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Okoboji Foundation Grant Marks Anglers Bay Milestone This article was written and posted on INHF's website June 2007. Efforts to preserve 3,500 feet of undeveloped shoreline on Big Spirit Lake have gained statewide attention as well as strong local support. A $20,000 grant from the Okoboji Foundation marks an exciting milestone in the Anglers Bay project. With a total of $1.5 million raised from private donors so far, 90 percent of the private funding goal has now been reached. Another $167,000 must be raised before summer’s end. The goal of providing $5 million in public funds for the project was also met with the recent signing of an appropriations bill. The Iowa Legislature and Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have identified $5 million over three fiscal years for the $6.67 million project. The Okoboji Foundation has been a leading donor to the project. Along with their grant from 2006, their contributions to Anglers Bay now total more than $75,000. More than 700 donors have contributed or pledged support to the project, including 128 families, organizations and businesses that provided major gifts of $1,000 or more. “We’re grateful to the Okoboji Foundation, state officials and all others who recognize Anglers Bay as a priority for protection,” said Mark Ackelson, INHF president. “Now, it’s up to Iowans who love the lakes to come forward this summer and bring this project to completion.” The lakeshore property includes some of the healthiest, most diverse, aquatic shoreline at the Iowa Great Lakes. The 93-acre project site includes two-thirds of a mile of shoreline along Big Spirit Lake’s Anglers Bay and encompasses the largest quality stand of bulrushes in the area.  The thick vegetation provides habitat and nursery for sport fish like muskie and northern pike, two of the species that drive the lake’s $2.3 million fishing economy each year. Anglers Bay is the most expensive project INHF has pursued to date. It began in October 2006 when landowners, Don and Nancy Yarnes, agreed to sell their property to the group. The costs associated with purchasing the land, restoring wetlands and prairie and project site management, total $6.67 million. Once INHF reaches its private fundraising goal, it can finalize the purchase of the land and begin its initial restoration. After that, ownership of the area will transfer to the Iowa DNR, which will eventually open the site for low-impact public use. Contributions designated to the Anglers Bay project can be made online or sent to Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation at 505 Fifth Avenue, Suite 444, Des Moines, IA  50309. For more on this project, see our Anglers Bay homepage. For more information, e-mail Cathy Engstrom, Director of Communications, or call (515) 288-1846. © Copyright 2008 Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation Comments? Suggestions? Email INHF Webmaster