A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.
My, how we've grown: Journalists and journalism students gathered at the Big Tree in the Missouri River floodplain in 2022 for one of the first meetings of the Ag & Water Desk team. (Ag & Water Desk)
A few weeks ago, we asked you to take a few minutes and tell us what you think of the Desk. More than 100 of you did. We promised we'd come back and share what we learned. Here's that update.
We learned that Desk readers are a passionate group. Many of you who shared your opinions are environmental advocates, nonprofit leaders, scientists, journalists, and just residents who care deeply about our future.
We heard from people in 20 states plus D.C., including many readers within the basin itself – and some outside of it.
We were pleased to learn that our audience knows exactly what the Desk is for. Rivers, water quality, climate change, agriculture, and the health of this basin are what you told us you care about most.
About two-thirds of respondents said the Desk has influenced their thinking or work. People don’t just read our stories – they use them. When asked what was meaningful, people often mentioned getting a better understanding of the bigger picture. “We are all downstream,” as one person said. That’s impact we can be proud of!
Some of your feedback told us how we can improve:
You told us how you use our website and what gaps you found. We heard that our site doesn't match how people actually look for stories. That message is part of why we've brought on a website developer, and design work is underway right now. We don't have a launch date yet, but this is happening, and it will be shaped by what you told us.
We heard about places and topics where you’d like us to expand our coverage. Groundwater and water availability came up frequently. So did specific places: the Driftless Area, the Missouri River, and tributary communities who don't always see themselves in "Mississippi River" coverage, even though they're part of this story, too. A few of you also told us we should expand coverage of Indigenous communities and perspectives. We agree, and we’re working on that.
We don't have a tidy list of solutions to hand you today. But this feedback shapes what we assign and how we push ourselves to do better. We wanted you to know that we’re working on it, not just that we collected your opinions.
One more thing: Yes, the Desk is a nonprofit housed in the University of Missouri, and yes, you can donate to support us. Some of you already have, and we're grateful. If you've been meaning to chip in, now's a good time. And if giving isn't right for you, sharing our stories with someone who'd value them is its own kind of support, and plenty of you already do that. Thank you!
This survey didn’t give us all the answers, but it gave us a clearer sense of who's on the other end of this newsletter. Thank you for helping us see you and better meet your needs.
Sincerely,
Sara Shipley Hiles, Executive Director, Ag & Water Desk
