 Hagie Heritage Award are Roland Bernau of Algona, Susan Heathcote of Des Moines, Roslea Johnson of Des Moines and Jimmie D. Thompson of Ames. The recipient will be announced later this summer.
For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, Director of Communications, or call (515) 288-1846.