The Board of the IA Chapter has voiced our opposition on Facebook to the issuance by IA DNR of a permit for a large confinement cattle feeding operation in the drainage of Bloody Run, an environmentally fragile high quality trout stream with public access to anglers in Clayton County, IA.
The IA Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers supports a reassessment of the permit for a cattle feeding operation to house 11,600 head in the drainage of Bloody Run Creek in Clayton County. BHA advocates for access to public lands and for preservation of fish and wildlife populations on our public lands for fishing and hunting. Bloody Run is a premier IA Driftless region trout stream with public access for fishing, including a new easement for public fishing in 2021. Iowans with expertise in nutrient management plans have disputed the calculations for nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from this site. They also question the suitability of a large confinement feeding operation on this property with sinkholes and highly erodible soils that allow nitrogen and phosphorus from manure to move quickly to water draining from the site to Bloody Run following rainfall. Monitoring for nutrient runoff that would harm fish populations in Bloody Run Creek was also recommended by experts and is supported by IA BHA. IA BHA remains steadfast in our goal to ensure public access to healthy fish populations providing quality fishing opportunities for all Iowans.
Learn more about how you can help protect Bloody Run Creek at https://savebloodyrun.org/.