CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – This Earth Week, Wings2Water’s newest “Water Warrior” Mary Beth Stevenson, the Watersheds and Source Water Program Manager for the City of Cedar Rapids, is officially displayed at the Eastern Iowa Airport for her leadership with large-scale water quality initiatives and securing millions of dollars in funding to safeguard the community’s drinking water.

“Not only does Mary Beth play a critical role in protecting the area’s water resources, she’s also focused on building practical partnerships with farmers and landowners,” said Marty Lenss, Wings2Water Board President. “This collaboration is exactly what we need to support better land management together.”

Stevenson’s work often centers around connecting farmers or landowners with financial support, educational resources, and grants for conservation tools like saturated buffers, denitrification bioreactors, and covercrops.

“It’s been really inspiring working with farmers on improving our water quality,” Stevenson said. “We get such positive reception; so many farmers want to do what’s best for water quality, and they want to know what they can do to improve their farming practices to reduce nitrate and improve water quality overall.”

These initiatives are also connected to Stevenson’s efforts to protect the drinking water in Cedar Rapids. This water comes from a shallow, alluvial aquaphor near the Cedar River, and the water quality of the aquaphor is directly influenced by the quality of the river. If nitrate levels rise in the river, they are likely to rise in the aquaphor as well. Stevenson’s role with the City is crucial in protecting the river, the community’s drinking water, and strengthening long-term water resilience in the region.

As part of the Water Warrior recognition, Stevenson is now featured on custom signage throughout the Eastern Iowa Airport for thousands of travelers and visitors to see one of the important faces driving water quality improvements locally. Stevenson is also being highlighted across Wings2Water’s digital platforms and in this feature video.

“We’re proud to recognize Mary Beth Stevenson and shine light on her incredible work for Cedar Rapids,” said Tara Wachendorf, GreenState Credit Union VP/Public Relations Director. “Her efforts are a great reminder that partnership and collaboration are necessary to drive real change and water quality improvements, and we truly hope others are just as inspired as we are at GreenState.”

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Wings2Water’s mission is to REDUCE pollution runoff and flood impacts, RESTORE water quality in the Mississippi River watershed, and ELIMINATE the Dead Zone in the Gulf.

Interested in nominating a Water Warrior? Nominations taken here: https://www.wings2water.org/water-warrior/

Thank you to GreenState Credit Union for sponsoring the Water Warrior program: https://www.greenstate.org/