CAP Project 4 – Blue Planet – Resilience in Central Iowa through the Butterfly effect – $10,000

This project is led by women who organized to offer programming for other women landowners and influencers in our Raccoon River Watershed through a collaborative partnership with CM-CAP partners Linda Shenk, Jean Eells, Bill Gutowski, Kristie Franz, and Women, Food, and Ag Network/WFAN. Our group sparked interest from women landowners in our area with an August 2023 event. We hosted a social-circle-driven “Ladies Luncheon” on water quality that engaged over 50 women–most of whom influence over 300+ acres and have had limited if any participation in conservation programming previously. Women who attended last summer requested more programs and those unable to attend requested the event be repeated.  Encouraged by the interest, in collaboration with our CM-CAP partners, our committee would like to offer additional programming that supports the relationships and conservation action. The programming would follow “the Butterfly Effect”, events structured through social-circle connections that tap into a knowledgeable science-base; present information in a comfortable, conversational manner; include experiential science activities; support relationships through storytelling/role-playing. We will do large-group gatherings (like repeat the Water Quality event) as well as smaller follow-up gatherings for women who want (but are unsure how) to take a next step with their tenants.