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UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA CEDAR FALLS, IA THURSDAY, APRIL 5 VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42
CEDAR FALLS, IA
VOLUME 119, ISSUE 34
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2023
OPINION
CAMPUS LIFE
SPORTS
OPINION PAGE 3
CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 4
SPORTS PAGE 7
Opinion Columnist Drew Hill weighs in on the appropriate economic response to climate change.
Women’s basketball beats Drake with last second shot, 49-47.
The Northern Iowan brings home five Iowa College Media Association awards.
Adventure Trips back in action Traducción: Viajes de aventura N.I. EN ESPAÑOL
al aire libre regresan CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN Escritora
KARINA ORTIZ
Editora en español
COURTESY/JACOB KURT
After unexpectedly ending in May of 2022, Adventure Trips resume this spring with opportunities for students to go backpacking, climbing, skiing and more. The program plans to take students on a ski trip to the Mines of Spain near Dubuque this year, a favorite destination from years past.
Adventure Trips pro- “Adventure Trips meets abrupt Outdoor gramThewhich offers students end,” published on Sept. 19, the opportunity experi- 2022. recreation trip ence America’s tobackcounDrew Abrams, an HRCS graduate was instrutry through coordinated trips opportunities is now being run through the mental in assistant, developing a pathway of Education under for outdoor adventure trips to be return under new College the Department of Health, integrated within an academic department Recreation & Community program with a goal of getting CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN Staff Writer
Services (HRCS). The original program ended in May 2022, as reported by the Northern Iowan in the article
the Adventures Program back to running at its full capacity. See
ADVENTURE TRIPS, page 4
El programa Adventure Trips que ofrecen a los estudiantes oportunidades a experienciar el campo de América por viajes coordinados ahora está operado por el Colegio de Educación Abajo del Departamento de Salud, Recreación y Servicios Comunidades (SRSC). El programa original terminó en mayo 2022, reportado del Northern Iowan en el artículo llamado “Adventure Trips meet abrupt end,” publicado en 19 sept. 2022. Drew Abrams, un SRSC asistente graduado, era fundamental en desarrollar un camino para viajes de aventura al aire libre ser integrado dentro un programa académico con una meta de tener el Adventures Program funcionando a capacidad completa. “Ha sido impresionante trabajar con el Colegio de Ed. Un montón de profesores y jefes del departamento han sido super con el apoyo en preparar esto y han ayudado a nosotros, lo cual es impresion-
ante ver”, dijo Abrams. Kathleen Scholl, la jefa de departamento para SRSC que tiene más de 20 años de experiencia en educación de la naturaleza está consciente de la profesión y el progreso profesional que proporciona Adventure Trips. Ella estuvo empática con las preocupaciones de los estudiantes de la pérdida del programa Adventure Trips y decidió actuar con acción. Ver VIAJES DE AVENTURA, página 5
COURTESY/JACOB KURT
Los estuidantes se divierten en actividades como escalando el hielo.
UNI’s Tallgrass Prairie Center gifted 300 acres for preservation BAILEY KLINKHAMMER Staff Writer
UNI’s Tallgrass Prairie Center was founded in 1999, formerly known as the Native Roadside Vegetation Center. The Tallgrass Prairie Center aims to “empower people to value and restore resilient, diverse tallgrass prairie.” Some of the projects that the Tallgrass Prairie Center works on include the Iowa Roadside Management Program and the Prairie on Farms program. Alongside these programs, the Tallgrass Prairie Center helps manage the prairie conservation on UNI’s campus. On top of all of this, the Tallgrass Prairie Center was recently gifted 223 acres of land from Cathy Irvine of Dysart, Iowa. On top of the 77 acres Irvine had donated previously, the Tallgrass Prairie Center now manages a 300-acre swath of
land that staff is working to preserve. In 1830, it was estimated that 75-80% of Iowa was covered in native tallgrass prairie. Almost 200 years later, it’s estimated that less than 1% of that native tallgrass prairie remains in Iowa today. This drastic freefall in native tallgrass prairie land is large in part due to the western expansion of the 19th century. However, there are many benefits to protecting the tallgrass prairie that remains in Iowa. One of these reasons includes protecting our water resources and protecting natural habitats for Iowa’s animals. Tallgrass prairies also provide strong carbon sequestration, which is defined as the capturing and storing of carbon. The Tallgrass Prairie Center’s work to preserve and restore Iowa’s tallgrass prairie is vital in the preservation of Iowa’s ecosys-
tems and protection of water quality in the area. As aforementioned, the Tallgrass Prairie Center manages several projects to maintain and restore Iowa’s tallgrass prairie. Of these projects, the Iowa Roadside Management Program is one of the Tallgrass Prairie Center’s longest running projects. Laura Jackson, Ph.D., the director of the Tallgrass Prairie Center, spoke on how important it is to preserve all of Iowa’s land. “The roadside management program does just what it says, it manages Iowa’s roadsides. You might not think anything of it when you’re driving by on the highway, but that accounts for almost 60% of our tallgrass prairie in Iowa. It’s in a ditch!” she said. Beyond the roadside management program, the Tallgrass Prairie Center also works with farmers to preserve prairie on
farmland through the Prairie on Farms program and cultivates native seeds. “All of this is state funded,” noted Jackson. “No one’s tuition is
going towards this, it’s state funding we get to research and preserve these vital prairies.” See PRAIRIE PRESERVATION, page 2
COURTESY/TALLGRASS PRAIRIE CENTER
Iowa’s prairies house unique ecosystems and animal habitats along with protecting water quality. Today, it is estimated that less that 1% of native tallgrass prairie remains in Iowa.