The Harvest Preserve Foundation

Get To Know The Harvest Preserve Foundation

“We have not inherited the world from our forefathers—we have borrowed it from our children” is the Kashmiri proverb welcoming  you to the online home of the Harvest Preserve Foundation.

Iowa City area residents may not be aware that in the heart of Iowa City sits a jeweled parcel of land around which centers the  Harvest Preserve Foundation, dedicated to uplifting our spirits through the enjoyment of its natural beauty.  The grounds are breathtaking and lend to quiet meditation or gentle walks on the trails.

Harvest Preserve Iowa City

Its Mission

Its mission is  “to restore, protect,and preserve its land holdings as a spiritual sanctuary.  The land holdings are known as The Harvest Preserve.   The Harvest Preserve is holy ground where invited guests may quietly commune with whatever aspect or manifestation of the Divine they find personally appealing. The Preserve is a place to feel welcome, embraced, and open-hearted, and to indulge in the awe and wonder of nature.”

Please visit the Harvest Preserve website for detailed information on current and future events, volunteering, and don’t miss their wonderful picture galleries!

Membership & Donations

As a non-profit organization, Harvest Preserve Foundation relies on the community for support. There are a number of different ways to contribute to Harvest Preserve Foundation.

-  Volunteers are encouraged to participate in planned activities.

-  Donations are tax-deductible and always appreciated.

-  Planned Giving is a great way to make a future gift to the Preserve.  Please contact Julie (julie@harvestpreserve.org)  to discuss your wishes to help preserve Iowa’s beauty.

All donations are used to support our operating costs and special projects, such as our prairie restoration along Scott Blvd.  Plans to expand our prairie restoration on the hillside in front of the Visionary Stone will commence once funds are raised to do so.

Download the Harvest Preserve Foundation Membership/Donation Form (PDF)  right here.

One On One With Julie Decker, The Harvest Preserve Foundation

When and how did the idea for the Harvest Preserve come about?  (If you would like I can pull the info from your website), who were the original people involved?

In 2001, Douglas and Linda Paul made an interesting purchase – some very large ancient stones from Indonesia.   As the stones slowly made their way to Iowa, the issue of where to place them presented itself and coincidentally, two farmsteads became available for sale on the east side of Iowa City.  Seeing an opportunity to not only place the ancient stones, the Pauls saw it as a chance to preserve the land.  Since then, Harvest Preserve Foundation, Inc. has been restoring and maintaining native prairie and woodlands, preserving a quiet natural sanctuary and cultivating public awareness, appreciation and participation. What started out as a place to display sacred stones quickly transformed into a spiritual sanctuary, where invited guests can quietly  commune with nature.

It is beautiful to see the artwork from various artists inspired by the Harvest Preserve, a testament to the power of the silence and inspiration one can find literally in the heart of Iowa City!   What other projects or environmental improvements do you think Iowa City would benefit from?

Harvest Preserve Foundation strongly supports many other like-minded organizations in the area. Specifically, Friends of Hickory Hill Park, an organization dedicated to permanently protecting the park’s unique qualities as urban park land. Hickory Hill’s woodlands, fields, and waterways provide habitat for a variety of wildlife and provide citizens the opportunity to enjoy a natural setting within city limits.  We also support Johnson County Heritage Trust, which is committed to the preservation and enjoyment of natural areas in Johnson County and nearby areas in Iowa. These include prairies, woodlands, wetlands, and sites of historic, archeological or scenic interest.  We believe that their work is extremely important  for preserving the native qualities of Iowa land.  Supporting these organizations is important to all of Johnson County and ultimately makes the Iowa City area a great place to live.

Would you like to share anything more with the public about upcoming events or needs?

Our next big project is to tackle our honeysuckle problem on 17 acres of  forest preserve.  Honeysuckle is a non-native invasive species that can severely damage heathy timber. For this project, we will hire the Conservation Corps of Iowa, a nonprofit organization linked to Americorps. Unfortunately, the project will cost nearly $1000/day, so we are collecting donations to help cover this cost.

