The Standing Bear Council will host its September membership meeting on Sunday, September 8, at 1:00 p.m. at the Hawkeye Restaurant, 105 N. Park Drive, Keokuk. The meeting is one week later than usual because Council members are participating in the Nauvoo Grape Festival as vendors. Those wishing to eat are encouraged to come at noon. Standing Bear Council meetings are open to all people – Native and non-Native. Please bring one canned or dry good for storage.
Tammi Kircher will discuss wetlands and waterfowl conservation, as well as sustainable funding for our natural resources. She was born and reared in Keokuk, Iowa, and graduated from Keokuk High School. She earned an Executive Legal Secretary Associate’s Degree from the American Institute of Business and graduated from The Paralegal Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, with a Paralegal Degree. She and her husband, Dr. Edward Kircher, have been married for 35 years and have two grown daughters and two granddaughters.
Kircher’s varied professional background includes working in the banking industry for nearly 20 years as Vice-President, Sales, and Corporate Secretary at First Community Bank. She served as an Iowa Natural Resource Commissioner for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and is a past Advisory Committee member for the Iowa Sustainable Natural Resources Funding Committee.
Kircher is the first female elected as State Chairperson for Iowa Ducks Unlimited. She currently holds the seat of State Council Chairperson; her term ends February 2020. She is in her second term as an At-Large Board
Member (national board of directors) for Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Memphis, Tennessee. She sits on the Ducks Unlimited Public Policy Committee.
In response to queries about her extensive involvement with Ducks Unlimited, Kircher notes that:
“Ducks Unlimited is the world’s leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation. Waterfowl conservation is facing important challenges as wetlands and other habitats are being degraded and destroyed across the continent. Our mission at Ducks Unlimited is to reverse this trend. Ducks Unlimited, through hard work and dedication, has conserved more than 14 million acres.
Wetlands are critical to our natural environment. They protect our shores from wave action, reduce the impact of floods, absorb pollutants, and improve water quality. Also, they provide habitat for animals and plants.
Water quality is extremely important to me – it is a resource that impacts 100% of our population. Without it, we simply die. Thus, I’m willing to spend my time, treasure and talent on improving water quality for the next generation.”
Kircher’s work has earned her statewide and national recognition. She received the 2006-2007 State Conservation Award from Ducks Unlimited for her efforts on the Iowa Natural Resources Sustainability Advisory Committee. She received the 2009 Wings of Innovation Award from Ducks Unlimited, Inc., at their annual convention, again, for her sustainable funding efforts. She and her husband were named the 2016 Mel Allison Conservationists of the Year by the Lee County, Iowa Chapter of Pheasants Forever. This year, she and her husband received the Jay Neubauer Distinguished Service Award by Iowa Ducks Unlimited.
The Council will also coordinate celebrations of Native heritage, and events/programs in the Tri-State area; the Council is participating in the Nauvoo Grape Festival, the Frontier Settlement Day at the Log Cabin Village on Quinsippi Island Saturday, September 8, and the Barry Apple Festival, October 4-6. A program on Native culture is planned Saturday, November 2, at the Quincy Public Library. The Council also looks forward to participating in the Quincy Craft and Christmas Market November 8-10 at the Oakley-Lindsay Center, and to the celebration of Native American Heritage Month/Day on Saturday, November 30, at the Ivor Fowler Center in Montrose, Iowa.
The Council is a non-profit organization. For more information about the meeting and/or about Standing Bear Council’s educational programs, please call Larry Cooper at 319-795-6718, Dona Herr, at 319-520-5919, or Debbie Callaghan at 217-219-1188.