REAPing the Rewards

By Anna Gray on April 24, 2025 in Blog

For over 35 years, the Resource Enhancement & Protection Program (REAP) has served as Iowa’s premier conservation program, investing in the enhancement and protection of the state’s diverse natural and cultural resources. REAP has supported over 15,000 projects across the state and in each of Iowa’s 99 counties.

Funded by the Iowa legislature using gaming receipts and the sale of natural resource license plates, REAP is authorized to receive $20 million annually, but despite the program’s success, funds are diverted each year and REAP has never been fully funded.

A majority of REAP projects are locally implemented, providing benefits that affect Iowans' everyday life, including better water quality and safe drinking water sources, agricultural soil conservation and productivity, revitalization of rural communities and economic development, and outdoor recreation facilities and amenities. REAP funds are broken down into categories: open space, roadside vegetation, historical resource development, state land management, conservation education, city parks and open space, soil and water enhancement and county conservation. See examples of some recent REAP projects below.

Conservation Education

REAP funds allowed Adams County Conservation to purchase kayaks and life jackets, complete an outdoor classroom and upgrade playgrounds — all vital in providing residents with a connection to the outdoors.

City Parks & Open Space

Magnetic Park in Cherokee is a 55-acre linear park and trail corridor connecting citizens and visitors to natural, cultural and historical resources in the area. A REAP grant helped make the park and trail possible.

Open Space

The White Horse Access Addition in Sac County sits in a priority watershed of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy. The restored prairie buffers the North Raccoon River, improving water quality, protecting habitat and creating hunting and fishing opportunities — all made possible by a REAP grant that provides cost-sharing.

County Conservation

Thanks to REAP, Scott County Conservation recently refurbished the old dorm building at the Wapsi Education Center, gaining a large educational meeting room, an indoor range for archery programs and new educational displays.

Here's How You Can Support REAP

1. Urge your legislators to fully fund REAP and eliminate the sunset clause. Without legislative action, REAP will expire in 2026.
2. Upgrade your license plate. Pick from one of five license plate designs that show your support for Iowa’s outdoors.
3. Attend a REAP Assembly this fall. Every other year, the DNR hosts regional assemblies to share REAP program updates and collect feedback from the public.