What has INHF done to protect
the Upper Iowa River?

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The green dots on this map indicate land protection projects that the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has completed along the Upper Iowa River. Some, like Chimney Rocks and the Upper Iowa Palisades, are well-known to canoeists with an eye for great scenery. Others are less known but also important in protecting the integrity of the entire system.

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation was founded in 1979 and completed its first project along the Upper Iowa River in 1980: the Upper Iowa River Access. This 323-acre area lies along ¾ mile of the Upper Iowa River. A rich natural area of outstanding scenic, recreational, fisheries, wildlife, geological and archaeological value, it's a popular fishing and canoe access. INHF negotiated and obtained an option to purchase, setting the stage for additional land trades. State funds were not available at the time and past efforts by the state to acquire the land were not successful. The option was transferred to the State of Iowa in 1980 and now the property is in state ownership. This pattern of INHF acting as a facilitator between voluntary private sellers and public buyers (like the state or county) has been repeated in many other INHF projects throughout Iowa.

INHF completed many projects along the Upper Iowa River in the late 1980s. For example, we worked with two private landowners who donated a conservation easement on the half-mile stretch of river that holds Chimney Rock, an outstanding limestone stack formation. The approximately 22-acre area also contains wooded hillsides and remnant prairies. A conservation easement is a legal means by which a landowner voluntarily sets limitations on the future use of land (such as no housing developments or logging), in order to protect the land's particular natural or cultural features. The property stays in private ownership, closed to public use, but the public enjoys many benefits from scenery to wildlife habitat.

At about the same time, INHF negotiated another private conservation easement on the rugged, limestone palisades on the Upper Iowa River-another well-known segment. This easement also protected 23 acres of beautiful blufflands, some rare, endangered and unusual plant and animal species. A couple years later the property was purchased by the Winneshiek County Conservation Board.

During those same years, INHF had a cold water stream protection program that was primarily directed at this Winneshiek and Allamakee County region. Pine Creek, Cold Water Creek, and other significant tributaries have seen permanent land protection measures initiated by INHF, and intermediary financing/ownership for pubic agencies has been a valuable role. Though not shown on the map, these projects are important treasures within the Upper Iowa's watershed.

Over the last few years, the 128-acre River Bend acquisition to prevent a 44-house subdivision has pushed INHF's efforts along the Upper Iowa River to new heights. Prompted by the immediacy of putting together this new land protection package, INHF staff made 60 individual land owner contacts within several months and gave presentations to both counties' boards of supervisors, zoning commissions, and county conservation boards-plus local organizations ranging from the Waukon Kiwanis to the Luther College Biology Club. Working closely with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and 12 local families who voluntarily donated conservation easements to make the deal work, the River Bend project eventually resulted in 144 acres protected for public use and nearly 900 acres protected under private conservation easements (many of the dots east of Decorah).

Thanks to contacts made during the River Bend process, another family donated a key conservation easement within the Upper Iowa River Palisades in 2001, and several other potential easements and land transfers are in process. INHF is now raising funds to bring those potential projects to reality.

Then in 2004, INHF transferred 140 acres, including the inside bend of the Chimney Rock palisades, to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. An INHF board member, shocked by a landowner who was plowing right into the river, had purchased thin buffer strips of land along the river and donated them to INHF in 1990. Nearly 15 years later, INHF was finally able to purchase the adjoining parcels. The Department of Natural Resources is restoring woodland and reconstructing prairie on the land, which is now open for public use. A few months later, INHF purchased an adjoining 27-acre parcel, adding the last puzzle piece to this key river bend across from Chimney Rocks. This parcel features roadway access, majestic views and invaluable wildlife habitat. INHF hopes to eventually transfer this piece to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which will then open it to the public.

While the Upper Iowa River's natural features are some of the most significant in Iowa, they are also under some of the most intensive development pressure. Homes, roads, and developments are fragmenting and erasing natural areas rapidly. INHF is working to keep a balance of natural areas here and to maintain the mystique of the Upper Iowa River experience as possible. By doing projects that demonstrate alternatives, we give interested local landowners a range of options in protecting their land and this great river system. We invite you to help us protect the Upper Iowa River.

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