House of Representatives appropriators recently voted on Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) agricultural funding.  Senate appropriators plan to vote on their version after the July 4th holiday.  Please write or call Sentaor Harkin no later than July 3rd and ask him to fund two programs that support economic prosperity in rural Iowa - the Beginning Farmer Rancher Individual Development Accounts (BFRIDA) program and the Rurual Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP).  Thank Senator Harkin for his past strong support and ask him to fund the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) at $22 million and the Beginning Farmer Rancher Individual Development Accounts (BFRIDA) program at $5 million.  To learn more about these programs, click here for the BFRIDA or here for the RMAP. Send your letters to The Honorable Tom Harkin, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510 or call (202) 224-3254 and ask for his aide, Mark Halverson. You may also fax your letter to (202) 224-9369.

The Natural Heritage Foundation has announced the 2009 schedule for the EXPERITORS! Conservation Legacy Education Project (ECLEP). The ECLEP will provide participants with an opportunity to reconnect with nature, experience miracles so often taken for granted, and renewed appreciation of the natural wonder that surrounds us every day. To read more about this fantastic program, the 2009 schedule and registration details, visit www.inhf.org.

The ECLEP was designed and developed by Cindy Finley, M.S. and is sponsored by The Natural Heritage Foundation.

Iowans want a transportation system that uses their tax dollars more wisely, recognizes the importance of farmland and natural areas, and reduces our impact on the environment.  Setting measurable goals for more bike lanes, buses and trains in order to reduce vehicle miles traveled and asking for transportation systems that encourage infill development will serve as a means to lessen our demand on roads.  The remaining weeks in April offer three opportunities for Central Iowans:

1. DMAMPO Reauthorization - April 22
2. IDOT Statewide Passenger Transportation Funding Study Needs Citizen Input at Six Meetings Before April 30
3. Transportation Improvement Plan Citizen Input - April 30

The Rebuild Iowa Commission has issued its 120 Day Report. Included in the report are three main messages to policymakers and all Iowans:

• Iowa must never forget this disaster and its impact
• Iowa must do all it can to prevent damage of this magnitude in the future
• Iowa must invest in recovery 

These messages, and a recurring recommendation that immediate action is crucial, are underscored throughout the report. We are very pleased with the inclusion of smart growth principles and the emphasis on rebuilding with the principles in mind. To read the report in its entirety, follow this link. For more information and additional news, visit the Rebuild Iowa Office website at www.rio.iowa.gov/.

We are pleased to announce the 2008 Best Development Awards Winners:

• New Residential: Upper Mississippi Valley Redevelopment Company, 1820 East Thirteenth Street, Village of East Davenport Development in Davenport, Iowa
• Renovated Residential: The HEART Program’s Washington Street Project in Dubuque, Iowa
• Renovated Commercial/Civic: M+ Architects, ISU Design West development in Sioux City, Iowa
• New Commercial/Civic: RDG Planning & Design, Marion Arts and Environmental Center at Lowe Park in Marion, Iowa
• Mixed Use: LADCO Development, Village of Ponderosa in West Des Moines, Iowa
• Leadership: City of Iowa City, Iowa City Subdivision Code in Iowa City, Iowa 

1000 Friends of Iowa will honor each recipient of a 2008 Best Development Award at our 2009 Annual Meeting.

For additional information please click on any of the links above, or contact Stephanie Stegeman by email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 515-326-1526.

A new video series from the Iowa Learning Farm, "A Culture of Conservation",  offers viewers an opportunity to learn about the impact we have on our soil and water and what each of us can do to protect and preserve our precious natural resources. All Soil and Water Conservation District offices & Iowa State Extension offices will have copies of the video series beginning in December.

To request a "A Culture of Conservation" contact the Iowa Learning Farm by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it For more information about the Iowa Learning Farm, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/ilf/.

The Iowa Food Cooperative (IFC) is a web-based marketplace for Iowa grown and crafted products. The co-op was created to unite producers and consumers, and facilitate the direct sale of Iowa-grown foods and Iowa-made products.  The need for these cooperatives around the state is tremendous. When small and family owned farms are able to connect with consumers and sell their products locally, we'll see more farmers willing to grow food. When we have more farmers who can make a living off smaller farms we'll see more young farmers in Iowa and we can expect better stewardship. Please visit the IFC website at www.iowafood.org for complete details, join the co-op and start shopping! IFC is a project of Practical Farmers of Iowa.

We are pleased to announce 1000 Friends Board Member, Erv Klaas is the recipient of the 2008 Hagie Heritage Award! The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has scheduled an Open House to honor Erv's "exhaustive volunteer efforts to promote smart growth, farmland protection, water quality, public conservation education, and more." The open house will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 28, 2008 at the Story County Nature Center, McFarland Park, in Ames. For complete details about this event and to read more about Erv's work, follow this link. Stacie Bendixen of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation wrote an article, "Conservation Champion" published in the Ames Tribune. You can read her article here.

Mary Brubaker Shares Memories of One of Our Thousand Friends  

Jeannette Eyerly lived a full, celebratory, worthwhile hundred years full of community service and  professional accomplishments -- and so much more. While her husband pursued his career as an editor of the Des Moines Register and Tribune, Jeannette Eyerly raised a family, baked bread, entertained friends, mentored students, gathered in a circle of loyal friends, wrote fiction and non fiction and was honored for her pioneering talents as a writer of ground-breaking, provocative novels for teenagers.   She was devoted to and enjoyed the pleasures of two daughters, six grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren and scores of friends and admirers.  

Eyerly's public service included establishing a community mental health center, serving on the Iowa Commission for the Blind and being president of the Des Moines Child Guidance Center.  She received the Iowa Author Award from the Des Moines Public Library foundation, and was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 2006.

1000 Friends would like to express thanks to “Team Scmoooze”, a RAGBRAI team whose members hail from all over the United States and gather annually in Iowa to participate in RAGBRAI, for their recent donation.