Prairie protected through sweat, easement

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

by Leah Scheppers

For the past decade Cindy Hildebrand and Roger Maddux have worked side by side to create what Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation’s Joe McGovern calls “one of the most admirable prairie reconstructions around Iowa.” Now they are preserving the prairie for future generations through a voluntary protection agreement, also known as a conservation easement.

Cathy Engstrom/INHF

Cindy Hildebrand and Roger Maddux review photos and documents that the INHF will use to monitor their conservation easement. The couple has restored and protected native prairie on land they own.

Since acquiring the site—now known as Grant Ridge—over a decade ago, the couple has restored its prairie remnant and replanted a crop field to prairie, using seeds collected from this and nearby remnants. They plan to convert the hayfield to prairie sometime in the future. 

“Grant Ridge is particularly special because of its natural prairie remnant,” says Joe McGovern, INHF’s land stewardship program director. “Cindy and Roger should be commended for their restoration and reconstruction work. They’ve created a window into our state’s past.” 

The conservation easement protects that “window” for future generations, regardless of changes in ownership. Hildebrand and Maddux chose particularly restrictive easement terms: Absolutely no development will be allowed on the 72-acre easement site—no agricultural practices or buildings of any kind. 

Though not open to the public, Grant Ridge offers numerous public benefits—such as providing habitat for diverse species. In addition, the couple routinely offers field trips, and university scientists have carried out several research projects on the property. With help from the Story County Conservation Board, the couple annually donates high-quality prairie seed from their land to other public and private sites. 

“We believe the best use for Grant Ridge is to remain a natural area,” says Cindy. “Even the most protective land ownership is only temporary, which is why we felt that an easement was the best choice.” 

Protecting this natural habitat was important to the couple, who McGovern describes as leaders in prairie reconstruction and highly respected among their peers. Hildebrand is a board member of the Iowa Prairie Network and serves on several conservation committees. In 1998 she received INHF’s Hagie Heritage Award for her conservation efforts. 

“It’s good to know Grant Ridge is helping to expand prairie habitat and also educating Iowans,” says Roger, a mathematics professor at Iowa State University. “We hope it will do so for many years.”

Leah Scheppers is a Drake University student and a Robert R. Buckmaster intern at INHF.

For more information about this story, see the related news release.

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