Iowa Problem Zine.Pub
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9. Donnelle Eller. Iowa could support 45,700 livestock confinements, but should it? Des Moines Register, March 2018. www.desmoinesregister.com-story-money- Iowa - Big-Ag’s Sacrifice Zone: agriculture-2018-0.-08-iowa-can-support-12-300-cafos-but- should-.21110002- Accessed June 10, 2018 An Indigenous Perspective 10. 5rian 5ienkowski. My Number One Concern is Water”: As Hog Farms Grow in Size A Land Decoloni%aon Project 'ine Series by Seeding Sovereignty and Number, so do Iowa Water Problems. Environmental 6ealth News, November 2012. www.ehn.org-water-polluon-hog-farming-23011778.1.html Accessed June 10, 2018 11. Carolyn Ra8ensperger. Personal Correspondence. Summer 2012 12. Pes.cide. 6ow Products are Made. www.madehow.com-9olume-1-Pescide.html:ix%%3Rg9g nGK Accessed September 21, 2018 1.. Lance oster. ,ersonal Correspondence. Summer 2018 . 11. John Doershuk. ,rotec.ng Something Sacred. Iowa Natural 6eritage oundaon, March 2018. www.inhf.org-blog-blog-protecng-something-sacred- Accessed June 10, 2018 We are a multi-generational led model by and for Indigenous and Non- Indigenous womxn based on mentoring relationships and principles of unity, solidarity, justice, sharing and respect. A Seeding Sovereignty Publicaon, 2018 Created by Chrisne Nobiss Art by Jackie awn Seedingsovereignty.org those tribes don’t live here anymore, but sll feel that this is their historical homeland and During this me of climate crisis, it is imperave that we transform the coloni%ed that the features found here are an acve part of their culture today.”11 Ahese naons mind of seFler descendant society by pushing Indigenous ideologies onto the world have been involved in more than just archeological protecon--many have helped stage. Ge need to convey the profound and sustainable perspecves of Indigenous throughout the years to protect the integrity of IowaBs land and in the Cght for social communies, cultures and relaonships to the earth by giving Indigenous people jusce. the opportunity to invesgate, speak, write, photograph, and so much more. In In Iowa, there are few but mighty irst Naon programs, Indigenous organi%aons, and parcular, we need to encourage Indigenous women on to the world stage and individuals that are doing environmental and social jusce work. or instance, the empower them to convey the sacred feminine that has been violently oppressed. Meskwaki Naon recently started Red Earth Gardens, an organic CSA dedicated to growing the food of their Meskwaki ancestors Di.e., heirloom seeds, etc.E to beFer the health of Seeding SovereigntyBs Land Decoloni%aon Project is our contribuon to this important their people. Ahere are also individuals like rank LaMere, Ginnebago, who is trying to get process and we have chosen the geographical area of Iowa as our current focus because no other landscape in the country has been biologically altered to the extent that this state Indian 6ealth Services in Iowa Dbecause there is noneE in order to heal our people. 6e is has. Iowa is 5ig-Ag’s sacriCce %one. According to the Iowa Prairie Network, Iowa used to be oHen heard saying that we cannot heal our people if we cannot heal ourselves. Ahere is as biologically diverse as some rainforests in South America but now its diversity is also the Nave American Coalion of the Iuad Cies, the UIOGA Nave American Student comparable to that of a desert. It is almost an arCcial environment where food is grown in Associaon, Sage Sisters of Solidarity, the UIOGA Nave Spaces Project and Indigenous soil that needs constant applicaon of ferli%ers and other nutrients due to monocropping Iowa--all of which are doing work in a state that is only host to about 11,000 Nave and heavy crop rotaon schedules and that is currently considered the number one American people. Seeding Sovereignty’s Land Decoloni%aon Project wants to bring these contributor to the Dead 'one in the Gulf of Mexico. Gith increased clear-cuPng, groups and the irst Naons with es to Iowa together to take a more cohesive stand monocropping of shallow root plants, CA Os, urban sprawl, golf courses DIowa hosts more against environmental degradaon in Iowa. Indigenous people have been resisng the golf courses, per capita than any other stateE, and general development, runo8 is greatly assault to our land for a very long me but we need to start standing up for the land increasing into Iowa waterways. Ao date, Iowa has lost an incredible amount of its topsoil from excessive runo8. Ahe Environmental Gorking Group has reported that, annually, Iowa outside of LIndian countryL and challenge the status Muo in places where Indigenous voices loses twice the amount of topsoil than the federal governmentBs esmate. Contained are rarely heard. Seeding Sovereignty has also paired with allies such as 5old Iowa, Iowa within that run-o8 is animal waste, herbicides, pescides, ferli%ers, and commercial by- CCI, 100 Grannies, Ahe Naonal amily arm Coalion, Midwest Aelegraph, Ahe Poor products, which all Qows down river. Climate change is also a contribung factor to soil PeopleBs Campaign, Ahe Gomen’s March, etc., in order to raise awareness on Indigenous erosion as there is an increase in extreme rainfall events and severe Qooding. issues in Iowa and the world. Ahe desired impact is to provide a voice to a populaon Today, Iowa competes for the very bo;om in state parks and public lands. We are known segment of this society that desperately needs to be heard at this point in me. as the most biologically altered state in North America. 