(Spirit Lake)– It’s being described as a win-win for both environmentalists and land owners who wanted to put in a development on the northeast side of Big Spirit Lake.
The proposal by Don and Nancy Yarnes to develop 3,500 feet of shoreline drew opposition from environmentalists concerned it would endanger rare aquatic plants known as bulrushes. The Dickinson county board of supervisors had scheduled a public hearing on a recommendation from the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission to rezone the area at their meeting October 18th. But it appears that’s a mute issue now. Cathy Engstrom of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation says the Yarnes have agreed to sell the land on contract to the non-profit conservation group. As a result, Engstrom says the area will not be developed as originally proposed. Engstrom says Mark Ackelson, President of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, had been talking with the Yarnes about a possible deal over the past several months.
Engstrom says the bulrushes played a major factor in the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation’s involvement.
Engstrom says other than the fact there will be no homes built along the shoreline, just how the rest of the land will remain in the future depends on the foundation’s ability to raise six and-a-half million dollars needed to purchase and restore the entire tract. Engstrom says there’s a possibility the land away from the shoreline could still be developed using low impact techniques should they be unsuccessful in raising the entire six and-a-half million. Engstrom says they need to raise the money over the next two to three years.
In a statement, landowner Don Yarnes said the land has been in his family since 1872 and they value its resources. He says he and his wife Nancy liked what they heard when the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation approached them with their proposal.
