Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation: Campaign for The Bluffs, The Hills, The Lakes

Want to help?

To contribute to this campaign, mail a gift or pledge to the INHF office or give on-line.

“Big picture” gifts to the campaign will support a land project within any of the regions.

If you prefer, you can direct your gift to a region (Bluffs Country, Loess Hills, or Iowa’s Natural Lakes) or even more specifically to Iowa Great Lakes, Clear Lake, Upper Iowa River, or Mississippi River Bluffs.

Are you as impatient as I am?

A magazine like this one is packed with satisfying stories of protecting natural lands together! But I see losses, too, and they stir my impatience. I’m eager to see more land protected more quickly, especially in areas where loss is rapid.

Last summer, when the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation approved its major grant for priority wildlife habitat protection in three regions, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation decided to turn it into a springboard for even greater success. We launched a campaign to challenge both ourselves and others to meet the real needs and opportunities for land protection in these regions.

The campaign is ‘nicknamed’ in the same fashion as people nickname the regions it will benefit. Many people who know and love the Loess Hills call them The Hills. Those who love Clear Lake or the Iowa Great Lakes usually just speak of The Lakes. The same holds for The Bluffs of northeast Iowa. This is where you come home to nature, and the nickname is sufficient.

As I talk with people about The Campaign for the Bluffs, the Hills and the Lakes, they often ask four questions:

“You really think you can protect 15,000 acres in five years?” Yes, we do. The goal was carefully chosen to be ambitious but realistic. And while INHF will lead many of these projects, others will be assisted by the campaign but led by other agencies.

“Is my gift really matched 9 to 1?” Yes! For example, your gift provides the matching funds needed to focus state and federal funds to these regions. Those public funds, plus the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation grant and the land value given by landowners, bring an impact nine times greater than the dollar value of the private gifts we’re raising.

“This is the largest private conservation campaign ever attempted in Iowa. Can it be done?” Yes, with effort. People are committed to these regions and to the land and wildlife, and they want to be part of the action. Landowners have already donated land or conservation easements valued at $5.3 million! Donors have given or pledged $1 million of the $4 million private funding goal! The campaign is well underway, and with strong effort we believe our members and other Iowans will make it a success.

“Will you ignore the rest of the state while working on this campaign?” No! We’ll continue to protect great places in all parts of Iowa — and meanwhile, this campaign will help to ‘pick up the pace’ in key regions. We’ll protect crucial habitat for migratory birds as well as native prairies, lands on scenic byways, and river bluffs.

If we want key lands to be part of the natural heritage we leave for the next generation, we must act now. Our hearts tell us that some of these places should remain as they are for today... for tomorrow... forever!

Each cent given to this campaign is used to protect land permanently, and each dollar is matched 9 to 1. With just $4 million in new
gifts, we believe we can unlock a $40 million investment to protect 15,000 acres of natural land!

Make no mistake; we’re in a race here. In these regions, land prices and land sales are escalating. Those who own natural land are urged constantly to sell or develop it. The pressure is intense. It’s common to see land subdivided – expanses of wildlife habitat disturbed, disconnected and lost.

And every day, fewer opportunities remain to save important natural land on a significant scale and in significant locations.

In response, we offer this extremely practical campaign with very tangible results.

Each dollar given to this campaign will go directly to the land – new and expanded public places, plus permanently protected private lands.

Each dollar you contribute will be matched 9 to 1.

Right now there’s a magical convergence of capable leaders, willing landowners, urgency and opportunity. With your membership, you’re a partner in this work. With an extra gift to the campaign, you can help us pick up the pace even more.

Generous gifts launch campaign

Landowners in the Loess Hills donated $726,000 in land value to protect 868 acres, and landowners in Bluffs Country donated $4.6 million in land value to protect 1,675 acres. A limited-time federal tax deduction helped boost the number of conservation easements donated last year, and many were in the Bluffs or the Hills.

Alma Natura Trust contributed stock valued at $500,000 to support priority wildlife habitat protection within the campaign. This gift was sparked by a modest Iowa couple who love wildlife and trust the Foundation to direct and stretch their dollars to protect important habitat sites. (See related article)

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation chose INHF to administer a five-state Upper Midwest Wildlife Habitat Protection Initiative for 2007-2010. This includes a $2.8 million commitment for land protection in Iowa.

Marlis Mildred Acklin bequeathed her estate primarily for Loess Hills protection. Who could have guessed that her bequest would be realized just as we had planned this intensive land protection effort that includes her beloved Loess Hills? (See related article)

Fred and Charlotte Hubbell Foundation pledged $50,000 to protect land at Iowa’s natural lakes.

An anonymous Google employee provided a generous gift to protect the Loess Hills — as the new Google data center makes its home amidst the Hills near Council Bluffs.

Commitments from 75 more donors helped launch the campaign. Special thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Andrew Smith; Tjada Sweers Fund; our anonymous donor for Clear Lake; Jane Bekins Meginnnis Foundation; Elizabeth Barry; Timothy Leeds and Barbara Sohner-Leeds; John and Fawn Shillinglaw; Carolyn J. Sweers; Windsor Charitable Foundation; William Windsor Charitable Foundation; Carylann Mucha; and Geitel Winakor.