Meeting Public Comments

Raymond Torresdal [citizen]

Please note my extreme displeasure with bill SF 2324. Do you not realize that Iowa is among the states with the very least public land already? Do you not realize the quality of life issues and community health issues that are positively affected by our parks and trails? The lands that the DNR might contemplate acquiring are NOT prime farm land, so there really isn't any reason for this bill to be considered.Thank you! Raymond L. Torresdal

Eric Shupe []

Please shut this bill down. There is no valid argument why restrictions to land purchases by the DNR helps the state of Iowa. We need to provide more opportunities in this state, not less.

Todd Brownmiller []

DNR needs the ability to own ground. Public access is crucial to the outdoors. Shut this bill down

Caleb McIntyre [Pheasants Forever ]

Please don't restrict expanding public land Iowa is one of the places that doesn't have enough public land. Please don't pass this bill. Thanks.

Paul Daniels []

The Iowa DNR needs to continue to have the ability to acquire ground reasonably for all the people of Iowa. Adding more restrictions, as this proposal has, will negatively impact access to public land access that our state is already far behind, almost every other state in the union.

Phil Hayes [I am on the Board of the Iowa Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers]

I am a lifelong Republican, and I am opposed to SF2324. I ask Representatives Harris, Baeth, and Wulf to please vote AGAINST SF2324. As a career veterinarian, small farmer in Sioux County IA, and a Board Member of the IA Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, I am opposed to SF2324. Farmers work a lifetime to build equity from their years of work, and much of that equity is in their land. Each farmer has earned the right to sell their land by the means they choose and to the buyer offering the highest price, including purchasers that include a state agency or nonprofit organization participating in an auction. It is not right to restrict a farmer's right to sell their land. Iowa's economy needs many more skilled workers to grow. We need people coming to Iowa to work and to raise a family, and quality of lifeincluding outdoor recreationis often a key consideration by those relocating to another state for their career. It was for my family when we moved our 3 young children to Iowa for employment in 1995. Please do NOT restrict the potential to meet our growing need for public land for all forms of outdoor recreation in Iowa. To do so will be to the detriment of economic growth in our state.Many of Iowa's hunters and fishers would have no opportunity to enjoy such outdoor recreation if it were not for public lands and waters. And hunting and fishing contribute millions to our economy each year. On behalf of the Iowa Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, I ask you to please vote AGAINST SF2324.Thank you for your consideration of my views,Phil Hayes D.V.M.