Black receives national Izaak Walton League award

State Sen. Dennis Black was the recipient of the “Legislator of the Year” award from the Izaak Walton League’s annual Ikes Convention last weekend in Davenport.

The Lynnville Democrat received the Ronald Kuntz Outstanding Conservationist Award, which is presented annually to a legislator who exhibits extraordinary effort in their work for the preservation and conservation of natural resources. Black was specifically cited for his work in crafting legislation in appropriating state funding for the state departments of agriculture and natural resources that established priorities in soil conservation, for water quality enhancement, and for establishing a nutrient management strategy for the state.

Black also was cited for working to fully fund the Resource Enhancement and Protection Program, which directs funding for watershed improvements, state parks, historical resource protection and interpretation, county conservation boards, forestry, and a variety of natural resource improvements and protections for the state.

This is the second time he has been selected by the Izaak Walton League for its top award. He won the conservation organization’s first Ronald Kuntz Outstanding Conservationist Award in 1992.