Loess Hills land
saved from development

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This article was written and posted on INHF's website in January 2001.

A local landowner has permanently protected from development about 750 acres of diverse and scenic Loess Hills land with a conservation easement. Bob Romeo, president of Rocking R Farms, Inc., of Crescent, Iowa, donated the easement through his farming business. The conservation easement was appraised at more than $4 million, making it one of the largest and most valuable conservation easements in Iowa's history.

The land lies just north of the scenic overlook on Interstate 680 and is clearly visible from that overlook, from Missouri Valley and along Interstate 29 south of Missouri Valley. About 500 acres lie in Harrison County and about 250 in Pottawattamie County. The property contains crops and grazing land plus high-quality oak forests and prairie remnants.

A conservation easement's value is computed by appraising the rights that an owner permanently surrenders versus those maintained. In this case, Rocking R Farms, Inc., maintained rights to continue farming the 400 acres currently in production, graze horses, retain 13 building lots on specific sites and continue private access and use. They gave up their right and the rights of future owners of this land to develop all the potential 159 building sites, graze or till about 100 acres of remnant prairie and high-quality forest, build hog confinements and other commercial livestock facilities, mine or sell soil for fill dirt, and engage in other activities that would damage the natural and cultural resources of the property.

Rocking R Farms, Inc., donated the easement to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF), a statewide conservation organization and leader in conservation easements. INHF provided technical assistance on drafting the easement and compiling the baseline data.

INHF will transfer the easement to the Harrison County Conservation Board (HCCB). The conservation board met January 2 and unanimously approved the transfer. HCCB has been working with Romeo on land management ideas for 15 years. HCCB will hold and monitor the easement for perpetuity to ensure that the easement terms continue to be met.

"This project really demonstrates the flexibility of conservation easements," noted Mark Ackelson, INHF president. "Many people mistakenly assume that donating an easement means opening your land for public use or giving up the right to farm. In truth, landowners choose which rights to give up and which to retain. For example, Rocking R Farms and future landowners on this site will never be able to build a large housing development or a hog lot, but they can continue farming the tillable ground and will be able to build on the 13 lots."

Tim Sproul, HCCB director, agrees. "This easement represents the cutting edge of resource protection, at least for Iowa," he noted. "And, in many ways, this project reflects our board's mission: 'to preserve and maintain wild lands, open spaces and other natural and scenic resources for the benefit of Harrison County.' We can't own all land publicly, and I don't believe we should. Easements are a way we can work with landowners to protect conservation interests on private land-and that's good for everyone. Though the land is still privately owned, all citizens benefit from protected open space for scenery, wildlife and native plants."

"It's good for the owner, too," Sproul continued. "Bob Romeo has a conservation heart, but he's also a businessman. This easement accomplishes conservation values, but it also makes business sense for him." By donating several land rights, especially the right to establish a large housing development, Rocking R Farms may be eligible for significant tax benefits.

The project required many seen and unseen partners. Sproul first started talking with Romeo about the property about 15 years ago. Romeo invited Sproul to accompany him around the land, and Sproul helped him see degraded prairie remnant along one ridge. Since then, HCCB and Romeo have worked together to restore about 50 acres of what is now high-quality prairie remnant, and Romeo says he'll continue those management efforts to maintain and expand the remnant.

"If it wouldn't have been for Tim having the vision, the average guy would never have looked at that ridge top and seen the potential prairie," said Romeo. "The people of Harrison County should really be appreciative of having someone like Tim Sproul working in the county."

Romeo is also grateful to former neighboring landowners, Ed and Jane Hiles of Missouri Valley and Jean Shannon of Omaha. He says they recognized his conservation intent and sold him some parcels now protected by the easement. "Those folks made it possible to put that block together for protection," Romeo added.

"The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation's assistance is invaluable with conservation easements," added Tim Sproul, HCCB's director. "Though Harrison County can and will process easements on our own, we started by working with INHF to make sure we did it right." INHF has assisted more than 50 other Iowa landowners with conservation easements.

The Loess Hills Alliance will provide funding from its Landowner Contacts program to cover some project costs. "The Alliance's goal is to build capacity for groups to help protect the Loess Hills, and this is a classic example of how that can work," said Ackelson.

Ackelson and Sproul both noted how much time and effort Bob Romeo and his advisors put into the project. "None of this happens without a landowner volunteering to make it happen," said Ackelson.

For more information on conservation easements, contact the Harrison County Conservation Board at 712-647-2785 or the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation at 800-475-1846. Or hit the "for landowners" button on the side or bottom of this page.

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

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