Every October we have our annual Open House, where the community is invited to come and explore the property. In 2009 at the Open House we hosted a photography contest, where 10 winners were announced, consisting of both amateur and professional photographers.  (You can view the photo gallery at www.harvestpreserve.org )  Iowa City is a wonderful community and we are very happy to be part of it.

For more information on the Harvest Preserve, please browse their website at www.harvestpreserve.org, or call (319)337-4883.

Confused about the ongoing AIG controversy?

Don’t be any longer.

Professor Linus Wilson has put together this helpful chart showing exactly how the bailout went down, complete with which banks got how much.

Two things stand out: The Treasury’s overpayment for preferred stock was a crucial part of the bailout, and though Goldman Sachs is usually held up as the bad guy here, SocGen received $2.5 billion more.

Hope the Europeans appreciate your (the taxpayer) ponying up.

Iowa City Tops The Lists

The Iowa City area is getting some credit from national publications.

In the February issue of Men’s Journal, Iowa City is named the “Healthiest Town in the United States,” based on criteria set by CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta. The area also ranked 10th on MSN CareerBuilder’s “Today’s Best and Worst Cities for Jobs” list.

According to a news release, Gupta, in Men’s Journal, provided information about the healthiest diets in the world, the importance of regular exercise, and how to “quiet your mind” to increase mental focus and reduce stress to live longer. He also said there is a relationship between where a person lives and how that affects how long they live, saying people should look for local farms, short commutes, sidewalks, low pollution, green spaces and good weather.

Iowa City ranked at the top of the list despite its winters, followed by Boulder, Colo.; Logan, Utah; Northampton, Mass.; and Charlottesville, Va.

Wendy Ford, Iowa City economic development coordinator, said Iowa City often is overlooked in these lists because of its location.

“It really puts us in a good light,” she said. “We’ve got a lot to be as healthy as those other places are.”

The CareerBuilder article cited the Iowa City metro area’s 1.2 percent job growth between July and October 2009, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to a news release, 77 of the nation’s 281 metro areas added jobs during the same period, though only 19 posted growth rates of 1 percent or higher.

Joe Raso, president of the Iowa City Area Development Group, said the ranking was a good indication of how the area continues to grow.

“It’s not surprising that we rank highly, but it’s satisfying that we continue to grow,” he said.

via IC Press Citizen 1/26/10

The Second City – 50 Years Of Funny Performances

The Second City presents its hilarious and topical comedy revues to venues all over the world at Performing Arts Centers, Theatres, Colleges and Universities, Festivals and Fundraisers.   The Second City is a great entertainment with the leading brand in improv-based sketch comedy.

Feb 5th & 6th at 8:00 pm

From Mike Myers to Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert to Tina Fey – The Second City imprint is felt across every entertainment medium. The legendary comedy troupe returns to the Englert, looking back at 50 years of classic sketch comedy — and looking forward to the household comedy names of tomorrow!

This presentation is supported by the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support from Iowa Arts Council, General Mills Foundation, and Land O’Lakes Foundation.

Tickets & More Info

Tickets are on sale now and are available online or at the Box Office.  Englert Theatre is located at 221 East Washington St in Iowa City, phone number:  319-688-2653

Sandra Dyas

Drawn to people and their environments – and especially natural light, Sandra strives to create a collaborative and authentic portrait of the world we live in. “Photography is a brilliant medium for exploring the outside world and expressing ideas I cannot adequately say with words. My photographs are of seemingly ordinary subject matter. I look for photographs in the constantly changing world that strike a note with me; images that contain reality and ambiguity. I use my camera as a way to see, to interact with the world and to remember.”

Early in her career, Sandra owned a small portraiture business in Bellevue, a small Iowa town near the Mississippi River. A dozen years later, she moved to the university town of Iowa City. Sandra received her MFA in Intermedia (Performance Art & Video). Her first book of photographs entitled Down to the River; Portraits of Iowa Musicians was published by the University of Iowa Press in June 2007.

She was named “Iowa Photographer” in 2005 by Photo District News, a photography magazine for professional photographers. Currently she is involved in a one year photo project entitled The 50 States Projec.   Sandra Dyas was chosen as Iowa’s photographer. She is an artist, freelance photographer and a Lecturer in the Art & Art History Department at Cornell College.

THE BLUE CHAIR

BLUE BIRDS

Heaven & Earth

“The inspiration for this body of new work comes from various places.  My life offers such rich findings.  I am learning to pay attention to everything around me…”

Please visit the images of the Heaven & Earth portofolio and three of Sandra’s photographs from THE 50 STATES PROJECT were selected by Leonora Sartori for a large spread in Italy’s premiere magazine – D Magazine. Currently this magazine is available for three weeks online and in hard copy all over Italy.
LIST OF CLIENTS
New York Times
Redhouse Records
Newsweek Magazine
MARKET WATCH
Random House
Simon & Schuster
Methuen Publishing Ltd, England
Penguin Books
Ecco Press
ODE Magazine
Vogue Magazine
JANE Magazine
No Depression Magazine
X ROADS Magazine, France
High Tone Records
Trailer Records
Puremusic.com
BUST Magazine
MAKE Magazine
AAA Living
Budget Travel

Judicious home remodeling is still worth the investment, according to Remodeling magazine’s annual “Cost vs. Value Report.”

Uncertainty and restraint are the order of the day in this economy, and that sense of caution is reflected in home owners’ return on their investment in remodeling projects, according to REALTORS® in 80 metropolitan markets surveyed by Remodeling magazine for this year’s Cost vs. Value Report.

Best Return On Investment

The majority of the 10 remodeling projects with the best return on investment nationally are a testament to pragmatism. Six of the 10 projects—siding and window replacement using a variety of materials—involve home maintenance that costs less than $14,000.

Two more—adding an attic bedroom or a wood deck—reinforce the notion that boosting the amount of livable space in and around your home will attract buyers who are increasingly looking for more room for their buck. In past years, converting an attic into a bedroom was a project that landed squarely in the middle of the rankings, but this year it leapfrogged over other categories into third place. It’s an admittedly pricey project, with an average national cost of nearly $50,000, but it generates an average national return of 83.1 percent and a better-than-100 percent return on investment, according to REALTORS® in 14 of the 80 cities surveyed. Adding a wood deck is much more economical, with an average national cost of slightly more than $10,000. Its average national return is 80.6 percent, but in six cities, its return is estimated at 100 percent or greater.

The six siding and window home maintenance projects in the top 10, combined with the project with the biggest return on investment—a mid-range entry door replacement—prove something that every sales associate tells sellers throughout the country: First impressions count. A mid-range entry door replacement, a project new to the survey this year, is the only home remodeling project that REALTORS® expect to generate a full return for the money nationally. It’s the least expensive of the 33 projects included in the analysis, yet it brings a whopping average national return on investment of 128.9 percent. It generates a better-than-100 percent return in 48 of the 80 cities, according to REALTORS® surveyed, and in several cities, its return is estimated at more than double its cost.

Restrain Is The Key

Additional data prove the value of restraint. Upgrading kitchens and baths is still a smart bet. However, home owners will recoup the greatest share of their costs by foregoing super-deluxe projects in favor of mid-range kitchen and bath remodels. A mid-range kitchen remodel brings an average 72.1 percent return on investment, while an upscale kitchen re-do returns only an average of 63.2 percent of the money invested. A mid-range bathroom project has an average 71 percent cost recovery, but the average recovery on an upscale bathroom project is nearly 10 points lower, at 61.6 percent.

The only upscale projects that cracked the top 10 were the home maintenance projects of fiber-cement siding replacement and vinyl window replacement. The average cost of fiber-cement siding is more than $13,000, but its return on investment reached 83.6 percent, placing it squarely in second place in the survey. The average cost of vinyl window replacement is nearly $14,000, and it generates an average return of 76.5 percent, or tenth place in the survey. Of the 12 upscale projects, nine landed in the bottom half.

