Easement Protects
Cherokee County Land

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This article was written and posted on INHF's website in May 2003. 

A new conservation easement protects a rare and lovely Cherokee County site for future generations.

Ruth Alliband donated a conservation easement on her land along the Little Sioux River valley near Cherokee to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation in May. This is INHF's first completed project in Cherokee County. These 46 acres of protected land contain a wealth of natural features, including dry native prairies, large bur oaks and upland wildlife species. Many of the land's steeply sloping portions have never been plowed. The tallgrass prairie remnant includes native species such as Prairie Dropseed, Big and Little Bluestem, Junegrass and Side Oats Gramma, Indian turnip and Ceanothus (americanus and ovatus).

Ruth Alliband (right) recently donated a conservation easement to protect the many natural features on her special Cherokee County land. She then sold the land to Ron Vos (left) who will continue to honor the easement. (Photo by Joe McGovern/INHF)

Conservation easement donors voluntarily restrict certain land uses for themselves and future owners. Although the land is still privately owned, it remains protected in perpetuity. The value of the donated rights may become a tax-deductible contribution for the donor. Ruth chose to prohibit development, mining, grazing and other non-compatible uses and to allow ecological restoration, including controlled prairie burns. As easement holder, INHF will monitor the site annually to make certain easement conditions are still being met. The land has been in Ruth's family since the late 1920s. After completion of the easement, Ruth sold the land to Ron Vos. "I decided to sell the land because I felt it needed more hands-on management than I was able to provide from my home in Minnesota," she says. "But I very much wanted to have some assurances of conservation that would exist beyond the duration of one carefully selected successor." Ron says he plans to maintain and enhance the land, perhaps by expanding the existing prairies. He would also like to allow college students to study the diverse species on the land. "We all worked closely on the easement," says Ron. "I believe that we had the same goal in the mind: to preserve the present state of the land." Joe McGovern, INHF land stewardship program director, worked with Ruth to draft the easement. "This is a wonderful native prairie and oak savanna with a lot of potential. Through permanent protection and future stewardship, it will become even better," he says. For more information, read our Cherokee Easement article.