Iconic Lincoln Highway Bridge is Protected by Alternate Route
by Jeanie Hau, Byway Coordinator
It is official, the City of Tama, Iowa, home of the iconic Lincoln Highway Bridge, has announced that they are going forward with an alternate automotive route of 5th St, thereby avoiding the Lincoln Highway Bridge.
by Katelyn Rinicker, Pollinator Conservation Specialist
Mason bees are tiny, measuring only 0.3 to 0.6 inches long. In Spring, males emerge from their nests and wait for females to appear. After mating the males die and the females fly off to find a safe nest spot to raise their young. They will nest in holes in trees made by woodpeckers, abandoned nests of wood-boring beetles or that scrap wood you forgot to pick up. Females create individual brood cells in the nests by sectioning the hole. They supply them with pollen and nectar then lay eggs in each cell. Then they seal the cell with mud and start on the next section. When the eggs hatch, they feed on pollen, and mature while overwintering in their brood cell, and finally exit the chamber as adults in the spring. Mason bees are often kept to help pollinate gardens and farm crops because the females are reluctant to sting and will nest in man-made bee houses. These bees are very calm and docile and need to be protected! Remember to leave cut stems for these little friends in the fall.
Resolutions to Help Pollinators
by Katelyn Rinicker,
Pollinator Conservation Specialist
A new year means new resolutions! My personal resolutions are to build garden boxes out of reclaimed bricks and seed native plants in my backyard. There are many other things you can do to support pollinators this year like planting natives, creating nesting sites, reducing pesticide use, and creating a water source for them!
This letter is a satire of DNR’s latest response to the EPA’s partial disapproval of Iowa's 2024 list of impaired waters. This dispute between federal and state agencies may have no impact on water quality but matters for transparency and accountability.
Presented by Sarah Nizzi, Xerces Society, on the current status of pollinators and habitat options for a variety of sites. Register here.
Byway Events
Lincoln Highway Tour
June 18- June 25
The LHA proudly announces our next big Lincoln Highway tour - the 2025 Middle Third Tour of the 1928 Lincoln Highway alignment, departing from Joliet (Chicago area) Illinois on Wednesday morning, June 18, 2025, and traveling 1000+ miles over 8 days, arriving in Cheyenne, Wyoming on Wednesday, June 25. Daily itinerary here.
Events on the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway
Winterfest in the AmanasJan 25; Open fire chili, Freezer Run, Snowman Relay race, Winterfest Games
Prairie Rivers On the Web
Lincoln Highway National Heritage Byway on the Web
Iowa Valley Scenic Byway on the Web
Prairie Rivers of Iowa is a federal 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization uniquely focused on conserving natural and cultural resources.
We rely in part on the generosity of our supporters.