Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation: Bigger and...different

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

by Linda Yang

Garry Brandenburg

INHF is helping Marshall County acquire a 330-acre site along the Iowa River, "one of the most pristine forested areas in the county." The partneers must raise $800,000 for the project, and the first donor to contribute $100,000 will have the right to name the site.

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation doesn’t want to be known for back-pedaling, but in this case, we’re glad to qualify a past statement. Last year, our 212-acre addition to Marietta Sand Prairie was touted as Marshall County’s largest public area.

Until now. With the Marietta project barely completed, INHF and the Marshall County Conservation Board are teaming up again to protect an even bigger site. While the Marietta project protected sand prairie remnants, this new site contains 330 acres dominated by woodlands.

“This is one of the most pristine forested areas in the county. It has few invasive species and is known to have Turk’s cap lily and green dragon plants,” said Mike Stegmann, director of the Marshall County Conservation Board. “If Marshall County has a wilderness area, this is it.”

The site’s woodlands and open space support deer, wild turkeys, pileated woodpeckers and many other species. It also provides a great blue heron rookery, a wintering area for bald eagles and a nesting site for red-shouldered hawks, a state-endangered species.

In addition to over a mile of shoreline along the Iowa River, the site also boasts several natural springs that flow year-round. Moreover, it adds another gem to a string of public natural areas located along the Iowa River Corridor in Marshall, Hardin, Tama and Iowa counties.

INHF is in the process of purchasing the site and is helping Marshall County raise funds to repurchase it for public use. The site is temporarily called the Iowa River Wildlife Management Area, but the first donor to contribute $100,000 to the $800,000 project can choose a new name. Also, an anonymous challenge grant will match gifts of $10,000 or more.

MCCB’s site management plans include a balance between public use and natural resource protection. They’ll create public access on its eastern edge, but the woodlands along the river will remain wild.

Public and private donations are key to preserving this wilderness area. Contributions for Marshall County’s newest, largest conservation area may be sent to INHF through our secure online form, by phone (with credit card) or by mail.

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

Linda Yang is a Drake University student and Robert R. Buckmaster intern at INHF.