Big spirit, big project

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

by Cathy Engstrom

Long-time Iowa Great Lakes enthusiasts say our latest project offers “a glimpse of how these lakes used to look and feel”—water lapping against bulrushes as far as the eye can see, fish lurking below, birds wheeling overhead, grandparents teaching kids to fish on a lazy afternoon.

That’s why the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has launched our most expensive fundraising campaign to date—to protect 93 acres along Big Spirit Lake at Anglers Bay. The site’s 3,500-foot shoreline borders the largest, best-quality stand of bulrushes remaining on the Iowa Great Lakes—as much as 75 percent of rushes left in the entire lakes system!

Steve Anderson

Landowners Don and Nancy Yarnes (below), INHF and the Iowa DNR have created an opportunity to protect 3,500 feet of undeveloped shoreline along Big Spirit Lake. At $6.67 million, it’s INHF’s most expensive fundraising campaign to date—but with huge environmental benefits.

Misunderstood for decades—and, thus, systematically or accidentally eradicated by boaters, homeowners and developers elsewhere on the lakes—bulrush beds serve as natures’ nursery for numerous species (see “Bulrush bed-fellows” ). No wonder many rank this property and the adjoining public area among the best birdwatching, fishing and hunting sites in the region.

Creating an opportunity

Cathy Engstrom/INHF

Owners Don and Nancy Yarnes had planned to develop shoreline housing here, but others argued such development would destroy the bulrushes. After months of discussion with Mark Ackelson, INHF’s president, the Yarnes agreed to sell the land on contract to INHF for eventual public ownership by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR).

Don Yarnes’ grandfather, Consider “Sid” Yarnes, bought this land from the federal government in 1872—and Don still has the deed signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. The bulrush bed is here today because the Yarnes family left it undeveloped for over 150 years.

Now it will stay undeveloped if, by July 2007, we can raise $6.67 million in public and private funds for the acquisition and initial development costs. This is nearly twice the cost of any previous INHF project.

According to Mark Ackelson, our board approved the financially daunting project to achieve five goals:

• preserve the natural lakeshore, its associated bulrush bed and the critical environmental benefits they provide,
• restore wetlands and establish a diverse prairie on former cropground,
• protect ecological and recreational values of Hale’s Slough,
• provide trail access through the property for the Dickinson County Trail system, and
• secure public ownership and low-impact public use for an Iowa treasure.

Partners hope to raise funds through a special legislative appropriation, the Iowa DNR budget and about $1.6 million in private contributions. By selling the property below its appraised value, the Yarnes provided the project’s first major gift: $300,000.

“This is not the end, but rather the beginning, of a challenging project,” notes Ackelson. “We look forward to working with folks who love the Iowa Great Lakes to make this site the kind of place they will especially cherish."

How to help:

INHF needs about $1.6 million in private contributions to support this project. Immediate gifts will help demonstrate wide support as we seek public funding during this legislative session. Make your donation, payable to INHF but designated for “Anglers Bay,” by mail, phone or our secure website. Volunteer opportunities are also available.

Cathy Engstrom is INHF’s Communications Director.

For more information about this project check out a sidebar and the Anglers Bay home page.

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