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The Beauty and Future of Iowa's Parks

Iowa is the second most privately owned state in the U.S., so land preserved on its public parks is particularly special. Today on River to River –  the future of Iowa’s parks.

Governor Branstad’s Green Ribbon Commission, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Iowa Park Foundation have been working together on a strategic plan for Iowa’s parks, called "Vision: Parks to People” and they have just finished the planning process. Host Ben Kieffer discovers what that plan entails with guests Gerry Schnepf, Executive Director of Keep Iowa Beautiful, and Joe Gunderson, Secretary of the Board at the Iowa Parks Foundation.

Also, Effigy Mounds Superintendent Jim Nepstad joins to talk about the controversy surrounding the Effigy Mounds National Monument, where Native American burial grounds were developed on without appropriate oversight.

Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River