(Spirit Lake)– It was announced today (Friday) the Angler’s Bay restoration project has officially reached its fundraising goal.
Anita O’Gara is with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation which spearheaded the effort. She tells KUOO news they’ve taken in 1.67 million dollars in private donations and five million in public funds. She says there were more than 1,050 donors.
O’Gara says the amount of money that was raised was unprecedented for the foundation.
Now that the needed money has been raised, O’Gara says work can get underway on restoring and preserving the bulrushes and aquatic ecosystem along two-thirds of a mile of natural shoreline, and to transform the adjacent land with wetland, prairie and a trail.
O’Gara says restoration of two wetlands and a prairie planting could get underway yet this fall, weather permitting. She says the work will be done jointly by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources with the trail work being done by the Dickinson County Trails Board.
No public use is being allowed yet on the 93 acres, now owned by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. O’Gara says only a small portion nearest to Hales Slough has been transferred to the DNR. After the current crop is harvested, O’Gara says that portion will be posted for public use. She says the remainder of the land will be transferred to the DNR by late 2008.
Although the fundraising goal has been reached, O’Gara says they continue to accept donations that will be used to help establish the trail and provide amenities such as benches and interpretive signage.
O’Gara went on to thank everyone who donated as well as former landowners Don and Nancy Yarnes for making the project possible from the start.
The land had been in the Yarne’s family since 1872 when Don’s father, ‘Sid’ Yarnes, bought it from the federal government with a deed signed by President Ulyses S. Grant.
