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ISU professor discusses 100 years of Iowa state parks

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 6th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

An act establishing Iowa’s state park system became law 100 years ago. An associate professor of landscape architecture at Iowa State, Heidi Hohmann, is studying the history of the parks.  “I think parks have a social meaning and a cultural meaning beyond their scientific value as preserves,” Hohmann says.

The 100th anniversary comes as state budget cuts threaten upkeep of the state parks.

Contract: IA
Park: 610150

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is NOT hiring the typical amount of seasonal workers to maintain them this summer. Hohmann says the parks remain as critical to preserving natural beauty today as they were in 1917. “They’re incredibly important for their resource values, for the species of animals and plants they protect, and they’re also important for citizens in terms of recreational opportunities,” Hohmann said.

Hohmann is hoping to celebrate the centennial of the state parks by visiting more than 50 of them this year.

(Radio Iowa w/Reporting by Rob Dillard, Iowa Public Radio)