Where the wild things are

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By Cathy Engstrom

Bob de Neui stands by one of the giant cottonwoods protected by his conservation easement. "I call these big trees my 'Monarchs of the Glen.'"

For a map and more information about the de Neui easement read the story below and/or see the related news release.

Not long after Bob de Neui bought his Hardin County farm in 1974, he began pruning his trees to improve their future timber value. One year he trimmed 1,200 walnut trees-a valuable future harvest.

But as the years passed and the trees grew, Bob's views about his land's value changed. Last month-and also in 1996-he and his wife Joell donated a conservation easement on parts of their farm to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. Both easements prohibit, among other things, all timber harvesting.

"I'm not against people cutting trees," notes Bob (repeatedly). "We need selective logging-for houses, pianos, baseball bats-all kinds of things. But I also think some places need to be left wild."

A wild place
When growing up on the family farm near Steamboat Rock, Bob and his father sometimes dropped their chores on pleasant afternoons to hunt for mushrooms or fish on a nearby farm. Years later, while working for the Navy in Washington, D.C., Bob learned that the same farmer who permitted access for those boyhood adventures was selling the property. Bob bought the 500-acre farm and soon settled there with his family. Over the years, they purchased another 200 adjoining acres. Bob and Joell raised their four children (now adults) on this land. They named it ForestWilde Farm.

ForestWilde offers a visual feast from top to bottom. Crop fields scattered on the relatively flat hilltops contrast with surrounding rings of buffer strip grasses. Steep, wooded ravines fall to tiny streams that feed the Iowa River. Prairie grasses wave on the lowest fields. Bald eagles swoop along nearly a mile of Iowa River frontage-including Bob's favorite fishing spot. Towering trees overlook a healthy understory that promises spring wildflowers and morels.

Conservation priorities
Over the years, the de Neuis have taken many steps to protect their land's conservation values. They kept cattle out of the timber. They planted wildflowers and prairie grasses to improve wildlife habitat. They enrolled 100 acres of cropland into the Conservation Reserve Program and planted more than 100,000 trees and shrubs. They became active in the Iowa River Greenbelt Resource Trust (IRGRT), a group of local citizens committed to preserving, protecting and enhancing the region's special natural resources.

"The de Neuis are models for good conservation," says Lisa Hein, INHF's Program and Planning Director. "They understand how all the pieces fit together. They and other members of IRGRT realize that protecting their area is not just the county's responsibility but everyone's responsibility."

Adjoining the headquarters of the Hardin County Conservation Board to its west and Mann Wilderness Area to its east, ForestWilde Farm was identified in IRGRT's longterm plan as a priority area for natural resource protection.

The de Neui's 1996 conservation easement donation to INHF appraised at nearly $240,000. It protected 200 acres of ForestWilde, including its river frontage. Their second conservation easement protected another 98 acres and is appraised at about $335,000. Each time they also contributed to INHF's conservation easement monitoring fund.

Conservation easements allow landowners to retain private ownership and selected land uses while permanently restricting other uses. The heart of any conservation easement document is the section on permitted and prohibited uses. These are developed mutually by the easement donor (de Neuis) and easement holder (INHF). Their easement's permitted uses include farming on existing fields, hunting and possible construction of a building in a designated building envelope in a low-impact area. Prohibited uses include all logging, animal confinements, mining and construction outside the designated envelope.

"Logging and grazing in woods can be o.k. in moderation, but we need to be careful," notes Bob. "Balance is the key. Society used to think we had to exploit everything to improve our quality of life, but now we realize that too much exploitation actually lowers our quality of life. I want these woods to be here for my kids and beyond-not sold off for a Ferrari or a house on Clear Lake."

Cathy Engstrom is INHF's Director of Communications.

For more information

1. How do conservation easements work?
2. Related news release on de Neui easement
3. Other INHF projects in the Iowa River Greenbelt.

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has worked with Hardin County residents to protect the scenic Iowa River in their county for more than 15 years. INHF helped create the Iowa River Greenbelt Resource Trust and then provided assistance as they developed a comprehensive plan for the greenbelt, outlining a mix of wilderness areas, recreation areas, trails and scenic drives. INHF has helped protect many special sites along the Iowa River, including Sand Springs Wildlife Area, Sandstone Palisades, Wildcat Cave Access, and--last year--a 68-acre addition to Pine Lake State Park.

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