Visitors to the Lake Ahquabi State Park and Hooper Wildlife Management Area south of Indianola may notice a significant change to the area s main body of water between now and spring 2022, affecting local fishing and wildlife.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources plans to slowly drain Hooper Area Pond over the next six weeks to make repairs to the dam s drawdown structure, which helps regulate the pond s water levels. The drainage will last six weeks, starting on May 5, and last until it s refilled in 2022. Lake Ahquabi will be drained later this summer after the Fourth of July for a major overhaul to improve park roads, upgrade campgrounds, fix the lake s water outlet structure and eliminate the gizzard shad population.
A creek running through the city of Ames in central Iowa was officially renamed from Squaw Creek to Ioway Creek in February 2021, after a yearlong process that involved local and federal agencies. The previous name is now considered an offensive reference to Native American women. The creek’s new name honors the original Indigenous inhabitants of the area, the Ioway or Baxoje nation.
(I have used the full earlier name of the creek, only this one time, for clarity. Later in the piece I will refer to it as “sq w,” to emphasize that it is a slur.)
The City Council of Ames had voted unanimously in January 2020 to change the name. Its decision affirmed a similar vote earlier that month by the Story County Board of Supervisors. These votes were in response to a petition filed by an Ames resident, which itself was preceded by long-standing interest from Native American students in initiating a change.
US landmarks bearing racist and Colonial references are renamed to reflect Indigenous values theconversation.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theconversation.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.