Scenic, diverse and conserved

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This article first appeared in INHF's Fall 2006 magazine.

by Tim Laehn

Brian Fankhauser/INHF

Caves, like this one, are among the many natural features that Bill and Marlys Brown protected by donating a conservation easement to INHF. Their property also contains diverse prairie, pasture, ungrazed woodland and limestone bluffs.

An Iowa couple is devoting their golden years to a golden place.

Bill and Marlys Brown spend countless hours restoring natural resources on their Jackson County land. The diverse, 119-acre site includes a half mile of frontage on the north fork of the Maquoketa River, steep limestone bluffs and their associated caves, prairie, pasture and ungrazed woodland.

“This might not be the way that a lot of people want to spend their retirement, but it just seems like this is where we’re supposed to be,” Marlys said. “It’s such a beautiful place.”

Leg work

Aided by their restoration efforts, the site harbors diverse wildlife. Its woodlands shelter scarlet tanagers and pileated woodpeckers, Iowa’s largest woodpecker species. Its well-maintained pasture provides nesting sites for grassland birds such as the bobolink.

The Browns regularly invite groups like the Iowa Native Plant Society to walk the prairie and the woodland, the Iowa Grotto Club to explore the property’s 15 caves and the Prairie State Mushroom Club to study the fungi.

Meanwhile, the Browns are restoring a native “goat” prairie, a dry bluff prairie that grows on steep southwestern slopes. It has colorful plants such as Indian paintbrush and silky aster. They continue to clear trees from the prairie and rock outcrop areas, conduct prescribed fires, improve soil conservation and implement river site management.

Legal work

With so much emotion and labor invested in the site, the Browns are concerned about its protection beyond their lifetimes. That’s why they donated a conservation easement to INHF. Working with INHF staff, they developed a voluntary agreement that permanently protects the land from clear-cutting, development, mining and other activities that could diminish its natural resources and scenic values.

Brian Fankhauser/INHF

Bill and Marlys Brown stand within their property's woodland, which provides habitat for wildlife such as scarlet tanagers and pileated woodpeckers.

While the Browns retain ownership and use of the land, INHF is permanently responsible for ensuring that present and future owners follow the easement terms.

“It’s exciting to work with people who have it in their hearts,” said Brian Fankhauser, land stewardship specialist at INHF. “They’re doing this easement for all the right reasons, and we’re pleased to help them attain their goals.”

Work’s rewards

The Browns have owned the land since 1991 when they bought it from Bill’s sister. They plan to someday pass it on to their three children, who all support the easement.

“Our children grew up there, now our grandchildren are growing up there and hopefully their children will grow up there,” Marlys said. “It’s just a wonderful place to be.”

Tim Laehn is a Drake University Student and Robert R. Buckmaster intern at INHF.

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