Partnership among USGS, IGS, and others helps RAGBRAI riders learn what’s under their tires

The US Geological Survey, Iowa Geological Survey, Office of the State Archaeologist, and Iowa Limestone Producers Association are working together to teach RAGBRAI riders about the land that’s rolling by under their tires. For instance, the July 24 ride departs the Northwest Iowa Plains landform region and crosses the Des Moines Lobe region, which features subtle topography and expansive views across Iowa's most recently glaciated surface. The bedrock underlying the glacial till consists of more Dakota sandstone overlying Devonian limestone and dolomite rocks. Image courtesy of the Iowa Geological Survey.

By: Office of Strategic Communication | 2017.07.24 | 08:58 am

RAGBRAI riders will want to keep an eye out for the 2017 Learn About the Land brochures from the University of Iowa.

The idea of distributing information about the natural resources along the RAGBRAI route first came about in 2005. United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Iowa Geological Survey (IGS) staff produced a brochure for each day of the ride, explaining the topography and hydrology of the land beneath the riders’ tires.

Follow riders across the state—and learn about the University of Iowa’s impact all along the route—on social media by using #RAGBRAI and #forIowa.

This effort has highlighted the work both agencies do individually and collaboratively, while providing riders with a better understanding of the state.

“We want people to realize how interesting Iowa really is,” says IGS geologist Ryan Clark. “People tend to only think about mountains and beaches as being interesting and worth visiting, but we hope people realize there is natural beauty within the state that is worth seeing.”

Originally, IGS and USGS staff handed out the brochures with information about the next day’s ride at each overnight stop. However, demand for the brochures grew rapidly, and riders began asking for them at the beginning of the week. Today, 1,500 packaged brochures are printed for RAGBRAI each year.

Every year, the IGS and USGS teams write articles, draft elevation maps, and provide a daily dictionary of unfamiliar terms. IGS does most of the compiling, designing, and printing; USGS staff members distribute the packets at RAGBRAI campgrounds, talk science with the riders, and answer questions.

“Our organizations would be thrilled if we could educate people on the fact that a large amount of people in Iowa are working to the benefit of the state,” says Clark. “There are people dedicating their careers to understanding the natural resources we have and how to utilize those resources in a responsible way.”

Collaboration among several organizations makes these unique RAGBRAI brochures possible. Since printing began 12 years ago, the Iowa Limestone Producers Association and Office of the State Archeologist have joined the efforts of packet distribution during RAGBRAI week.

In 2014, a major realignment within the Iowa Department of Natural Resources led to the IGS becoming part of IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering at the UI. This allowed the IGS to utilize additional resources, such as IIHR’s graphic design artist, to revamp the brochures and the UI’s Mobile Museum to help distribute packets at the Expo and along the route.

“We want people to see that nature can be of great benefit to us and, in turn, we can be great benefit to nature,” says Clark.

If you’re riding RAGBRAI or joining in the activities along the route, be sure to look for the UI Mobile Museum at any of the overnight stops. You also can find links to the Learn About the Land trip logs online: