(Okoboji)– The clock is ticking on efforts by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation to raise the $1.9 million that’s needed to purchase 73 acres of land on the east side of Arnolds Park. The deadline is the end of this month. As of today (Thurs.), Heather Jobst, Senior Land Protection Facilitator for the INHF, says they still have a way to go…
“We’re about $250,000 from our goal which we need by the end of October in order to exercise the option to purchase that property and move forward.”
Jobst says they’re looking into some possible options should they not be able to come up with the full amount by the deadline…
“So we do have a couple more weeks and we do have some pending requests and are still working with and talking with people to try to raise the rest of that money. Depending on where we’re at with that goal by the time we come to exercise the option, we will really seriously look at how much we still need. Might be asking people to maybe make some additional donations or work with the landowner and really see what we can do to finish closing that gap and making this happen.”
She adds that preserving and restoring that area just north and northwest of Pelican Ridge is important to protect water quality in the lower chain of the Iowa Great Lakes…
“This parcel captures a large watershed that drains into Minnewashta, so it’s an important water quality protection project here. It will also add additional recreational opportunities with some soft trails through the property and will also be able to bring a paved trail in on the east side to get bicyclists off a highway there.”
As we’ve reported previously, the city of Arnolds Park would eventually take ownership of the land which would then be preserved in perpetuity.
