This article first appeared in INHF's Fall 2007 magazine.
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Cathy Engstrom/INHF
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The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation will use our grant funds to help purchase our new 1,224-acre Upper Iowa River project. funds also support biobliz events on the site, where participants already have identified more than 900 plant and wildife species.
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Funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s Upper Midwest Wildlife Habitat Initiative has already helped protect these Iowa sites—with many more to come.
Upper Iowa River
Featured in our Spring 2007 magazine and 2008 wall calendar, this 1,224-acre property contains three miles of the Upper Iowa River, rugged bluffs, woodlands, prairie remnants and other habitats. However, the site’s sheer size and diversity make it more difficult to finance and manage.
Aided by DDCF funding, INHF hosted two BioBlitz events this summer: a chance for biologists to find, identify and celebrate the site’s plant and wildlife species. More than 50 participants, including several members of the Iowa Natural History Association, identified more than 900 species—from fish to ferns to fungi. Their data will help us determine site restoration and management plans.
Natural lakes
DDCF is among more than 1,000 donors who helped protect our 93-acre Anglers Bay project on Big Spirit Lake. The property contains two-thirds mile of natural shoreline, including the area’s largest remaining bulrush bed. According to Iowa DNR naturalists, these bulrushes provide critical feeding and nursery habitat for many of the lake’s fish species.
Mississippi River bluffs
INHF recently purchased 346 acres in the Mississippi River bluffs region near Lansing. The acquisition closed a gap between two public natural areas, bringing together more than 2,500 acres and 5.5 miles of contiguous habitat. A third of North American bird species use the Mississippi River migratory flyway, and such large blocks of habitat along their route is essential.
Loess Hills
In the 1980s, INHF helped Pottawattamie County save a site that was being bulldozed for a landfill. That site is now the Hitchcock Nature Center, among the Loess Hills’ premier wildlife areas and interpretive centers. DDCF funds helped the county purchase a 100-acre addition containing significant oak savanna and prairie remnants.
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For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, Director of Communications, or call (515) 288-1846.