Return On Your Investment

Overall, home owners recouped an average of 63.8 percent of their investment in 33 different home improvement projects, according to REALTORS® who responded to the survey. The expected cost recoup was generally down from previous years in line with the drop in home prices nationally (see page 23). The return on home owners’ investment in remodeling projects has declined an average of 3.5 percentage points between 2008 and 2009. That’s down from the 2.7 point drop between 2007 and 2008 and much less than the 5.5 point drop between 2006 and 2007 and the 10.5 point drop from 2005 to 2006.

Zooming in from the national to the city level, Honolulu sits atop the rankings for having the most projects—18—that generate at least a full return on investment. In Honolulu, adding a wood deck, completing a minor kitchen remodel, adding fiber-cement siding, and replacing an entry door bring the highest returns, ranging from 121.1 to 195.3 percent return on investment. San Francisco is closest behind with 10 projects generating at least a full return on investment. Adding a master suite, doing a minor kitchen remodel, and replacing an entry door have the biggest returns, producing between 112.2 and 119.1 percent return on investment.

One surprise: Despite the common perception that contractors are hungry for work and therefore willing to wheel and deal, the average national cost of every project surveyed has gone up, though at a slower rate than in the previous year.

By G.M. Filisko, Data courtesy of Remodeling Magazine

MEET PROFESSOR GINA SCHATTEMAN

Key Role In “Educate To Innovate”

University of Iowa professor Gina Schatteman is playing a key role in “Educate to Innovate,” a White House initiative designed to reinvigorate science, technology, engineering and math education in schools and increase U.S. competitiveness in those fields.

Schatteman, associate professor of integrative physiology in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is taking part in a two-year fellowship through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Working in the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Science Education in Washington, D.C., she has helped recruit more than 200 scientific organizations that will partner in providing middle and high school students with hands-on learning experiences.

Educate to Innovate

A coalition of educators, scientists and philanthropies, was launched because the United States lags in science and math education when compared to other developed countries. Reports show American teens rank 21st out of 30 developed countries in solving scientific problems, and 26th in the percentage of students who meet basic proficiency standards in science.

“Most people don’t realize how far behind we are, or consider the implications of the deficiencies,” Schatteman said. “Innovation is essential to a vibrant economy, and we’re starting to lose that edge. Jobs increasingly require advanced technology skills, and if Americans don’t have them, jobs will be outsourced.”

National Lab Day

Schatteman’s work focuses on National Lab Day, which will match volunteers — university students, scientists, engineers and other professionals in math and science — with educators and students to improve labs and discovery-based science experiences for students in grades 6-12. National Lab Day will be celebrated in May 2010, but activities will take place throughout the year. The National Lab Day Web site, http://www.NationalLabDay.org, includes a matching function to pair educators up with scientists willing to volunteer.

Schatteman was lead developer of a related site, http://science.education.nih.gov/NIHSciEdNation, designed to provide information, training materials and resources for National Lab Day volunteers.

“Scientists want to do their part to inspire the next generation and improve science and math education, but they may not know how they can help,” she said. “We’re inviting teachers to tell us what they need, whether it’s speaking to a class about careers in science, planning a field trip, leading a chemistry experiment, or mentoring a student who is interested in a particular field.”

President Obama praised the initiative during a Nov. 23 speech

“Lifting American students from the middle to the top of the pack in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) achievement over the next decade will not be attained by government alone,” he said. “I applaud the substantial commitments made today by the leaders of companies, universities, foundations, non-profits and organizations representing millions of scientists, engineers and teachers from across the country.”

Schatteman, who studies how adult stem cells can help people with diabetes and teaches physiology courses, plans to return to the UI in fall 2010. She said the fellowship has driven home the importance of communicating science for a general audience and opened her eyes to the variety of careers available to scientists – insights she will share with her students.

One On One With Professor Schatteman

Q.      Our present economic climate has made many people refocus their career goals and our younger generation asking where tomorrow’s jobs will be.  Based on your fellowship through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) can you share your thoughts on the available careers for tomorrow’s scientists?

