Listen closely, and you might hear the bulrushes whispering the good news.

Thanks to more than 1,050 donors, the Anglers Bay project at Big Spirit Lake is now funded. The bulrushes and aquatic ecosystem along two-thirds of a mile of natural shoreline are now protected, and work can begin to transform the adjacent land with wetland, prairie and trail establishment.

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF), the nonprofit conservation group spearheading the project, announced today (Sept. 21) that the project’s funding goals of $1.67 million in private donations and $5 million in public funds have been achieved through gifts and pledges.  

Gifts to Anglers Bay are still being received and will be used to establish the trail segment that will cross the site and to provide amenities such as benches and interpretive signage at the site.

Restoration of two wetlands and a prairie planting will begin this fall, weather permitting. Restoration will be a joint project of INHF and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Dickinson County Trails Board will be involved in establishing the trail through the new wildlife area.

No public use is allowed yet on the property. INHF has completed the purchase of the land from Don and Nancy Yarnes, but only a small portion nearest to Hales Slough has transferred to the DNR. After the current crop is harvested, that portion will be posted for public use. The remainder of the land will transfer to DNR by late 2008, making the entire project site available for public enjoyment at that time.

“The public support for this project has been tremendous,” according to Mark Ackelson, INHF President. “We set out to achieve four goals at Anglers Bay: preserving one of the last undeveloped stretches of the Big Spirit Lake shoreline and its accompanying bulrush habitat, expanding and buffering adjacent public land at Hales Slough, restoring wetlands and prairie elsewhere on the site, and providing a corridor to extend the Great Lakes Trail System. The funds are raised and the first two land protection goals are met. Now the fun begins as we all watch these 93 acres return to wildlife and natural beauty and see the trail take shape. I can’t wait to see people enjoying the serenity of this place once it’s restored.”

Rich Leopold, Director of the Department of Natural Resources, worked for several years in Dickinson County and is excited about the opportunity to preserve a piece of this high-quality aquatic ecosystem and fish habitat in his old stomping grounds. “Unique natural areas—Iowa’s gems--are disappearing every year from Iowa’s landscape,” he said.  “The Anglers Bay project is an example of what can happen when citizens pull together to preserve these rare and beautiful areas of statewide importance.   The DNR is looking forward to restoring and managing this outstanding area with our partners, and we want to thank all who worked hard over the last several years to realize this dream.”

Ackelson said, “We all owe a debt of gratitude to the Yarnes family for making this possible, and to the many volunteers who have helped others understand how important it is to save this place. The legislators who devoted state appropriations to Anglers Bay were crucial to success, and the DNR has made Anglers Bay an exceptionally high priority for its available funds. And of course we’re grateful to more than a thousand donors who gave from the heart to keep this great shoreline natural. It’s especially impressive that 157 of those donors gave at the major level of $1,000 or more.”

Ackelson commented on the unusual history and future of this land: “Don Yarnes’ grandfather, Consider ‘Sid’ Yarnes, bought this land from the federal government in 1872, with a deed signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. Their family preserved this shoreline, and now preservation is ensured into the future. This rich natural shoreline, and the land after restoration, will always mirror what the Lakes region was like back at that distant time. This place is where natural history of the Lakes can come alive for future generations as they enjoy the wildlife and quiet beauty here.”

Gifts designated to the Anglers Bay project can still be made online or mailed to Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation at 505 Fifth Avenue, Suite 444, Des Moines, IA  50309.           

For more information, e-mail Anita O'Gara, INHF's Vice President and Director of Development, or call (515) 288-1846.