Bur Oak Notes Fall/Winter 2022

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President

Larry Weber

BOARD MEMBERS

Valerie

Jason Taylor Executive Director

or ector

It is my ple l asurre e to share wiith you that a after three years o on the AmeriCorps stewards d hip team, Saraah h Lawinger joined the e staff of Bur Oaak k L Land Truust in n August of f 2022. Sarah h i is thhe fir rst s woman n to hold the e land steward posi tion at t the Trust, a move e that t hiig hllig hts s our r or o ganization’s commmi t tmennt t to t gennder r equi ty y and d emmpowermentt. Women e havve h historically y beeen n underr r epprese s nted in n thhe connservation fieldd, and n a 2019 1 stuudy pub u lished by Dr. Megan Jones s fr f om Oregon o State University show o ed that even when women are present t in n coonservatioon n organizations, they are r often relegated to admministrative v roles and excluded from leeadeership and d decisiion-maki k ng.

Currently, 45% % of f Buur r O Oak Land d Truusst staff and board members are women, as are 78% % of this yearr’s AmeriCorps program. Over the fouur r yearrs s of ouur AmeriCorps program, every team leeadeer r posi tioon has been held by a woman. The results of this focus on gender equity at the orrganizatioonal level speak for themselves, as the Trust is stronger than ever before, and we are offering more services to the community than any other time in our history We

community than any other time in our history. We believe that every organization needs to focus on correcting this inequity and are proud of the results from our work to date.

Over 70% of AmeriCorps members have been women.

I would also like to personally thank everyone who attended our events and tours over the summer. Outings like our family creek camp at Turkey Creek, numerous tours at Corriell Nature Preserve, fostering pawpaws, and our Nancy Seiberling event at the Englert allowed us to reconnect with so many of our supporters.

Next year will mark the 45th anniversary of Bur Oak Land Trust, and we are looking forward to sharing our plans for the future at a number of events during the year. After a two-year hiatus, we are excited to announce that Prairie Preview will return in the spring with an all-new format! More details will be announced later this year, but we are looking forward to reconnecting with our passionate community of conservationists, and hope to see you there.

Jason Taylor Executive Director

Larry Weber Board President Iowa Flood Center Director

Having grown up on a small family farm in northeast Iowa, I have been drawn to the gifts of the natural world since my youth. The timber, pasture and creek on our driftless-area farm offered many hours of exploration, entertainment, and intrigue. These youthful experiences initiated my lifelong interests in water and natural resources. Today my family and I are working to restore and protect a 100-acre property affectionately known as Old Man’s Timber, as the property is home to both Old Man’s and Old Women’s Creeks.

Professionally, I am a professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa and have the distinct honor of serving as the Director of IIHR – Hydroscience and Engineering. My research and teaching activities include salmon restoration along the Pacific Coast, flood and drought related work in Iowa and across the Midwest, monitoring and assessment of nutrient loss from agricultural lands, and large river restoration.

It is easy to see how both my personal interest and professional work have drawn me to Bur Oak Land Trust. As an advocate for protecting the lands and waters which all life depends on, as well as a scientific understanding for the importance of healthy ecosystems and rich biodiversity, I highly value the important role that Bur Oak Land Trust plays in land protection and stewardship.

I hope that you enjoy learning more about the incredible impact that Bur Oak Land Trust is making through its service, outreach, and stewardship programs and join me in supporting the Trust through your time, talent, and treasures. I am certain our collective efforts will continue to inspire others to help protect the natural world which enriches our daily lives and serves as inspiration for future generations.

Erin Hosto, AmeriCorps Stewardship Crew Leader, pictured on the cover.

americorps members growing through conservation

Interviews with two AmeriCorps Members who have gone on to careers in

habitat management, and this program stood out based on the number of training opportunities,” she said.

since they can seem less accessible for women.”

Hannah Davey

(2019-2022 years served)

Hannah Davey, of Guttenburg, Iowa, joined Bur Oak’s AmeriCorps program in fall of 2019 as a stewardship crew member before becoming a team lead the following year. “I was looking for opportunities to gain field experience in

During her first month as a crew lead, she was unexpectedly tasked with leading the AmeriCorps crew in disaster response following the 2020 derecho. As a result of that experience, Davey helped found Bur Oak’s Chainsaw Academy, a program which seeks to teach chainsaw safety and technical cutting skills to the public. The first formal course was one of her most memorable experiences while serving in the program; this course was special in that it was designed to create a comfortable learning environment for a group of 15 women, many of whom admitted to being intimidated by the idea of learning such a traditionally masculine skill. “It’s important work,” Davey said, “sharing these skills with others, especially

Davey admitted that her experience at Bur Oak helped her hone leadership skills and gain the confidence needed to be a woman in law enforcement. These are skills she practices daily in her current position with the Department of Natural Resources as a Water Patrol Officer. Tasked with both keeping the public safe and protecting Iowa’s natural resources, she works closely with local conservation officers to patrol the Coralville Reservoir and its surrounding waters. As part of her position, she has participated in many other activities with the DNR, including bird banding, water safety trainings, and hunter education field days. In the fall of 2022, Hannah is starting a new position with the Colorado Firecamp in Salida, CO.

Jack Sytsma

(2020-2021 years served)

After having previously served with AmeriCorps in Hawaii, Jack Sytsma, of Leighton, Iowa, wanted to continue pursuing AmeriCorps and conservation work in his home state. He joined Bur Oak’s program in the fall of 2020, and

his passion for volunteering and field work very quickly brought that year’s crew into a cohesive team. Having spent a previous summer as an intern at Neil Smith’s National Wildlife Refuge, Sytsma was excited to build on his existing knowledge of Iowa’s ecosystems. “[The program] seemed to match really well with my goals,” he said, “I was really interested in tallgrass prairie ecology and prescribed fire…two things which Bur Oak specializes in.” During his program year, the crew burned a few hundred acres, and Sytsma excelled in all positions on the fire line.

Sytsma has been able to use the concepts and skills gained from those burns even after exiting the program. This fall he began his second year as a graduate research student at Kansas

State University in Manhattan, KS. His research studies the effects of drought on tallgrass prairie species, with an emphasis on Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), in order to better plan and prepare for future droughts. Just this past August, he had the opportunity to present this research at the Ecological Society of America and Canadian Society of Ecology and Evolution’s joint 2022 conference, which was hosted in Montréal, Canada. In addition to his research and coursework, Sytsma has enjoyed the opportunity to teach science courses for undergraduate students. He also chooses to donate his free time to the Flint Hills Discovery Center, where he continues to share his passion for volunteerism and the tallgrass prairie.