Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation: Wanamaker's preserve Loess Hills by state park

A few years ago, an Iowa couple was doing what you’re doing right now—reading an article from the Iowa Natural Heritage magazine about Iowans who had chosen to donate conservation easements.

John and Karen Wanamaker were concerned about what would become of their land upon their deaths. The article they read convinced them to explore conservation easements. In late 2007, the Wanamakers protected their 411-acre Fremont County property — which has been in the family since 1938 — through a conservation easement donated to INHF.

The Wanamaker property lies approximately three miles north of Hamburg. It adjoins a former INHF project site, the WaShawtee Addition to Waubonsie State Park, in southwestern Iowa. A portion of the Wanamakers’ land is bordered by the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway.

By protecting 411 acres next to an existing 1,958-acre state park, this project expands protected habitat, open space and scenic beauty.

The landscape is a mixture of remnant prairie, woodland and retired hay ground, which provides habitat for diverse wildlife. The adjacent state park is home to many state Special Concern Species as well as the state-endangered Great Plains Skink (Eumeces obsoletus) and state-threatened Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys cooperi).

The couple’s favorite part of the property is a bluff ridge that provides a stunning overlook of the Missouri River bottom. There, the viewer can see four states at once — Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas. The land also holds plenty of history, like the family cemetery of the land’s homesteaders, with tombstones dating back to 1859.

As with other conservation easements, the Wanamakers’ protected property remains in their private ownership. Their easement permanently protects the land from mining, development, clear cutting, over-grazing and other activities that could diminish the area’s natural resources and scenery. These restrictions apply to the Wanamakers and all future owners.

Before donating the easement, the couple had been actively managing their property’s natural resources by removing invasive trees, conducting prescribed fires and removing interior fences. John Wanamaker notes that all these stewardship efforts have only strengthened his deep connection to the land.

“I have such a strong feeling about it,” John said. “I’ve walked, hunted, and hiked the land since I was nine years old.”

Owners preserve Loess Hills by state park