News Briefs

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This article first appeared in INHF's Fall 2007 magazine.

INHF assisted the Page County Conservation Board in purchasing 204 acres just north of Shenandoah. The site will be named the Rapp Park and Recreation Area, recognizing that most of the acquisition funds came from the Cy and Caroline Rapp Trust. A former quarry, the site includes several pits and ponds. The county will own and manage this property for wildlife and outdoor recreation. The county is in the process of adding boat ramps with handicapped access and is seeking funds for an access road, trails, camp sites and other facilities.

INHF assisted the Montgomery County Conservation Board in acquiring 87 acres that adjoin Viking Lake State Park. MCCB purchased an additional 40 acres, and the entire 127-acre site is called Erickson Wildlife Area. It will be available for public recreation while providing a buffer to the state park. County staff will be planting native species to provide good wildlife habitat. They purchased the property using funds from their county REAP allocation plus a $10,000 donation from Montgomery County Pheasants Forever.

INHF assisted the Clarke County Conservation Board in acquiring 120 acres, located about eight miles northeast of Osceola. James Vawn had willed the CCB the adjoining 80 acres. The county plans to open their new 200-acre Vawn Wildlife Area for public hunting and other uses in April. Project funders include a $99,000 Iowa DNR Habitat Stamp grant, $25,000 from the Clarke County Development Corporation, $17,500 from Pheasants Forever (including the Iowa PF and local chapters in Clarke, Madison and Warren counties), $15,000 from the National Wild Turkey Federation, $15,000 from the Friends of Clarke County Conservation and $3,000 from the South Central Iowa Community Foundation. The property contains quality woodlands and small prairie remnants, and the county has raised funds for future restoration on both.

Several INHF staff members participated in the Rural Lands-Rural Livelihoods conference, hosted by the Drake University Law School in September. About 30 speakers examined how Iowa landowners are using natural resource amenities to create economic opportunities and the role of public policy in supporting these initiatives.

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