Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation: Back to the Future

Lorna Caulkins examines the winter remains of a compass plant, one of the tallest native prairie plants. Doug and Lorna Caulkins protected 239 acres of land in Mahaska County through a conservation easement.

Doug and Lorna Caulkins want future Iowans to see the prairie grasses and oak savanna that dominated our state in the 1840s.

In December of 1998, the Grinnell couple bought 239 acres in Mahaska County, near New Sharon. The Caulkins named their land “Y Gwyndwn,” a Welsh phrase that means “the unplowed land.” Welsh and Scottish immigrants originally settled the area.

“Of course, it has been plowed. The prairie was destroyed,” said Doug. “We have replanted the prairie and made a promise that it once again will be an unplowed land.”

The couple has worked tirelessly to reconstruct the land’s natural splendor by planting 85 acres of prairie. They know that they have even more work ahead, especially in managing the woods. Eventually, the Caulkins hope to have schoolchildren and other groups tour their land to learn about Iowa’s natural heritage.

The Caulkins ensured that their land would remain protected by donating a conservation easement to INHF. Their easement will protect the oak savanna, native prairie remnants, reconstructed prairie, and wetlands along Buck Creek, which flows through the property.

“It would be sad if Iowans had no idea of what the prairies and oak savannas looked like,” Doug Caulkins said. “We want to do our part to preserve some of the plant communities native to the state.”