Doug and Lorna Caulkins wanted to give future Iowans the opportunity to see the prairie grasses and oak savanna that dominated the landscape in the 1840s.

In December of 1998, the Grinnell couple bought 239 acres of land in Mahaska County, near New Sharon. Since 2000, they have worked tirelessly to reconstruct some of the natural splendor by planting 85 acres of prairie. They know that they have even more work ahead, especially in managing the woods.

“Iowa is the most human-modified state in the nation, and it would be sad if residents had no idea of what the prairies and oak savannas looked like,” Doug Caulkins said. “We want to do our part to preserve some of the plant communities native to the state.”

The Caulkins recently ensured that their land would remain protected by donating a conservation easement to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, a non-profit conservation group.

Conservation easement donors voluntarily restrict certain land uses for themselves and for all future owners. Although the land is still privately owned, it remains protected in perpetuity. The value of the donated rights may become a tax-deductible contribution for the donor.

The Caulkins chose to prohibit development, construction, mining and other non-compatible uses and to allow ecological restoration, including controlled burns. As the easement holder, INHF will monitor the site to make certain easement conditions are still being met.

The purpose of this easement is to protect the oak savanna, native prairie remnants, reconstructed prairie, and wetlands along Buck Creek, which flows through the property. “It’s a unique little piece of native Iowa land to be preserved, undeveloped,” Lorna Caulkins said.

After more reconstruction work is done on the property, the Caulkins said they hope to have schoolchildren and other groups tour their land to learn about Iowa’s natural heritage. The Caulkins named their land “Y Gwyndwn,” a Welsh word that means “the unplowed land.” Welsh and Scottish immigrants originally settled the area.

“Of course, it has been plowed. The prairie was destroyed. We have replanted the prairie and made a promise that it once again will be an unplowed land,” Doug Caulkins said.

Restoration includes removing invasive trees and other non-native species. The Caulkins conduct controlled burns, which were once part of the natural cycle of life in Iowa.

“Oak savanna is in danger of being destroyed, simply by neglect,” Doug Caulkins said. “The oaks thrive in a fire environment, and when the fires stopped, the fast-growing elm, cherry, hackberry and others trees grow up and shade out the slow-growing oak seedlings.”

Lorna Caulkins said she and her husband were not prairie enthusiasts or expert conservationists when they first purchased the land. But over time, they fell in love with it. They also took a Master Conservationist class through ISU Extension that gave them the knowledge to restore the land.

“We are delighted that landscapers and gardeners are using native plants in their plans more often,” Lorna Caulkins said. “Everyone can put a bit of native Iowa in their property.”

Past INHF projects in Mahaska County include the Ever-Tru Wilderness Area, Rose Hill Marsh and the Quercus Wildlife Area Addition.

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