INHF Board Spotlight: Paul Morf

Posted on February 15, 2024 in Blog

INHF Board Spotlight

This blog series highlights and acknowledges our dedicated board members. Lending their time and talents on a volunteer basis for the protection of Iowa’s land, water and wildlife, INHF’s 33-person board is an incredible show of dedication and expertise. INHF board members come from every region of the state, connecting our work with communities, landowners and organizations that help to make more conservation happen. See a full list of board members here and learn more about Paul Morf below!

Paul Morf

Born and raised in Mount Vernon, Iowa, Paul Morf now works in Cedar Rapids as an attorney. While managing clients’ trusts, estates and private wealth is his career, he considers his rewilded farm in rural Linn County to be his life’s work. His prairie reconstructions, tree plantings and the addition of several wetlands and a large pond have created valuable habitat and enhanced biodiversity; a running list of bird species found on his farm — 183 so far — hangs in his kitchen.

Paul loves to travel the state with his fiancé, hiking and exploring as many of Iowa’s wild places as possible. He especially enjoys interactions with wildlife. “There is something special about encountering another intelligent creature while hiking alone in wilderness,” Paul explains. “Such moments strip away all the trappings of civilization and return me to my essential self.”

His love for wild places led him to join INHF’s board in 2018, where he’s enjoyed connecting with other Iowans who share a passion for nature, sustainability and biodiversity. “We have this one planet, and we as a species have to figure out how to live here sustainably…” Paul said. “There is not organization that is better suited to my priorities and interests.”

Citing Heritage Valley as his favorite INHF project, Paul believes “people wouldn’t believe that was Iowa if you dropped them there. I love the scope of it and the views are breathtaking. It is emblematic of what INHF can do at its best.”