Anglers Bay project achieves funding goal

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This article first appeared in INHF's Fall 2007 magazine.

Steve Anderson

Bulrushes at Anglers Bay

Listen closely, and you might hear the bulrushes whispering the good news.

Thanks to more than 1,050 donors, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation recently completed our largest-ever fundraising campaign: $6.67 million to protect two-thirds mile of natural shoreline along Big Spirit Lake. The 93-acre site, dubbed Anglers Bay, supports the area’s largest remaining bulrush bed and provides critical habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife species.

Funding sources include $1.67 million from private donors and $3 million from the Iowa Legislature. Another $2 million from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is divided among three fiscal years, with the final installment due in summer 2008.

With funding and firm pledges in hand, INHF has completed the purchase of the land from Don and Nancy Yarnes, and a small portion nearest to Hales Slough has transferred to the DNR. After the current crop is harvested, that portion will be posted for public use. INHF and Iowa DNR staff will begin restoration of two wetlands and a prairie planting this fall, weather permitting.

Once payments are completed in late 2008, the entire property will be owned and managed by the Iowa DNR for low-impact public use. The Dickinson County Trails Board will help build a multi-use trail through the property, a key segment in a trail designed to encircle the entire lake.

“Some conservation efforts capture the public imagination, and Anglers Bay has been one of them,” says Mark Ackelson, INHF president. “What began with a bargain sale from owners Don and Nancy Yarnes has extended to more than 1,000 other donors—from lakeside residents to every corner of the state. Not only the Iowa DNR, but also the entire state legislature made it a funding priority. It’s become our generation’s gift to the future.”

Gifts designated to “Anglers Bay” are still being accepted by mail or online. These donations will be used to establish the trail and provide amenities such as benches and interpretive signage.

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