In the News
In The News
Possible poaching in Neff Wetland prompts fundraiser for surveillance
FAIRFIELD, Iowa — Chris Sorflaten found his passion in protecting beavers – the architects of the natural world.
Their dams help prevent erosion and create a habitat for other wetland creatures to thrive in.
He calls Fairfield’s Neff Wetlands the “beaver central station” which is where he mostly monitors beaver dams.
After a day volunteering at the wetlands, he says he and his team were playing frisbee golf when they made an upsetting discovery in Fairfield’s Chautauqua Park.
iowa source
Are beavers more important than humans?” Chris Sorflaten asks. We’re floating down Cedar Creek in Jefferson County, where he often encounters the inquisitive aquatic rodents. “Usually the first time of the year, they’re real skittish, and they’ll do a tail slap,” Sorflaten says. “But the next few times they like to come and play with the paddles and swim under the bow. They’re super friendly and playful.”
Fairfield council hears proposal for reopening compost site in 2025
Sorflaten’s idea was to turn the city’s yard waste into biochar, where the waste is placed in a shipping container, set on fire, and then its lid is closed. This turns the yard waste into charcoal, which Sorflaten said is an effective way of sequestering carbon. He said the City of Des Moines has jumped on this idea, and is ordering two biochar reactors.
“It’s also one of the best ways to use fertilizer because it stays in the ground forever,” he said. “Native Americans burned the prairie for thousands of years, and that char went into the soil and made it really carbon-rich.”