Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative

Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative

Join the growing number of people in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties working together to create vibrant communities where the healthy choice is the easy choice.

The healthy choice means that every day all people in NE Iowa have access to healthy, locally grown foods and abundant opportunities for physical activity and play.  Food and fitness is important  because no matter where we are, the places where we live, learn, work and play affect our health and quality of life.

For the past ten years, this effort has been a part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food & Community program.  Food & Community invests in community-driven policy and system change projects to transform our food and fitness systems.  NE Iowa was chosen as one of nine locations across the country for this project. For more information contact Rachelle Howe.

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Active Living Work Group

Ensuring that people use the natural and built environment for physical activity, play and active transportation

Active Living Work Group

"Active Living" means to integrate physical activity, such as walking and other active body movements, into our daily routine. Being physically active positively impacts our health, our community and our environment. From trails to parks to bluffs and beyond, Northeast Iowa provides an exceptional environment for physical activity.

The Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative's (FFI) Active Living Work Group aims to increase use of Northeast Iowa's natural and built environment by encouraging people of all ages and abilities to be active outdoors. The Active Living Work Group is made up of key individuals from multiple sectors working together to make the group's strategy a reality:  parks and natural resources, city engineering, physical therapy, county conservation, trail enthusiasts, public health, community and transportation planning and Safe Routes to School.

As the core partner invested in FFI's Active Living and Safe Routes to School efforts, UERPC convenes the Active Living Work Group. The work group meets quarterly and always welcomes new members! Please contact Ashley Christensen to learn more.

ALWG Meeting Minutes

News Headlines

UERPC October Newsletter

Posted: Mon, October 15, 2018

Here are some of the headlines you can read about this month include:

  • Final Community Visioning Meeting for All-In Plan
  • The UERPC offices will be closed for Veterans Day on Monday, Nov. 12th
  • October proclaimed Healthiest State Month
  • Nature Explore Northeast Iowa Project
  • Staff Retreat Held
  • Upcoming IowaWorks Decorah Workshops
  • Election Day is Tuesday, November 6th - Remember to Vote!
  • Iowa DOT features Cresco in new video
... [ Read More ]

Community Workshops for "All-In" County Plan

Posted: Tue, September 25, 2018

Allamakee County is partnering with Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) to develop a new comprehensive plan for the County. Dubbed All In Allamakee, or the "All-In Plan" for short, the plan will consider a host of issues and topics that affect quality of life in the County, ranging from public infrastructure and housing to parks and transportation.

There are three upcoming community workshops for the All-In Plan that will be held in Postville, Lansing, and Waukon. At these workshops, attendees will help create a countywide vision for Allamakee County’s future through interactive community visioning activities. All residents of Allamakee County, as well as those who visit or work in the county, are invited and encouraged to attend

All workshops begin at 5:00 p.m. and will last about an hour and a half. There will be a brief presentation at the start followed by interactive activities. Members of the public are free to come and go at any time during the meeting, even if they miss the beginning. Light refreshments will be provided. The schedule for the three community meetings is below.

     • Postville: Tuesday, October 9th at UERPC offices, 134 West Greene Street
     • Lansing: Wednesday, October 10th at the Driftless Area Education and Visitor Center, 1944 Columbus Road
     • Waukon: Thursday, October 25th at the Senior Center at Waukon Wellness Center, 1220 3rd Avenue NW

Additionally, all residents of Allamakee County and those who visit or work in the county are invited and encouraged to give feedback on a broad array of issues by completing an online survey and a quick questionnaire. Visit the web addresses below to take the survey and answer the brief questionnaire.

Community Survey: www.tinyurl.com/yd69ng8w

Quick Questionnaire: www.tinyurl.com/ydebs423

Twitter and Instagram users are invited to tweet and share photos of everything they love about Allamakee County by using #allinallamakee. Those who participate may have their tweet or photo featured in the final plan document.

Those interested in being notified of updates and events related to the All-In Plan, as well as those interested in being part of one of the focus groups may contact Aaron Detter at adetter@uerpc.org or 563-382-6171.

... [ Read More ]

UERPC September Newsletter

Posted: Mon, September 17, 2018

Some of the headlines you can read about this month include:

  • Revolving Loan Fund to Assist the City of Fayette
  • UERPC Planner Achieves National Certification
  • Career Learning Link Proud
  • Lunch and Learn - Unemployment Insurance Lunch
  • Safe Routes to School
  • Hot Diggity Dog! Our Bus Got a Brand New Set of Wheels!
  • Invitation for the Northeast Iowa Family STEM Festival
  • Community Meetings for Long-Range Transportation Plan
... [ Read More ]

Public invited to community meetings

Posted: Wed, September 5, 2018

Public invited to community meetings for 5-county Long-Range Transportation Plan

Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) has begun development of an update to the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) for the region consisting of Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek Counties in northeast Iowa. The Iowa Department of Transportation requires that our region’s LRTP be updated every five years. The current plan was adopted by the Upper Explorerland Transportation Policy Board in March of 2014.

The LRTP has a 20-year planning horizon and is intended to guide transportation investments in the five-county region in support of a transportation system that is safe for all modes and users, and that facilitates the efficient movement of people and goods. The plan includes a description of the region's existing conditions; identifies current transportation challenges; anticipates potential future needs; and explores various strategies for addressing those challenges and needs.

To ensure that the LRTP reflects the priorities and goals of the people who live in and visit our region, the public is invited to participate and give feedback in various ways. Community workshops have been scheduled in each of the five counties in the coming weeks. Residents of the region may attend any of the workshops, regardless of where they live.

All workshops begin at 5:00 p.m. and will last about an hour and a half. There will be a brief presentation at the start followed by interactive feedback activities. Members of the public are free to come and go at any time during the meeting, even if they miss the beginning. The schedule of community meetings is below.

  • Cresco: Monday, September 10th at NICC Cresco Center, Room 102, 1020 2nd Avenue SE
  • Fayette: Wednesday, September 12th at UIU Student Center, 2nd floor, Student Life Conference Room, 603 Washington Street
  • Calmar: Thursday, September 13th at NICC Wilder Business Center, Room 106, 1625 Highway 150 S
  • Elkader: Thursday, September 27th at Clayton County Office Facility, 600 Gunder Road NE
  • Waukon: Thursday, October 4th at the Senior Center at Waukon Wellness Center, 1220 3rd Avenue NW

 

All residents of the five counties, as well as those who visit this area, are invited and encouraged to complete an online survey about transportation in our region. Survey responses are anonymous and the more people that complete it, the stronger and more representative of the region the final plan will be.

The survey can be accessed at www.tinyurl.com/ybfo4epe. Information on the LRTP, as well as a link to the survey, are also available on UERPC’s website, www.uerpc.org.

Those interested in being notified of updates and events related to the LRTP, and anyone wishing to request a paper copy of the survey, may contact Aaron Detter at adetter@uerpc.org or 563-382-6171.

... [ Read More ]
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