Upper Mississippi Blufflands region named a
"Last Chance Landscape"

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This article was written and posted on INHF's website in December 2000.

(WASHINGTON, DC, November 20, 2000) - Today Scenic America, a national conservation organization, released a report naming the Upper Mississippi Blufflands Region of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois one of its ten Last Chance Landscapes.

The Mississippi Blufflands region includes land that borders the river from St. Paul, Minn. to Clinton, Iowa. These endangered landscapes are places of beauty or distinctive community character with both a pending threat and a potential solution.

"Thanksgiving draws us to the people and places we love, to traditions we keep year after year. More Americans travel on the Thanksgiving weekend than at any other time of the year. So this is a good time to reflect on both the promise and the reality of "America the Beautiful," said Meg Maguire, president of Scenic America.

"Those of us in Iowa and other Upper Mississippi River states have always known this region is special," said Mark Ackelson, president of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF). "It's nice to see it getting much-deserved national attention." INHF is a non-profit organization that protects Iowa's land, water and wildlife. As members of the four-state Blufflands Alliance, INHF submitted the region's nomination to Scenic America.

"The Last Chance Landscape designation is just a designation; it doesn't mean new regulations or funding for this region," added Ackelson. "But it's sure a good way to show area citizens, landowners and potential funders that we are stewards of a special place worth protecting for future generations."

According to its entry in Scenic America's 2000 Last Chance Landscapes publication, "The unique beauty of the Upper Mississippi Blufflands Region of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois is different from any other areas in these states. In addition to the scenic qualities of the Blufflands, the area contains historic towns, important archaeological sites, small working farms, and rare ecosystems. The region is experiencing tremendous pressure from residential development and resource extraction, and needs a regional strategy to protect its special qualities."

"Americans want to save natural beauty, protect open space, and live in well-designed communities," continued Maguire, referring to over 35 state and hundreds of local growth-related ballot initiatives on the November 7, 2000 ballot. "People everywhere need to look around, identify what they love, and demand better scenic conservation and land use practices as their communities grow."

Scenic America is a national, nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC whose mission is to preserve natural beauty and distinctive community character. They are dedicated to the principle that "change is inevitable; ugliness is not." Since 1978, Scenic America has helped citizens and public officials in thousands of communities nationwide protect their scenic heritage. For more information on Scenic America, visit their website at www.scenic.org.

INHF is a member-supported, nonprofit organization that protects Iowa's land, water and wildlife. Since 1979, INHF has helped protect more than 55,000 acres of Iowa's prairies, wetlands, woodlands and river corridors. It is a founding member of the four-state Blufflands Alli
ance.

For more information about Foundation news, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, Director of Communication, or call (515) 288-1846.

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