Joining together to protect the
Mississippi Blufflands
In 1993, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation led in the creation of the Blufflands Alliance to focus on the protection and preservation of the bluffs along the Mississippi River. The alliance is a partnership of organizations, individuals and landowners working to inspire a common vision of the region.
The blufflands alliance initiative, funded in part by the McKnight foundation, began with a prioritization of the most scenic an important bluffs along 350 miles of the upper Mississippi, stretching north from Davenport to the St. Croix River.
Multi-state partners in the alliance work directly with landowners and other organizations and agencies, with an emphasis on assisting stewardship in the blufflands area. By encouraging the voluntary actions of landowners, alliance members hope to protect the fragile region from the many forces that today threaten its continued existence.
Threats to the bluffs come in many forms – from insensitive development and the destruction of valuable farmland, to construction on environmentally sensitive bluffland slopes and the fragmentation of wildlife habitat.
The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, along with its partners in the alliance, is working to protect scenic bluffs and important natural, cultural, historical and agricultural resources in this corridor.
The Blufflands Alliance focuses on direct land protection through acquisition, conservation easements, sensitive development planning, educating the public, promoting dialogue and initiating cooperative efforts. The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has joined with other partners to sponsor informal landowner workshops at which residents of the blufflands area may share their ideas about important aspects of the region.
Members of the blufflands community are invited to join with others who have taken steps to protect the natural resources and quality of life associated with the bluffs. The Blufflands Alliance needs your assistance, as well as your voice! For more information about the Blufflands Alliance, call, write, or e-mail the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, or any of the alliance partners listed below.
Blufflands Alliance Partner Roster
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation
Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation
Minnesota Land Trust
Mississippi Valley Conservancy
Natural Land Institute
West Wisconsin Land Trust
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