We’re voting “yes” for Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy amendment.

Our biggest asset is the environment, and land stewardship is a responsibility we all share.

We’ve all heard about Iowa’s problems with erosion and runoff. Ames may have some of the best water in the nation, but almost 53 percent of Iowa’s waterways have been deemed “poor” in terms of quality.

We’re 47th out of 50 in conservation spending, a statistic that’s downright shameful in a state where 90 percent of the land is dedicated to agriculture.

The Iowa Water and Land Legacy amendment seeks to create a transparent, constitutionally protected trust fund for conservation. Passed by Iowa legislators in a remarkably bipartisan fashion — more than 90 percent of the vote — the measure also includes stipulations around public competition for funding, mandatory audits and the creation of a citizen’s oversight committee regarding fund management.

This won’t be an increase in taxes. Instead, it’s a mechanism that earmarks 3/8 of the first cent of a future sales tax increase toward conservation, generating $150 million annually. Two-thirds of this funding would go toward water quality, with the rest going toward parks, trails and habitat.

While we’re not fans of constitutional amendments to push pet projects, the idea of a conservation fund in the wording of our state constitution is something we definitely support. 

Take a look around you, what are you surrounded by? Yes, there are buildings, but if you walk an hour in any direction from Central Campus you will end up in the country. This is where we live. Even if you live in one of Iowa’s larger cities, you still live in the country.

Some would put forward that there are many other worthy causes that the future tax money could go to, and that is true. There are many things in this state that need improved.

There comes a point where we desperately need to address the short comings of our states land usage and water quality. If we care, even a little bit, about the environment we live we need to vote accordingly.

When it comes to state-funded programs, you get what you pay for. Right now we’re not paying for very little, and the statistics speak to that. It’s not that there aren’t people that are ready to get to work restoring Iowa’s prairies, wetlands, and begin the steps necessary in cleaning up Iowa’s waters.

It’s that they need money, plain and simple.

Tomorrow you need to vote “yes” for the Iowa Water and Land Legacy amendment. You need to do it not just for yourself, but for your future children.

Yes, we know that thinking about having kids is scary, even if they are kids that wont be birthed for years.

How poor will the water quality be if we don’t rectify the situation?

By the time your future child is old enough to play in a stream, will 75 percent of Iowa’s water ways be in the “poor” category for water quality? Will it be even worse than that?

Will we wait until it’s 80 percent? How about 90 percent?

Vote “yes” for Iowa Water and Land Legacy now. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.