Sierra Club to meet at Lake Darling Wednesday

On Wednesday, July 20, the Southeast Iowa Sierra Club will offer a fun and informative evening event open to the public. A summer gathering at the Lake Darling Lodge will feature dinner, announcements and awards, and a riveting talk by Chris Jones, PhD, research engineer at University of Iowa’s Hydrology lab. Dr. Jones has spent years documenting the poor condition of our state’s waterways. (This past week, a beach advisory was issued for Lake Darling, an unfortunate but relevant situation that relates directly to the topic of his talk.)

At 6 p.m., the Lodge will open for a vegetable lasagna dinner. (A freewill donation is requested.) Picnic facilities are available for those who wish to bring their own food. This hour provides an opportunity for friends of Sierra Club to socialize with others interested in nature, conservation, and related topics.

At 7 p.m., awards will be presented to individuals who have made outstanding environmental contributions to Jefferson County and Fairfield, and Fairfield’s newly-hired Sustainability Coordinator will be introduced.

At 7:15 p.m., Dr. Jones will begin his presentation on “Iowa’s Troubled Waters,” followed by Q&A and an open discussion of what we can do to improve water quality in our streams, lakes, and rivers.

At 7:45 p.m., Don Kline with the Friends of Lake Darling and the fisheries biologist at Lake Darling from 1971 to 2008, will be presenting on the history of water quality at the lake, the involvement of the Friends group, water quality goals and what was done to achieve those goals.

For more information or to RSVP, send an email to SEIowaSierraClub@gmail.com.