3oughly 98% of Iowa has been Bibliography altered for agricultural use, ci.es, and roads...Iowa has no old4growth forests le?. We 1. Mark Edwards. Trails Funding Important to Iowa0s ,arks. Iowa Chapter Sierra Club, July have less than one4tenth of one percent of the prairies which covered our state and 2012. www.sierraclub.org-iowa-july-2012-newsleFer Accessed June 10, 2018 produced our rich soils. nly 10% of Iowa:s remaining prairies and forests lie within the 2. The 1ynchpin of Industrial Ag. Pescide Acon Network. www.panna.org-pescides-big- public domain and its limited protec.onA1ess than two4tenths of one percent of Iowa:s picture-lynchpin-industrial-ag Accessed September 20, 2018 land is designated and protected as state parks. Almost all parks can be walked across in .. Sarah Carter. 1ost Harvest: ,rairie Indian 3eserve Farmers and )overnment ,olicy. an hour and you are rarely more than a mile from a road...We con.nue to make bad MontrealN McGill-Iueen’s University Press, 1990. Page 18. choices as farmers converted roughly the size of our state parks or around 50,000 acres 1. Sarah Carter. Ibid. of grassland, scrubland and wetlands from 2008 to 2011 to farmland. 8rban sprawl has 3. Christopher Doering. Farmers Turn to )M 4Free Crops to 5oost Income. Des Moines increased 50,000 acres in the last ten years. We have now covered 2C.D million acres, Register, March 2018. www.desmoinesregister.com-story-money- 1 about two4thirds of the state in Eust two species F corn and soybeans. (See Map) agriculture-2013-01-18-non-gmo-farming-2393179.- Accessed September 21, 2018 7. Georgina Agusn. Factory Farms ,ut Climate at 3isk, E7perts Say in 8rging Health Map of land use in Iowa depicng the 9cials to Speak ut. Inside Climate News. www.google.com-amp-s- insideclimatenews.org-news-22032012-factory-farms-cafos-threaten-climate-change- descripon given on page 1 by Mark world-heath-organi%aonO.famp Accessed September 21, 2018 Edwards, rered Iowa DNR Arails 2. Jonathan oley. It:s Time to 3ethink America:s Corn System. ScienCc American, March Coordinator and environmental 201.. www.scienCcamerican.com-arcle-me-to-rethink-corn Accessed September 23, acvist. DCourtesy of Ahe Iowa DNR 2018 via Mark EdwardsE 8. Carol 6unter. Which Iowa 1eader has Courage to take on 5ig ,ork? Des Moines Register, March 2018. www.desmoinesregister.com-story-opinion-editorials-2018-0.-22-cafo-iowa -reynolds-hogs-big-pork-118372002- Accessed June 10, 2018 1 6 eminent domain and, right now, the easement where the pipeline sits is largely a no-grow 6istorically, Iowa is an area where Indigenous genocide and relocaon was a severe and %one. Currently, there is a court case in Iowa where nine landowners and the Sierra Club vast process due to the desire for the ferle ground which lies between the Missouri and have sued the IU5 over the illicit use of eminent domain and lack of an environmental Mississippi Rivers. Gith the inQux of seFler vigilantes and colonial milias, Iowa was impact survey. Oral arguments were heard on September 12, 2018, and an answer will be completely taken and over me the result of their colonial-capitalist farming pracces has delivered by the Iowa Supreme Court in the next few weeks to months. made the land almost unrecogni%able. It is now a highly mono-cropped, GMO state where According to Carolyn Ra8ensperger, Lawyer for the Science and Environmental 6ealth 5ig-Ag and CA Os rule the land. Ghere there used to be tallgrass prairie, oak savanna, Network, RAhe two cases are asking for di8erent things. Ahe landowners are asking to have wetlands and woodlands there are now rows and rows of genecally modiCed corn and soy interspersed with CA O houses, animal waste lagoons, and urban centers. the decision about eminent domain reversed but are not challenging the IU5 permit directly. Ahe Sierra Club is challenging DAPL’s permit.”11 Ahus, in Iowa, the Cght is far from Big-Agriculture—Corporate The( of Already Stolen Land over and many are determined to protect the environment from the catastrophe of an oil Ghat is 5ig-AgV Ahe Pescide Acon Network states that Rindustrial agriculture treats the spill from a pipeline as large as DAPL, which transports almost 300,000 barrels a day.