Upper Iowa River is focus of June open house
This article was released in May 2010. A public open house on Thursday, June 17, will showcase land conservation along the Upper Iowa River. The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation – a private, nonprofit conservation group – is hosting the free gathering to celebrate its work along the river, with an emphasis on recent projects near Bluffton. This is an opportunity for the public to learn more about the organization’s land protection and restoration activities, thank participating landowners, donors and other partners, and talk about future work in the area with INHF staff and board members. The event will be held from 4-6 p.m. at the Winneshiek Wildberry Winery, 1966 337th St., north of Decorah. A short program is planned at 5:15 p.m. (This is a free event, but an RSVP is requested by June 11 to assist with planning. Contact Erin Muench or call 1-800-475-1846, ext. 11.) Winding about 125 miles through northeast Iowa before it flows into the Mississippi, the Upper Iowa is considered one of the most scenic waterways in the Midwest. It is an important regional wildlife corridor and a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts as well as for development — both the environmentally conscious and the poorly planned. “Land along the Upper Iowa River is mostly privately owned and managed,” says Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation President Mark C. Ackelson. “We appreciate the opportunity to work with private landowners to accomplish mutual goals to protect the very important farmland, natural areas and cultural resources along this important river.” “Voluntary action over many years has helped maintain the Upper Iowa as a scenic, high quality natural river,” says Ackelson. “And voluntary action is still needed to protect it for the future.” For 30 years the Foundation has assisted landowners with a variety of land protection methods, completing 36 projects on or near the Upper Iowa River. Along 13 river miles upstream from Bluffton, the group estimates that it has been involved with preserving 40 percent of the river corridor. While some project sites are now available for public use, much of this land is still in private hands. It is protected with private voluntary agreements known as conservation easements that are tailored to the needs of each property and each owner. For example, Winneshiek county farmer Kenneth Bronner and his wife Rita, and their son and daughter-in-law, worked with INHF to protect 308 acres with a conservation easement. Their land includes pasture, hay fields and more than three-fourths mile of river frontage. The family donated part of the easement’s value, and other support came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranchland Protection Program and the Young Family Foundation of Waterloo. The conservation easement insures the property will continue to be maintained as a farm and natural area. Bronner says the easement helped him achieve two important goals. It provided a source of funds so he could keep the farm going for another generation. It also gave him peace of mind: he knew his land would be protected from development for housing or mining. “I want this place to remain much the way it is,” says Bronner. “I pretty much grew up on and in the river, and now my girls love to canoe and tube there.” While land under private easements, such as the Bronners’, is not open to public use, it still provides public benefits such as protection of scenery, water quality and wildlife habitat. INHF’s Ackelson, who will speak at the group’s open house on June 17, says the bluffs region of northeast Iowa continues to be important to his organization and its members. Through their “Campaign for the Bluffs, the Hills, the Lakes,” members from near and far who love this region are contributing to projects here. INHF has more detail about its land protection projects along the Upper Iowa River at www.inhf.org/upperiowa For more information or to donate, contact Cathy Engstrom or Anita O'Gara at 515-288-1846.
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