Tending Tomorrow

“A careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” 

This is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s definition for “stewardship.” Its meaning is well understood by those at Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation who tend to lands and waters across the state. Not because they consult the dictionary before beginning the day’s work, but because it is a deeply felt sense; the gravity of knowing today’s choices impact the health of tomorrow’s landscape. It means looking at the whole picture — considering the interconnectedness of ecosystem components and one’s own place in it. It is not oversight, but accountability. It is a relationship. 

These lands and waters have come under INHF’s care through a number of pathways, but all share a common thread: they are for nature’s sake, and while these places are occasionally opened to the public for an event, the rest of the year, they exist for the wildlife and plants and the health of our soil, water and air. Though INHF’s land stewardship program has evolved over the last decades, that philosophy has been a constant, even back to the program’s humble beginnings when Kyle Swanson was first tasked with the job in the early ‘90s. Joe McGovern, now INHF’s president, got his start with the organization a few years later, taking Kyle’s place in 1999.  

“When I started as land stewardship director, there was virtually no equipment,” says Joe, laughing. He remembers helping a landowner burn his prairie, and when they asked how they could compensate INHF, Joe declined payment. But, maybe they could help INHF purchase a walk-behind brush mower, instead?  

It wouldn’t be until the following year that Joe would have his first summer interns, made possible through a partnership with Carl and Linda Kurtz: two interns, one day a week. Certainly a boost, but getting most any land stewardship task accomplished often hinged on who Joe could “steal” away from their desk work. 

“Everybody helped everybody,” remembers Heather Jobst, INHF’s senior land protection facilitator and someone Joe often came to for assistance during prescribed fire season. “We all saw the value of the work that was being done and understood we needed to pitch in — even if it wasn’t in our job description or it meant that we’d have to put in time during the evenings or weekends. It was important that our land stewardship work was reflective of the integrity, commitment and quality we brought to other aspects of our mission.”  

As community awareness about INHF’s mission developed, so did incoming requests from Iowa landowners. While the organization actively worked with public partners to protect new parks, trails and wildlife areas across the state, other places were being quietly safeguarded by Iowans via wills, bequests, donations, fair market sales or bargain sales. They felt their woodland, wetland or family farm was not compatible with public use, so they had turned to a land trust, asking that INHF assume long-term ownership — for the land’s sake — in perpetuity. 

Those inquiries didn’t slow, and Iowans answered INHF’s need for increased capacity and efficiency to provide the deserved quality of care. From lending equipment to volunteering time to offering financial support, donors and friends were — and still are — willing to step up for INHF and the land.

“There are so many people to credit and acknowledge,” Joe says. “So many, we couldn’t possibly begin to name them all, but without whom, I can’t imagine where we’d be. We owe so much for their support and encouragement.”

With their gifts, the program expanded into focused regions. More full-time staff are dedicated solely to stewarding land. Partnerships with other conservation organizations have been forged to further share resources. Farm tenants help, too. Hired crews from Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa further supplement staff when needed. Foundations, grants and individual donations help cover wages for more interns, some of whom have gone on to become full time staff.  

The program continues to grow, and so does the impact on the land. For those who have been at this awhile, like Brian Fankhauser who became land stewardship specialist in 2005 and is now Senior Land Stewardship and Blufflands Director, that impact is playing out in a very gratifying way. 

“I’ve seen cedar-covered hillsides become a striking prairie,” he smiles. “The habitat is maturing. There are Henslow’s Sparrows and ball-nosed planthoppers where there weren’t before. The results of our work are very tangible and very rewarding.”

“It has never been about conducting the biggest burn or running the biggest equipment,” Joe explains. “That isn’t how you measure success. But, when the Sandhill Cranes show up, the orchids reappear and the soils are healthier… that’s why we do this. That’s what land stewardship is about.”

With partners, INHF continues to create more parks, trails and wildlife areas. Our conservation easement program has grown as well, offering additional land protection tools. And people keep coming to INHF, asking if we can pick up their conservation legacy where they’ve left off by assuming ownership, and more importantly, stewardship. It’s an emotionally charged request that never loses its magic or power. 

“It’s exciting and humbling that they trust us to continue their great land stewardship legacy,” Brian says. 

All land comes with a cost of management. Because of the generosity of Iowans who share that deeply felt sense of a careful and responsible approach, INHF has risen and will continue to rise to the occasion, enabled by a community of support. 

“Our land stewardship program has grown exponentially; we’ve been able to hire hardworking staff with special skills and passions — thanks to them and the countless individuals who have supported the program, we’ve been able to take on even more,” reflects Brian. 

Our current strategic plan calls for the further expansion and deepening of regional land stewardship presence, capacity and efficiency. Early this year, we added a focused land stewardship position in Iowa’s Great Lakes region, further enhancing our capacity to tend to areas protected by previous INHF staff. 

“INHF is in a place where we have capacity to own and steward land in perpetuity,” reflects Lisa Hein, INHF’s senior director for conservation programs. “Plus, we have placed an emphasis on improving properties before they are transferred to a public agency.”

In one spot, on a perfect day, Joe and however many staff he could gather could pull off one prescribed burn. Now, 26 years later and with stewardship bases across the state, five burns could be taking place simultaneously.  

“We know that good land stewardship is important for land, water, soil, wildlife, insects, microbes…” says Brian. “Thank you to everyone — both early supporters and new — who fuel our capacity. INHF will continue to carefully and responsibly manage what you’ve entrusted to our care.”

INHF Stewardship Timeline

1994 – Kyle Swanson is hired as INHF’s first land stewardship director

1999 – Joe McGovern hired as land stewardship director

2000 – First stewardship interns — two people, one day a week

2002 – First fulltime land stewardship assistant, Chris Clingan, is hired

2005 – Brian Fankhauser hired as land stewardship specialist

2006 – Enough interns for a full, statewide crew

2008 – Tylar Samuels hired on stewardship team

2009 – Began hiring Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa 

2010 – Erin Van Waus hired on stewardship team

2011 – Brian moves to Decorah, establishes new stewardship region focused on the blufflands 

2013 – Ryan Schmidt hired as land stewardship assistant

2015 – INHF expands conservation easement program led by Erin Van Waus and Tylar Samuels

2015 – INHF begins supplementing with temporary positions as needed 

2016 – Jered Bourquin hired as blufflands associate, Ryan Schmidt becomes central Iowa land stewardship director

2018 – Derek Miner hired as central Iowa land stewardship associate

2021 – Loess Hills and Eastern Iowa stewardship regions created; staffed by Kody Wohlers and Bill Kohler, respectively

2022 – Patrick McNaughton hired as blufflands land stewardship assistant

2023 – Destiny Magee hired as eastern Iowa land stewardship assistant

2026 – Lakes Area stewardship region created, led by Tanner Bouchard