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County roadside program cuts herbicide use; conservation and public health staff highlight REAP event and naloxone distribution
Summary
Roads and conservation staff told supervisors the county has reduced herbicide use along monitored corridors and planted about 26 acres of roadside prairie; conservation and public health updates included a June 17 REAP assembly and distribution of 29 naloxone kits in the program's first week.
Black Hawk County staff updated the Board of Supervisors on roadside vegetation management, conservation events and a new public health distribution program.
Griffin Spaler, roadside manager, said data from the monitored area show herbicide application declined from nearly 6,000 gallons in 2024 to about 3,620 gallons so far this year — roughly 2,200 gallons fewer — and credited the pilot program for changing vegetation composition along rights‑of‑way. Spaler said the county has planted about 26 acres of native prairie within the right‑of‑way program, including roughly 16 acres described as roadside prairie, and expects continued reductions in spray volumes over several years as plant communities stabilize.
Mike Hendrickson, director of Black Hawk County Conservation, reported the department hosted a successful kids’ fishing derby at Big Woods Lake with 92 children participating, and said county conservation will display REAP‑funded projects at a REAP assembly on June 17 (CLE E building, 3–5 p.m.). Hendrickson said county conservation will advocate at the next legislative session to sustain REAP funding.
Caitlyn Enrich of Public Health announced a Thrive Iowa launch event scheduled for June 25 at 10 a.m. and said the health department became a secondary naloxone distribution site; staff distributed 29 naloxone kits during the program’s first week and continue to offer short trainings and free kits to community members.
Supervisors thanked staff for the updates and asked clarifying questions about target weeds, certification for inspectors, and coordination with cities for paving work.
