INHF explands Iowa Great Lakes wetland complex

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This article first appeared in INHF's Winter 2006 magazine.

by Cathy Engstrom

If conservation were as simple as hugging a tree, you wouldn’t need the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. A super-sized wetlands project at the Iowa Great Lakes illustrates just why INHF is needed.

Back in July 2002, INHF responded to a request from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR) to purchase a 666-acre site located near East Lake Okoboji and just across the road from Elinor Bedell State Park. INHF fronted nearly $1.2 million to purchase the site and has since worked with multiple agencies and funding sources to place it in public ownership.

The final parcel, 240 acres, is being transferred to the Iowa DNR at press-time. INHF previously transferred 326 acres to the Iowa DNR in March 2003 and 100 acres to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (with management by the Iowa DNR) in February 2004. Together they are called the Larry Wilson Legacy Marsh, named after the Iowa DNR’s long-time director who retired in 2002.

“We knew this project would take a few years, but how often does the public have a shot at acquiring an entire section of land in this sort of high-development area?” notes Bruce Mountain, INHF’s land projects director. “By converting the site from over-grazed pasture and crop ground to wetlands and prairie, we can improve water quality in the lakes, provide wildlife habitat and expand public recreation opportunities.”

INHF and the Iowa DNR raised funds from numerous federal, state and private sources, including the North American Waterfowl Conservation Act, Wetland Reserve Program, State Wildlife Grant, Wildlife Habitat Stamp, Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever. INHF itself made a major contribution by selling the final parcel to the state at a bargain sale price: $160,000 below appraised value.

Meanwhile, the Iowa DNR has site restoration efforts well underway. According to Jeff Joens, executive officer with the Iowa DNR’s Wildlife Bureau, the agency has already restored more than half of the site’s 20+ wetland basins, improving its wildlife and public recreation values. They are seeding the site with native grasses and forbs, which should improve water quality in East Lake Okoboji.

Cathy Engstrom is INHF’s Communications Director.

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