CASE STUDY: Faulkes Heritage Woods

photo by Cathy Engstrom/INHF

Two pairs of sisters collaborated in protecting a 110-acre woods located on the Cedar Rapids/Marion border. Pictured from left, they are Alice Smith and Elizabeth Barry and their nieces, Nancy and Cynthia Thompson.

The older sisters sold the woodland to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation for a substantial discount, while the younger sisters made a full donation. News of the family’s generosity encouraged nearly 500 public, private and corporate donors to contribute the remaining funds needed to acquire the property.

As the family wished, INHF placed a conservation easement on the property to permanently restrict its uses and then transferred it to the City of Marion. The city dedicated it as a natural park for low-impact public use and wildlife habitat. The site contains woodlands, footpaths and shoreline along both sides of Indian Creek.

The site is now called Faulkes Heritage Woods. It was named in honor of Alice Faulkes, the grandmother and great-grandmother of the four women.