ATLANTIC, Iowa (KMTV) — Trevor Boyer paddled the entire length of the East Nishnabotna River — from Atlantic, Iowa, to Brownville, Nebraska — to establish a record time on the river and test its surface water for nitrates.
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Boyer, a self-described "timber hippie," Army veteran, and avid outdoorsman, calls western Iowa home.
"Iowa is super-underrated," Boyer said, standing at the boat launch in Atlantic.
Expedition kayaking is one of his passions. A day before the trip, he added a second goal: testing the river's surface water for nitrates.
"I thought it would be a great idea to introduce myself to a bunch of strangers all at once," Boyer said, laughing.
One of those strangers was Jodi Reese, a nurse practitioner and co-founder of Nishnabotna Water Defenders.
"I just couldn't believe it. I just thought that was so awesome," she said.
The group takes part in Nitrate Watch — a citizen science effort in which volunteers collect data on nitrate levels in ground and surface water. Nitrates are linked to some types of cancers, including colon and kidney cancers. The data is added to a national database available to researchers.
"The participation in Nitrate Watch within Iowa has exponentially grown," Reese said, noting concerns about the state's high cancer rates.
Reese met up with Boyer, and his friend Wayne, near Elliott to collect a reading. The nitrate level near Elliott measured just under four parts per million. Reese said in a healthy ecosystem, the group wants to see zero to 1 one parts per million. While four isn't ideal, it is relatively low and was likely affected by rainfall and the time of year.
When asked what it was about the Nitrate Watch mission that appealed to him, Boyer's answer was simple: "Oh, this is my river."
Reese said Boyer's journey was exciting.
"We had a hero. We had someone to cheer on and look for," Reese said.
Boyer completed the journey in about 32 hours, including a camping stop in Shenandoah.
"If I can encourage some other people to get out here and experience some of this for themselves on whatever level it is that suits them, I'm cool with that, right?" Boyer said.
Anyone interested in participating in Nitrate Watch can get a kit from the Izaak Walton League.
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