Conservation Conversations
Posted on May 8, 2017 in Blog Posts
Since 1979, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has partnered with landowners to permanently protect over 150,000 acres across the state. Each landowner we work with is different, but all have one thing in common: a desire to protect the land they love.
Connection to place is a powerful thing. When you get like-minded landowners from the same area of the state together to share information, ideas and resources, that love of the land expands. Conversations about conservation on individual properties become conversations about conservation in the community. These conversations connect neighbors and help create momentum for creating corridors of natural habitat across Iowa, benefitting the area's land, wildlife and people.
Such was the case at the Linn Landowner Forum, an event that brought together over 200 landowners with three of more acres in Linn County to learn about opportunities to add or expand habitat on their property.
The event was co-hosted by INHF, Linn County Conservation, the Monarch Research Project, Trees Forever and Hertz Farm Management, and placed special emphasis on creating and restoring habitat to benefit pollinators. The event included presentations from several event partners as well as local landowners with properties ranging in size from three to 300 acres, who spoke about their experience adding or expanding nature on their land. INHF President Joe McGovern spoke about permanent protection options. INHF Vice President Anita O'Gara moderated the discussion.
“Often people have thought about permanently protecting their land, but don’t know where to start,” said O'Gara. “Forums like this allow people to ask questions, gather resources, and most importantly, hear from and connect with others in their community who have been through the process.”
INHF is currently exploring other opportunities to bring together conservation-minded landowners across Iowa. Interested in learning about or helping coordinate opportunities in your area? Contact Anita at aogara@inhf.org or 515-288-1846 ext. 18.