2006 highlights

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This article first appeared in INHF's 2006 Annual Report.

When members are asked why they support the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, two responses come up repeatedly: “I love Iowa” and “I want to preserve the best of Iowa for future generations.”
This annual report offers some highlights of what happens when those passions—and the people who hold them—come together.

Shoreline gem

When development plans threatened Big Spirit Lake’s largest stretch of natural shoreline, INHF staff visited with landowners Don and Nancy Yarnes. In 2005, the couple offered INHF generous conservation sale terms, including a bargain price and payments extending through July 2007.

This “Anglers Bay” site contains 93 acres and 3,500 feet of undeveloped shoreline. A thick strip of bulrushes hugs the shore, providing a natural nursery for Iowa Great Lakes fish and a haven for birds and other wildlife.

At $6.67 million, INHF’s most expensive project to date, the effort requires intensive fundraising. We raised public dollars from the state legislature and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. We raised private dollars from 693 donors (and counting). At present, we’ve reached 85% of our private fundraising goal and have entered the final push for the July 2007 payment deadline.

When all funds are raised, the entire site will be transferred to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. It will be managed for fish and wildlife habitat, low-impact public recreation and part of a trail corridor that circles the entire lake.

Future generations visiting this natural shoreline won’t be able to imagine it any other way. Thanks to you, they won’t have to.

Miles of habitat

The Foundation always stretches your membership dollars—but 5+ miles might be a new record!

In 2006 INHF purchased adjacent parcels along the Mississippi River bluffs in northeast Iowa. Together they total 346 acres. However, by closing a gap between two public areas—Fish Farm Mounds and the Lansing Wildlife Area—the additions create 2,531 acres of contiguous habitat. Together, they extend more than 5.5 miles along the Mississippi River bluffs, a major flyway for migrating birds.

The site contains wooded bluffs, hillside prairies and fabulous views of the river and surrounding countryside. We hope that the site will eventually be transferred to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

A slice of nature

Nature can also stretch vertically—as in Whitewater Canyon.

INHF helped purchase 419 acres of this spectacular canyon in Dubuque, Jones and Jackson counties.
Whitewater Canyon’s rim and uplands contain both woodlands and open grasslands. Upland wildlife ranges from bobolinks and ground-nesting meadowlarks to pheasants, deer and wild turkeys.

The canyon’s walls—which drop 150 feet in places—slice through rock and time. Geologists and casual hikers can explore rock layers, fossils and caves. Variations in elevation, moisture and light provide microclimates for diverse plant and wildlife populations.

At its base, the protected area contains nearly a mile of twisting Whitewater Creek—a great place to canoe or fish.
The site has since been transferred to the Dubuque County Conservation Board, which invites you to “come on down!”

Building better wetlands

Eagle Lake Wetlands Complex, a natural area in Emmet County, has a problem. Though the lake itself is owned by the state, very little of its adjoining uplands are protected for habitat or public use.

In 2006, INHF purchased a 258-acre addition to the complex, a 69% increase. The addition borders one fourth of the lake’s shoreline—providing needed upland habitat, wetland access and control of the lake’s drainage outlet.

The site ranked very high in the Wetland Reserve Program, which provides public funding to restore crop fields to wetlands. INHF plans to transfer the addition to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which will manage it for wildlife habitat, public hunting, bird-watching, hiking and other low-impact recreational uses. Restoration plans include 160 acres of reconstructed prairie and seven wetland basins totaling 48 acres.

Promoting & expeanding trails

Iowa’s trails link people to nature. But how can we better link people to trails?

In addition to helping create many of Iowa’s multi-use recreational trails, INHF has also taken a leadership role in promoting them. In 2006, INHF created and expanded our Iowa by Trail website. A great resource for residents and visitors alike, the website provides basic facts, maps, photos, tourism links and other information about dozens of Iowa trails. Funding came from the Iowa Department of Transportation and our members.

Meanwhile, INHF remains an active leader in statewide trail planning and marketing—from our active participation in several trail organizations to our coordination of the ambitious Central Iowa Trail Network.

Sustainable conservation funding

Conservation doesn’t come cheap. Your INHF donations make a big difference and help us leverage additional public and private funding.

However, Iowa ranks almost last in state conservation funding and percent of public land. To address this problem, the 2006 legislature appointed 18 groups, including INHF, to serve on the new Sustainable Natural Resource Funding Advisory Committee. INHF has provided substantial leadership for the group. Its members are exploring options for dedicated conservation funding—a long-term budget commitment to Iowa’s natural resources.

INHF's reputation for careful background research and nonpartisanship also makes us a trusted source for policy-makers, media and conservation partners. Your past and future contacts with your legislators on this topic will help us get even further! Learn more from the Iowa DNR.

Letter from the Board Chair

2006 land projects

INHF financially speaking

Looking ahead

For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, Director of Communications, or call (515) 288-1846.