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Cultivating Connections:

Revitalizing Communities and Nature

It started with the emerald ash borer that decimated ash tree populations across Iowa. Then came a series of devastating severe wind events and derechos that led to the destruction of more trees.

When these natural and climatic factors are coupled with decreasing maintenance budgets for counties and municipalities, Iowa’s public spaces face serious, tangible problems.

But every problem has a solution when you put the right partners around the table.

Madison County Conservation and Drake University’s Jay N. Darling Institute partnered to create the Cultivating Connections program—to transform public and private areas into vibrant ecosystems with reintroduced native vegetation and animal species.

Cultivating Connections has a two-fold mission: collaboration and stewardship. Jessie Lowry, outreach coordinator for the Madison County Conservation Board has seen firsthand that conservation efforts thrive when diverse stakeholders come together. In Madison County, she and her team are working to unite conservation agencies, non-profits, businesses, service groups, and small farmers. “It’s all about everyone sitting at the same table and using those resources even more efficiently and effectively,” Lowry noted.

Empowering Students and Communities

Through Cultivating Connections, Drake University provides DarlingCorps scholarship students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in an area they’re passionate about, including working to replant and revitalize public spaces.

An effort which isn’t just pleasing and pragmatic, but strategic.

A woman presenting in a meeting room with a board of botanical illustrations.
“It’s about showing up at meetings, voting locally, and collaborating with like-minded individuals. Start small and celebrate every success.”
“These plants aren’t just aesthetically pleasing and low-maintenance for public works crews, they’re crucial for local ecosystems,” said Keith Summerville, Paul and Claudia Schickler Executive Director of the Jay N. Darling Institute.

Lowry said the Drake University students are adding energy and innovation.

“To have those fresh young minds and new ideas is invigorating,” she said. “The brainstorming sessions we get to have with these Drake students are amazing.”

On the stewardship front, the program encourages local citizens to take action in their daily lives to support nature. Drake students, along with Lowry, developed a card game called Find Your Why, designed to help people identify their personal motivations for valuing nature, health, and community. The game pairs these motivations with simple, actionable steps, from turning off outdoor lights to restoring prairie land.

Student Success Stories

Anna Snyder, a junior from Geneseo, Illinois, majoring in environmental sustainability and business management, helped with branding, research, presentations, and designing the Find Your Why card game. “My role was to take my marketing knowledge and make scientific concepts accessible to the public,” Snyder said.

Her efforts culminated in a successful launch event, fostering connections with local participants and agencies. Inspired by the experience, Snyder continued her work with the Madison County Conservation Board over the summer and aspires to a career in corporate sustainability. “I’m passionate about improving internal processes to benefit the outside world,” she shared.

Darby Russel, a sophomore from Olathe, Kansas, and member of the current DarlingCorps cohort for Cultivating Connections, is continuing Snyder’s work. As a double-major of journalism and sustainability and resilience, Russell brings fresh ideas and a passion for environmental storytelling. “My dream job is to make documentaries for National Geographic or Animal Planet,” she said. “I want to bridge the gap between the public and scientists through storytelling.”

The Darling Institute was a major factor in Russell’s decision to attend Drake, one of the few colleges offering a non-agriculture-based sustainability program. Her involvement in Cultivating Connections exemplifies the innovative, hands-on learning opportunities that Drake provides its students, preparing them to lead and inspire in the environmental sustainability field.

Community Engagement and Impact

Since its official launch in April 2024, Cultivating Connections has garnered significant interest, with more than 50 citizens attending the inaugural presentation. Participants pledged to take local ecological actions and engage in field trips and workshops. Activities include educational sessions, like a tour of In Harmony Farm, where a farm program is bridging the gap between urban gardening and conventional farming for historically underserved individuals, to hands-on workshops about rain barrel construction and composting.

Lowry emphasized the importance of community involvement: “All of this is to help people get engaged in local efforts. It’s about showing up at meetings, voting locally, and collaborating with like-minded individuals. Start small and celebrate every success.”

BECOME A STEWARD FOR NATIVE SPECIES

Anyone can steward native species on their properties. In Iowa, organizations such as Iowa Native Plant Society are populated with knowledgeable advocates for prairie, wetland, and woodland species. County Conservation Boards can be an effective resource, as well. So, please extend the mission of the Darling Institute by cultivating your own connections to the natural world.
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