A.      I’m not a labor economist so I can’t answer your question exactly.  However, I can say that jobs in the 21st century will rely more and more heavily on science, math, technology, and engineering knowledge and skills. It used to be that with a high school diploma you could get a great job at someplace like U.S Steel or General Motors.  Those days are gone.

Nowadays there aren’t too many good jobs to be had without at least some college or vocational education – and to succeed in those you have to know science and math.  Let’s face it, a lot of farmers have college degrees now and would be in big trouble if they couldn’t do the math to figure out the best time to sell or understand worldwide trends to decide what and how much to plant. Firefighters don’t just squirt water. Most are emergency medical technicians or paramedics who need to know human anatomy and physiology, and they’d better understand basic chemistry before cleaning up a hazardous chemical spill.

One specific major I can recommend for kids that are in high school and college now is computer science. Believe it or not, despite the tech revolution, U.S. students just are not majoring in that. If they don’t start soon, all of those jobs will move offshore where there are plenty of students that are.

Q.      Can you tell us how the University of Iowa will participate in National Lab Day, to take place in May 2010?

A.      It’s a little bit early to say exactly yet, but I have begun talking to different folks.  One exciting opportunity I am pursuing is a statewide National Lab Day project that would involve all the Regent University system schools.  Stay tuned. I will be tweeting on that.

Q.      Are you optimistic that we will as a nation successfully increase our competitiveness in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math education?

A.      If you had asked me the same question a year ago I would have said no, but now I think things are turning around. It seems that Americans often don’t pay attention to a problem until there is a crisis looming.

Fortunately, we are finally waking up and realizing that we’d better do something fast. The governors of 49 states have teamed up to work on this problem and our President has made improving science and math education a top priority of his administration. The Governors and President won’t get far without us, though, so the Educate to Innovate initiative was born. It represents a coalition of professional organizations, federal agencies, businesses, and foundations that are working together on a series of projects to make sure that our kids do better. With all of these folks on board, I am now optimistic that we can start moving in the right direction again.

To give you an idea of what is being done, I mention National Lab Day, a recently launched component of Educate to Innovate. Via the National Lab Day website (www.nationallabday.org) teachers can locate local science, technology, engineering, and math college students and professionals that are eager to give them a hand. The site will have tools to show rural teachers how to videoconference with scientists via the web for free.   (Ahem, as soon as I get them done!)

National Lab Day also calls on parents and businesses to do their part by encouraging their children and volunteering to be an extra pair of hands or donating no-longer-needed equipment and supplies.

I am thrilled with the number of teachers and volunteers that have connected already. The number is literally growing daily.

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500

Q&A section produced by Toni.

MEDIA CONTACT: Nicole Riehl, University News Services, 319-384-0070, nicole-riehl@uiowa.edu

Why Right Now May be the Perfect Time to Buy!

#1) Interest Rates Are LOW:

With interest rates hovering in the high 4’s and low 5’s, they have been near an all time low for over a year! Some of you out there may remember interest rates above 18% in the early 80’s. Combine that with the fact that you once were required to have 20% down payment and pay 2 points up front for that 18% rate, and it looks like we have it pretty good today! Many predictions have inflation kicking in by mid-2010, and we may see rates rise above 6%. While that is still pretty good compared to what we have seen in the past, consider that a 1% change in the interest rate on a $160,000 loan is a difference of over $100 per month, or more than $36,000 over 30 years!

#2) IRS Home Buyer Incentive:

Right now the IRS will give you up to $8,000 to buy a home if you are a first time home buyer (or up to $6,500 if you have owned a home in the previous 3 years). When was the last time the IRS gave you anything? This is truly a Tax Credit – it can be more than you paid in, and it is not repayable as long as you live in the home for at least 3 years. This is a huge incentive for any first timers sitting on the fence or for anyone considering “moving up!” The incentive expires on June 30, 2010, but you must have an accepted purchase contract by April 30, 2010.

