An Iowa couple is protecting their Fremont County property–which has been in the family since 1938–through a voluntary protection agreement.
John and Karen Wanamaker recently donated a conservation easement to protect their 400-acre property to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF), a non-profit conservation group.
The Wanamaker’s protected property, which remains in their private ownership, lies approximately three miles north of Hamburg and adjacent to the WaShawtee Addition to Waubonsie State Park in far southwest Iowa. A portion of the property is within the Waubonsie Special Landscape Area and bordered by the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway. By protecting 400 acres next to an existing 1,958-acre state park, this project will expand the protection of important habitat, open space and scenic beauty for perpetuity.
The Wanamaker’s property is a mixture of remnant prairie, woodland and retired hay land, which provides excellent habitat for a wide diversity of wildlife. The adjacent State Park is home to many state Special Concern Species as well as the state-endangered Great Plains Skink and state-threatened Southern Bog Lemming.
Though the couple retains private ownership and use, the easement permanently protects the land from mining, developing, clear cutting, over-grazing and other activities that could diminish the area’s natural resources and scenery. The easement restrictions apply to the Wanamakers and all future owners. The specific purpose of this easement is to preserve the remnant prairies, woodlands and oak savanna, ensure a large contiguous block of wildlife habitat, buffer Waubonsie State Park and preserve the physical and ecological integrity of the Loess Hills landform.
The couple had been trying to decide the fate of their land when they learned about conservation easements through the INHF magazine. After reading about other local families who had chosen to donate easements, John Wanamaker said it sounded like a great way to ensure the land will be protected after he’s gone. The couple’s favorite part of the property is the stunning bluff ridge that overlooks the Missouri River bottom, where one can see four states at once-Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas.
Before donating the easement, the Wanamakers had been actively managing their property’s natural resources by removing invasive cedar and autumn olive trees, conducting prescribed fires and removing interior fences. Because he’s worked so hard to preserve the land, Wanamaker said he feels tied to the land. “I have a such a strong feeling about it,” Wanamaker said. “I’ve walked, hunted, and hiked the land over the last since I was 9 years old.”
INHF has helped protect more than 95,000 acres of Iowa’s natural resources throughout the state.
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