Wings2Water, an environmental nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring water quality in the Mississippi River watershed, is awarding six grants in its 2023 round of funding for projects and educational programs.
“We’re pleased to offer these grant awards to four deserving projects and two educational programs,” said Wings2Water board president Marty Lenss. “These efforts will lead to improved local water quality as well as a better understanding of this critical issue.”
The 2023 Wings2Water grant award recipients are:
INDIAN CREEK NATURE CENTER
Awarded: $10,000
Money to be used for a prairie buffer installation at Etzel Sugar Grove Farm.
LINN COUNTY CONSERVATION
Awarded: $7,500
Money to be used for a wetland at The Bird Preserve, a newly added natural area to the Linn County Conservation system. This 84-acre natural area is located along Ellis Road NW and was donated to LCC in 2022. The location of the wetland is just north of Ellis Road at the confluence of Morgan Creek with the Cedar River.
IOWA RIVERS REVIVAL
Awarded: $5,000
Money to be used to help plan, support, coordinate and execute a series of river cleanup events across Iowa.
FRIENDS OF LAKESIDE LAB
Awarded: $1,500
Money to be used to help stabilize the shoreline of Little Millers Bay on West Okoboji Lake. A collapse of the shoreline would impact the diverse fisheries and recreational activities that take place in Little Millers Bay.
IOWA STATE EXTENSION AND OUTREACH—Johnson County
Awarded: $1000 (Two grant applications funded at $500 each.)
Money to be used for two educational workshops for women in agriculture. The first workshop is a tile drainage workshop; the second workshop is a water quality workshop.
The awarded grant money comes from sales of a specialty beer called Greener State of Mind produced and sold in the fall of 2022. The beer was developed in partnership with Big Grove Brewery & Taproom, GreenState Credit Union and Wings2Water.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the support of GreenState Credit Union and Big Grove with this fundraiser,” Mr. Lenss said.
Checks will be presented to the grant recipients at a special event Thursday, June 29, at RAYGUN, 1028 Third St. SE in Cedar Rapids. At that event, Wings2Water will also unveil its new RAYGUN t-shirt designs. The event is open to the public and runs from 5 to 7 p.m., with the grant checks presentation at 5:45 p.m.
