Through Nature’s Lens...Efforts to
Protect Iowa’s Water, Land and Wildlife
Dr. Neil Hamilton, Drake University
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The next Prairie Rapids Audubon Society meeting is on Tuesday, October 13, at 7:00 PM in the lower level of the First Presbyterian Church, 902 Main St. in Cedar Falls. The public is invited and refreshments will be served.
The talk will draw lessons from Hamilton's three books – The Land Remains (2022), The River Knows (2023), and Through Nature’s Lens (2025) – and discuss the challenges Iowa faces in being honest about our lack of progress in protecting water quality and funding nature programs. The talk will put into context the current political discussions concerning the 2026 farm bill, the growing concern about cancer in Iowa, our failure to fund IWILL, and the growing public awareness of our water quality problems. The talk will focus on reasons Iowans should remain hopeful and discuss how we can all be friends of nature. The upcoming 2026 Iowa Nature Summit on Nov. 18-19th will also be discussed.
The talk will draw lessons from Hamilton's three books – The Land Remains (2022), The River Knows (2023), and Through Nature’s Lens (2025) – and discuss the challenges Iowa faces in being honest about our lack of progress in protecting water quality and funding nature programs. The talk will put into context the current political discussions concerning the 2026 farm bill, the growing concern about cancer in Iowa, our failure to fund IWILL, and the growing public awareness of our water quality problems. The talk will focus on reasons Iowans should remain hopeful and discuss how we can all be friends of nature. The upcoming 2026 Iowa Nature Summit on Nov. 18-19th will also be discussed.
Professor Hamilton is also the director of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University in Des Moines where he has taught for over 40 years. Raised on a small farm in Adams County, he has spent his lifetime working at the intersection of law, farming, and conservation. A passionate advocate for nature, he has spent 35 years on the board of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, the state’s leading land stewardship organization. In the last four years, he has written three books – The Land Remains (2022), The River Knows (2023) and Through Nature’s Lens (Nov. 2025) – all of which detail Iowa’s natural and political history and document the challenges we face in our relations with the land, water, and nature. All the books share an optimistic, hopeful perspective of what Iowans can do to enhance nature. Prof. Hamilton always offers a lively and thoughtful presentation!
To join the meeting virtually, visit www.zoom.com and click the "Meet" menu at the top of the page, then select "Join a meeting." Enter meeting ID 581 087 8571 and then type in 1999 as the passcode.
Go explore!
Wednesday Morning Birding is back! See details on our Field Trips page.
Plus, see details for field trips in Buchanan County on that page too!
In the Sky: October 2026
Of special interest is the reappearance of Saturn that will rise soon after sunset and pass through a dim part of the southern sky during the night.
Believe you can and you're halfway there.
-- Theodore Roosevelt (Seen recently at his new presidential library)
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| Photo by Emma Goliff. Look for Cassiopeia in the upper left, part of Perseus below Cassiopeia, and Andromeda in the upper left. |
Climate Predictions
In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly last year, President Trump said that all the predictions made by the United Nations and many others were wrong. While this blanket statement was not specific, it is useful to examine some of the predictions that have been made.
One prediction was that extreme heat will reach dangerous levels. There have been a number of severe heatwaves across the world that are testing the limits of our endurance. For example, in 2024 more than 1,300 people died at the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia where temperatures hit 125 degrees Fahrenheit. This year there have been an estimated 10,000 heat related deaths in Europe. Even more grim, the World Health Organization has calculated that heat now kills at least half a million people every year. This prediction was correct.
Beyond heatwaves, there were predictions that other intense extreme weather events would be more frequent. There have been recent record-breaking floods in Europe, Asia, Brazil, and the United States, and there have been devastating droughts in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and the United States. This prediction was correct.
Another prediction was that global crop production would decline. A comprehensive study published in Nature found that crop production declines by approximately 120 calories per person per day for every increase of one degree Celsius in the global mean surface temperature. This prediction was correct.
With the overwhelming evidence that these and other predictions of the devastating effects of climate were correct and are happening now, our President and other politicians should end their denial and seriously address climate change. -- David Voigts, PRAS Board Member, Conservation Chair
Save the Dates & Join Us!
Our 2026-27 programs have been set for your enjoyment and edification!
Join us the 2nd Tuesday of each month, bring a friend & gather with others who enjoy nature & value conservation.
Our 2026-27 programs have been set for your enjoyment and edification!
Join us the 2nd Tuesday of each month, bring a friend & gather with others who enjoy nature & value conservation.
Sept 8th: DarkSky Iowa
Oct 13th: Neil Hamilton, Through Nature's Lens
Nov 10th: Craig Meyers - Africa!
No meeting in December but join us for Christmas Bird Counts!
Jan 12th: Alaska Wilderness League (Zoom only)
Feb 9th: Sandhill Cranes in Iowa
March 9th: Anna Buckardt Thomas - MOTUS towers & Osprey in Iowa
April 13th: Iowa Raptor Project with LIVE BIRDS!
May 11th: Annual potluck & program with fun interactive quiz
Click the Photos link on menu above to view.
Find us, like & share our posts on Facebook
Subscribe to the PRAS Audubon YouTube Channel to view past programs
Submit a proposal for our consideration via the PRAS Grant Application Form to help your organization secure funding for a project that supports our mission.
Consider donating to the PRAS Quasi or PRAS Permanent Endowment funds through the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa.
Call Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project 319-939-4635
or if you are outside of our area, see other Iowa wildlife rehabilitators.