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conservancy Dedicates Gregg and lola prairie in the loess hills

DES MOINES, Iowa --The Nature Conservancy dedicated 160 acres on the northwest side of Broken Kettle in the Loess Hills, which contains a remnant prairie as the “Gregg and Lola’s Prairie” in honor of Dr. Gregg Oden and Dr. Lola Lopes, married couple and professors at the University of Iowa. Oden and Lopes donated $450,000 to purchase and manage the tract of land.

The Loess Hills are located in the western region of Iowa running north-south along the Missouri River and consist of steep, rugged terrain that is predominantly grasslands. "Loess" refers to tiny windblown silt particles making the land rich for farming, but also can cause significant erosion problems in the rugged landscape.

Broken Kettle Grassland Preserve forms the core of the Conservancy’s protection efforts and contains the largest remaining prairie in Iowa. The conservation area is in the northern portion of the Loess Hills just north of Sioux City in Plymouth County, and it is a stellar example of this rare and intriguing landform.

“This property will help conserve habitat for the prairie rattlesnake and allow for improved pasture management with bison,” said Susanne Hickey, Loess Hills project director at The Nature Conservancy.

“We are long-time supporters of the Conservancy and always had an appreciation for its strategy to move quickly to save what could be saved. It worked out that this land needed to be acquired in a timely manner and we wanted to make a lasting gift,” said Lopes, explaining the couple’s commitment to the land. “Our gift is proof that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.”

“I grew up six miles across the river valley in South Dakota with the Loess Hills providing the horizon to the east, so I had a personal connection to this unique area,” added Oden.

Bison will be reintroduced to the Broken Kettle in 2008. Efforts are underway to build fencing and a corral. The corral will likely be located on Gregg and Lola’s Prairie because of the grade and layout of the land.

In Iowa, fire and grazing are important processes for the landscape and lie at the core of the Conservancy’s management efforts at Broken Kettle Grassland Preserve. Bison will address the grazing aspect of management and are scheduled to be reintroduced in 2008.

The Conservancy also uses prescribed fire to clear small trees, underbrush and scrub to conserve the native grassland habitats. In addition, prescribed fires minimize the potential negative impacts that fire or wildfires could have on some of Broken Kettle’s rare species, such as the prairie rattlesnake and the regal fritillary butterfly.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.

The Nature Conservancy in Iowa has more than 7,500 members and manages 33 preserves totaling over 6,000 acres. Since the Chapter began in 1963, with the aid of volunteers it has been involved in the protection of nearly 20,000 acres in the state, including native prairies, wetlands and woodland communities.