#3) Bank Underwriting Guidelines:

The last 2 years have seen more changes in mortgage lending than the previous 20. Many procedures being put into place by the Federal government, though designed to be in the borrower’s best interests, may make the process more cumbersome. This may become a larger problem around April when many people decide to buy before the IRS incentive expires (see #2). If you are considering buying in 2010 you may be better off to do it early and avoid the bottleneck.

#4) Where Better Than Johnson County?

Large employers in Johnson County, such as the University of Iowa, have helped keep the job market stable in the area. Johnson County’s unemployment is much, much lower than the national average. This has meant a stable housing market in Johnson County, year after year. We do not see the big ebbs and flows that many other cities have, which has helped us avoid many of the problems visited on those same communities. So, if the strength of the housing market is one of your concerns, there are few better places than right here!

#5) Prices:

It is a competitive market out there. Sellers and their Realtors are pricing homes up front to move.

Eric Olsen, Your  Mortgage Lender Contributor/Mortgage Loan Officer
2346 Mormon Trek Blvd, Suite 1000
Iowa City, IA 52246
Cell (319) 330-6689 / Office (319) 358-6882 / Fax (319) 338-1234
eric.c.olsen@bankofamerica.com

Finance professor helping to build clean technology mutual fund

University of Iowa finance professor Jon Garfinkel has joined the strategic advisory board of an investment fund that focuses on clean technology businesses, helping to build the infrastructure for a sustainable economy.

Kline Capital Clean Technology Fund

Garfinkel, who teaches in the Tippie College of Business, is an advisory board member of the Chicago-based Kline Capital Clean Technology Fund, a hedge fund that invests in businesses globally that have a clean technology focus. As a board member he will work with the fund’s manager, Matthew Kline, to provide “macro level thinking.”

“The board will analyze where the clean tech industry, the overall economy and the stock market are and where they might be going,” Garfinkel said. “We don’t look at specific companies. Rather, we focus more on industry performance time series and industry characteristics.”

Investing in alternative energy and much more

He said the fund is taking a broad definition of clean technology, and so could invest in a wide spectrum of businesses, including alternative energy, energy storage, agriculture, nanotechnology and manufacturing.

He said he hopes his work on the board can help young clean technology companies get off the ground and create jobs, building a strong foundation for a more sustainable future economy.

Since its inception in January 2009, the fund has grown by 41 percent, beating the S&P 500 and other benchmarks.

Garfinkel, who met Kline when Garfinkel was on the faculty at Loyola University in Chicago and Kline was one of his students, said his work may also help Tippie students by possibly opening up internship possibilities with Kline’s company.

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Service, 300 Plaza Centre One, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500

MEDIA CONTACT: Tom Snee, 319-384-0010 (office), 319-541-8434 (cell), tom-snee@uiowa.edu

As 2009 turns into 2010, we offer ten issues that will continue to be at the forefront for the Iowa City community.

Redrawing school boundaries

Last year proved to be a year of education. With Iowa City School Board meetings uncharacteristically filled with dozens — sometimes hundreds — of observers, many members of the community finally seemed to realize just how much local school districts affect them directly.

But many in the district say that the past year’s battles to save Roosevelt School and to keep public bus routes going to Regina will pale in comparison to the aftermath of whatever changes the School Board approves for redrawing school boundaries throughout the district.
We’ve commended the board and district administrators for being so public and open about what to expect in this process. They need to keep doing just that.

Where to put Hancher-Voxman-Clapp

The University of Iowa has three good options when it comes to where to relocate Hancher:

• Near its present site,
• Near the downtown, just south of Burlington Street
• Or some combination of the previous two.

Although reluctant landowners may complicate the two downtown options, the university and the Iowa state Board of Regents should move forward with what they believe is the best option for living up to Hancher’s mission.

We can understand why Iowa City officials would be very interested in the downtown options — it would help further revitalize and diversify this important section of town — but the regents need to think terms of what’s best for the university. Read the rest of this entry