Bison roam on protected land

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This article was written and posted on INHF's website in February 2000. 

A unique landowner and a conservation easement have guaranteed that buffalo will always have a home to roam in Jackson County.

Dan Palmer has been raising up to 230 head of bison for the past five years on his Jackson County ranch. This week Palmer and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) finalized two conservation easements: one on Palmer's 582-acre bison ranch near Maquoketa and another on a 184-acre property near Bellevue.

"We're involved in conservation easements all over Iowa, but Dan is paving new ground in at least a couple ways," said Mark Ackelson, INHF President. "As far as we can tell, Dan has just created both the largest privately-protected conservation easement in eastern Iowa (in terms of acres) and the first to emphasize bison." INHF is a member-supported, non-profit organization that protects Iowa's land, water and wildlife.

Palmer says he chose to protect his land for both the tax incentives and the conservation values. "I have five boys," said Palmer. "And I wanted to make sure that those farms are there, in some kind of trust, to pass on to my kids' kids' kids."

A conservation easement is a voluntary method that allows private landowners to protect natural features on their land while maintaining private ownership. In this case, Palmer donated selected land rights (such as the right to build housing developments) to INHF. The easement becomes a permanent restriction on the land's use, no matter who owns it in the future. INHF assumes responsibility to monitor the easement for compliance, Palmer receives tax benefits, and all Iowans enjoy the scenic and conservation benefits of permanent open space.

Each conservation easement is as unique as the land and its owner, and the Palmer easements are no exception.

Palmer's Dark Hollow Bison Ranch Deed of Conservation Easement protects his 582-acre ranch near Maquoketa. This working bison ranch contains about 1500 feet of Maquoketa river frontage and associated blufflands. Palmer chose to donate his rights to parcelization and development (except for three small areas for Dan or a future owner to add farmstead buildings), mining, grazing (now limited primarily to bison), and tilling on several tillable but steep slopes.

Dark Hollow Bison Ranch is primarily a cow/calf operation with butcher bulls. With partner Gary Lenz of St. Donatus, Palmer also helps operate the Iowa Bison Company, which markets the meat to individuals, restaurants and large retail businesses.

Palmer also hopes to use his property for education. "To enhance the conservation aspect, we're going to try and promote tours on the ranch. People will be able to have a hayrack ride along the rock cliffs, across the creek and through the bison herds-keeping it just as natural as can be. We're looking to do that this summer."

"With this single easement, we are protecting both a working ranch and conservation values," said Darrel Mills, INHF Land Conservation Specialist. "Dan's thinking on this topic was well-advanced when we first met, and I provided only a few additional conservation-intent ideas. He sorted them out and chose the ones that were consistent with his values and goals. There was a lot of overlap between his goals and ours."

Palmer agrees. "I talked with Darrel Mills and I thought INHF was the perfect program for me. I talked with other groups, but they didn't seem to fit. This one fit like a glove."

Palmer's other easement, The Mill Creek Deed of Conservation Easement, protects his 184-acre property near Bellevue. It contains a high-quality woodland and is adjacent to a 737-acre DNR wildlife management unit. Palmer donated rights of subdivision and housing development, mining and grazing. He retained rights for a one-acre building envelope and logging under an approved stewardship plan that Palmer already had in mind. The balance of the property is in CRP and includes a stand of young trees.

"Dan's foresight and action here is a good example of what many landowners could realize twofold: knowing his personal conservation practices and values will extend beyond his lifetime while enjoying significant tax benefits today," added Mills.

INHF has worked with two previous private conservation easements in Jackson County and many other private and public projects throughout the state. Some nearby projects that INHF has assisted include Mines of Spain and the Heritage Trail in Dubuque County, Manikowski Prairie Preserve in Clinton County, the Wapsi River Environmental Education Center in Clinton and Scott counties and Nahant Marsh in Davenport.

For more information about this project or for a copy of The Landowner's Options, INHF's free book about conservation easements and 17 other voluntary land protection options, contact INHF at 515-288-1846 or on the web at www.inhf.org. For information on bison and bison meat, contact Dan Palmer at danpalmer@darkhollowbison.com.


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

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