Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation: A River Runs Through It

Joe McGovern/INHF

Rod and Nancy Bakken’s easement in Winneshiek and Howard Counties will protect the viewshed and water quality of the Upper Iowa River, as well as Bigalk Creek.

As a boy, Rod Bakken climbed Chimney Rock and roamed the bluffs near his hometown of Ridgeway, playing explorer and falling in love with the land. Although Bakken grew up and left home, he never forgot northeast Iowa.

Rod Bakken and his wife, Nancy Bakken, both of Ames, recently donated a conservation easement on 278 acres in Winneshiek and Howard counties. Their easement protects the property’s natural and agricultural features from development and other non-compatible uses.

“One of Rod’s values was keeping some crop ground as crop ground and wandering spaces as wandering spaces. Both of those seem to be in decline,” Nancy Bakken said.

The Bakken property contains plenty of “wandering spaces.” Its diverse woodlands and oak savanna are divided by the winding Upper Iowa River, with a mile of shoreline on one side of the river and a half-mile on the other side. Bigalk Creek, a coldwater trout stream, also flows through the property.

“The opportunity for people to be in wild places is getting scarcer. As that happens, it becomes even more important to preserve wild places,” Rod Bakken said. “I don’t think wild places are an extra in life. I think they’re a necessity in life.”