Action Alert: Bills threaten future parks, trails and wildlife areas

By Anna Gray on February 12, 2024 in Blog

Action Alert

UPDATE 2/13: Senate Study Bill 3129 passed out of the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee. Contact your Senator now and let them know you don't want SSB 3129 to go any farther.

UPDATE 2/12: Senate Study Bill 3129 will be considered by the full Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 11 a.m. If you have not already, please contact all members of this committee (see emails below) to let them know you oppose this bill because it will further erode our ability to invest in and expand Iowa's parks, trails and wildlife areas.

You can watch the meeting live by clicking on the "Video" icon link next to the meeting agenda here.

Email the full Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee by copying the emails below. Tell them you oppose SSB 3129.

annette.sweeney@legis.iowa.gov
tom.shipley@legis.iowa.gov
izaah.knox@legis.iowa.gov
liz.bennett@legis.iowa.gov
claire.celsi@legis.iowa.gov
chris.cournoyer@legis.iowa.gov
rocky.dewitt@legis.iowa.gov
dawn.driscoll@legis.iowa.gov
lynn.evans@legis.iowa.gov
jesse.green@legis.iowa.gov
ken.rozenboom@legis.iowa.gov
sarah.trone.garriott@legis.iowa.gov
dan.zumbach@legis.iowa.gov

UPDATE 2/1: House File 2104 did not advance out of the Natural Resources subcommittee, with all three members declining to sign off on the bill. Thank you to everybody that showed up to the Capitol or contacted legislators to let them know how you feel about this legislation! We also appreciate the subcommittee members listening to those in attendance, who were overwhelmingly opposed to the bill.

However, the companion bill is still alive in the Senate, and there is a chance HF 2104 could surface in another committee in the House. If you have not done so yet, we still encourage you to reach out to your legislators to let them know you oppose SSB 3129 and HF 2104.

UPDATE 1/31: SSB 3129 has moved to the full Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee. A meeting has not yet been scheduled. We are grateful to everybody that advocated for Iowa's public parks, trails and wildlife areas by attending the subcommittee meeting in person or by calling or emailing your representative.

The option to join the meeting virtually by Zoom wasn't working, but the senators decided to carry on with the subcommittee hearing. You can see most of the public comment from the meeting here. The audience in attendance was overwhelmingly opposed to the bill.

INHF is still encouraging you to attend the House Subcommittee meeting on Thursday, Feb. 1 for HF 2104 in person AND call or email committee members (see below) to let them know you oppose the bill.

1/30/24

We’re sorry for the short notice, but we were just informed that public hearings have been scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday on bills in the Iowa Legislature that could hinder the enhancement of parks, trails and wildlife areas in our state.

Senate Natural Resources and Environment Subcommittee – SSB 3129
Wednesday, January 31, 9:30 a.m.
Senate Lounge, Room 216, Iowa State Capitol
Join virtually on Zoom
Meeting ID: 897 6836 1658
Passcode: 815875

House Natural Resources Subcommittee – HF 2104
Thursday, February 1, 1:30 p.m.
Supreme Court Chambers, Room 102, Iowa State Capitol
Join virtually on Webex
Call in number: 14084189388
Access code: 24980980414

Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is encouraging you to attend the meetings in person AND call or email committee members (see below) to let them know you oppose these bills that are being fast-tracked through the Iowa legislature.

Companion bills SSB 3129 in the Senate and HF 2104 in the House of Representatives have identical language and seek to prohibit the Iowa Department of Natural Resources from acquiring land “available for sale at an auction” or “by donation or purchase from a nonprofit corporation that acquired the real property in a competitive manner, including but not limited to at an auction.”

As written, this broad language could apply to almost any land sold on the open market in Iowa, making it virtually impossible to enhance and buffer existing parks, trails and wildlife areas or establish new ones — even when it is the wish of the sellers to see the land open to the public. That is why we continue to work with legislators to support our natural resources and why we need your help now!

More about the bills
INHF is concerned about implications these bills may have on public natural areas that are vital to Iowa's quality of life, workforce retention, economic development, water quality and public health.

They would further erode Iowa’s ability to invest in and expand our parks, trails and wildlife areas — which are some of the top reasons people choose to live in or visit Iowa. We need to tell legislators to allow the Iowa DNR — and partners like Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation — to work to protect and create special places in Iowa instead of making it harder to do so.

Here's how you can help!
These subcommittee hearings are the only chance for the public to comment on these bills in an open meeting, so please try to attend tomorrow or Thursday. You can also:

Email the full Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee by copying the emails below. Tell them you oppose SSB 3129.

Email the full House Natural Resources Committee by copying the emails below. Tell them you oppose HF 2104.

tom.jeneary@legis.iowa.gov
ken.carlson@legis.iowa.gov
adam.zabner@legis.iowa.gov
ako.abdul-samad@legis.iowa.gov
timi.brown-powers@legis.iowa.gov
dean.fisher@legis.iowa.gov
dan.gehlbach@legis.iowa.gov
thomas.gerhold@legis.iowa.gov
helena.hayes@legis.iowa.gov
heather.hora@legis.iowa.gov
david.jacoby@legis.iowa.gov
kenan.judge@legis.iowa.gov
shannon.latham@legis.iowa.gov
elinor.levin@legis.iowa.gov
norlin.mommsen@legis.iowa.gov
j.d.scholten@legis.iowa.gov
brad.sherman@legis.iowa.gov
art.staed@legis.iowa.gov
sharon.steckman@legis.iowa.gov
luana.stoltenberg@legis.iowa.gov
mark.thompson@legis.iowa.gov

Please contact INHF Public Policy Director Anna Gray at agray@inhf.org if you have any questions or if you hear from legislators on this issue. We appreciate you being an advocate for nature in Iowa!