Iowa Natural Heritage Article_Multicultural Family CenterI owa
Natural
Heritage
Protecting Iowa's land, water and wildlife "for those who follow
Iowa boo
FALL 2010
T new normal? (pages 8-1)
I t
Dana Livingston of Dubuque
received the 2010 Lawrence and
Eula Hagie Heritage Award. He
helped launch Future Talk, which
helps at -risk kids develop "a land
ethic, work ethic and service ethic.'
Hagie Herita ge Award winner
by Cathy Engstrom
Dana Livingston started simple.
Soon after moving to Dubuque in
1995, he began volunteering his time
to restore a local natural area — and
then others. He served on a couple of
conservation committees — and then
many more. Three years ago, Dana and
local partners launched Future Talk, an
innovative program that helps inner -city
youth experience and protect nature.
In honorof Dana's diverse conservat ion
efforts, the Iowa Natural Heritage
Foundation presented him with the
2010 Hagie Heritage Award on Sept. 26.
Endowed by the children of Lawrence and
Eula Hagie,the award includes$ 1000and
a hand - carved acorn sculpture.
Model volunteer
"Dana appears to be a force of nature
in his own right." said Mark Ackelson,
INHF president. "He's a full -time Spanish
professor at Loras College. He has a
family. And yet he's donated countless
hours to protect nature and to train the
next generation of its protectors."
Iowa Natural Heritage - Fall 2010
A model for conservation
Livingston was nominated for the award
by Wayne Buchholtz of the Iowa DNR, Bev
Wagner of the Dubuque Metropolitan Area
Solid Waste Agency and Jenny Ammon
with Dubuque County Conservation.
"I have never met someone who works
as hard to advocate for kids and the
environment as Dana does," said Ammon.
Model program
Based out of Dubuque's Multicultural
Family Center. Future Talk serves at -risk
teens, mostly ages 13 -14. During summer
break, the students are paid to work nine
hours per week in local natural areas and
parks.They spend additional unpaid hours
on job and education skills, community
service projects and — new in 2010 —
producing their own videos on topics
ranging from teen violence to recycling.
The outdoor work can be hard and
hot, but "by the end of the summer, these
kids start feeling like they have a stake
in this town," Dana says. "They're no
longer just living here; they're helping
to create this community."
learn more at inhf.org/mag
Multicultural Famny Ceder
The program also incorporates time
for outdoor fun and adventure. "Until
now, these kids had never camped, never
spent time in Iowa's woods or prairies,"
added Livingston. "Now they've heard a
coyote howl. They've heard an owl hoot.
They've fished and canoed"
Livingston credits the program's
success to its diverse partners: the
Multicultural Family Center,
AmeriCorps, VISTA, Mines of Spain
State Recreation Area, Dubuque County
Conservation, City of Dubuque, The
Nature Conservancy, Dubuque Art
Center. INHF and many others.
"The elements of this program work
well together: meaningful work for a
stipend, the educational component, the
service component," said Dana. "It's
a strong, repeatable model that could
serve conservation really well. I'd love
to see it adapted to other communities
and populations."
Cathy Engstrom is
Communications Director.
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