West Union’s green pilot streetscape project and partnership with the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) will be featured on an educational television program, “Profiles Series” with host Larry King, on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 6:00 am on the Discovery Channel. The half-hour program will include other feature segments and commentary by host Larry King from the studio. A production team gathered footage in West Union on November 1, 2012.… Read more ›

Engineers at Oregon State University have developed a new interactive planning tool to create networks of small wetlands in Midwest farmlands, which could help the region prevent massive spring floods and also retain water and mitigate droughts in a warming climate.

The planning approach, which is being developed and tested in a crop-dominated watershed near Indianapolis, is designed to identify the small areas best suited to wetland development, optimize their location and size, and restore a significant portion of the region’s historic water storage ability by using only a small fraction of its land.… Read more ›

By Mike Van Sickle, Fayette County Union

Countless visitors to Echo Valley State Park near West Union spend their summer days strolling along the Echo Valley Environmental Nature Trail (EVENT) or fishing for trout along the scenic banks of Otter Creek.

While already synonymous with the beauty found throughout northeast Iowa, a large portion of Otter Creek and the surrounding area could become even more environmentally sound.… Read more ›