(Arnolds Park)– Fundraising continues by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation for the proposed purchase of 73 acres of land in an evironmentally sensitive area in Arnolds Park. The INHF has until October 31st of this year to raise $1.9 million.
If the effort is successful, the foundation will place a conservation easement on the land, which is located north across the street from the Henderson Woods Area and Lake Minnewashta. The easement would be in effect in perpetuity. The city of Arnolds Park would own the land, with the Dickinson County Conservation Board assisting in the restoration and management of the land as needed. The city is also planning some amenities such as mowed walking trails, a parking area a shade shelter area and possibly a bike trail along the property line on 240th Avenue to get riders off the road. But more importantly, Mayor Jim Hussong says preventing develop from occurring on the site would be a great way to protect water quality in Lower Gar and Lake Minnewashta. About 240 acres of land drain through the site on the way to the lake…
“It’s a large area of land that is kind of a wetland-type drainage area that comes through there and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is basically looking at trying to keep the lakes clean, keep them blue, of course, what we’re always trying to do. They want to purchase the land and turn it over to the state and the state would run it. Then no bigger developments or anything would be able to go in there for the watershed size of it. It will be kept natural.”
Hussong urges those interested in donating to protect the land to do so soon…
“If you’re behind this and you want to see the natural land stay there and keep going as is, there’s a deadline of October 31st to raise the amount of funds for the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation to actually purchase it. So if there’s any questions you can look it up through Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and they would sure give you directions on how to donate or raise the funds.”
The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation says in the event they are not able to raise the funds by the deadline, the seller will likely put the land back up for sale.
