INHF Welcomes 2022 Living Lands Fellow

By Erica Place on August 26, 2022 in Blog

We’re pleased to welcome Allison Boehm as the 2022 Living Lands Fellow. 

Boehm’s upbringing on her family farm near Wadena, Iowa fostered a connection to the land and a sense of responsibility to leave it better than she found it. “Since I was very young, my family and I have done tree plantings, prairie seedings, burnings, and numerous projects I thought were for fun,” Boehm recounts. “As I grew up, I got to see the benefits of those activities and developed a deep appreciation for land stewardship and for my own family farm.”

A recent graduate of Iowa State University, Boehm is already well on her way to a career focused on protecting natural resources and promoting sustainability. She brings experience from Clayton County Conservation, Iowa Learning Farms and Boone County Soil and Water Conservation District and is looking forward to working in Iowa’s Driftless region through November.

The Living Lands Fellowship was established at INHF by Maynard residents Kathy Steege and her late husband, Jon, to create an opportunity for recent college graduates to engage in stewardship work while searching for a permanent position in the conservation or natural resource management field. Boehm will work 20 hours per week with INHF and 20 with Fayette County Conservation (FCC) to build a range of experiences to support her in her career.

Hoping to make the furrowed landscape of Winneshiek and Allamakee Counties her career’s locale, this fellowship will provide valuable field experience for this aspiring conservationist.

“I feel a strong obligation to do everything I can to protect and improve our land and resources, and am grateful I can make a career out of doing what I love.”

This fellowship was made possible through a joint partnership between INHF, the FCC Board, Fayette County Pheasants Forever, the Steeges and other anonymous private donors.