None The Nature Conservancy in Iowa Press Releases Search All Press Releases Elizabeth Niven Media Relations Office: (314) 968-1105 cell: (314) 440-4253 eniven@tnc.org

New State Director Hired In Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa — May 5, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy recently hired Sean McMahon as the state director in Iowa. In this position, McMahon will supervise Conservancy staff throughout Iowa and work closely with the board of trustees to build and facilitate philanthropic, conservation and restoration programs with a focus on freshwater and grasslands.

In addition, McMahon will continue the Conservancy’s role in cultivating strong and cooperative working partnerships with government agencies, corporations, the agriculture community, foundations and other conservation partners to accomplish the Conservancy’s national and global framework of conservation initiatives.

“Iowans are becoming more aware of the importance of conservation and their natural resources as evidenced by their support of our campaign and recent legislation,” said Rob McKim, regional director of the Conservancy, “Sean is an ideal leader for us. His experience both in government relations and in partnerships with other conservation-based non-government organizations will be a great asset to our Iowa team in the context of local, regional and global conservation goals.”

Iowans are demonstrating support for conservation. In January, the Conservancy in Iowa completed the “Campaign for Conservation” raising $18.1 million and exceeding its original goal of $9.5 million. Last week, Iowa legislators passed conservation easement legislation allowing tax credits of up to fifty percent for qualified real estate for conservation purposes up to $100,000, which would provide an enormous incentive for permanent conservation easements in Iowa benefiting land conservation.

Two weeks ago, the House of Representatives followed the Senate when it overwhelmingly approved a proposed constitutional amendment to establish a permanent and protected Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreational Trust Fund through a dedicated portion of a future increase in the state sales tax to protect clean water, wildlife, trails and natural areas. Ninety percent of elected officials from all corners of the state voted in favor of the measure. (This bill will need legislative approval again next session and voter approval the following year to amend the state Constitution.)

McMahon has worked on natural resource policy for more than 15 years. Prior to joining the Conservancy, he was the director of national land stewardship campaigns for the National Wildlife Federation, where he directed national policy and advocacy work on public and private lands. McMahon also worked for the National Audubon Society, where he lobbied on the Farm Bill and ecosystem restoration projects including the Upper Mississippi River. He also worked at the Department of the Interior in several positions including deputy director and acting director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs working with state and local elected officials on numerous natural resource issues.

McMahon earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Chicago. He is finishing his master’s degree this spring in natural resource science from Virginia Tech.

“The people of Iowa have a great commitment to conservation. My role is to expand our reach with local landowners, communities, government organizations and other conservation partners and leverage our capacity to really make a difference on a large scale. We have a tremendous opportunity here in this state to restore our grasslands and watersheds and preserve out natural heritage for future generations of Iowans,” said McMahon.

In Iowa, 99 percent of the native land is altered. This means that nearly every stream has been straightened, every channel changed and almost every acre has been appropriated for agricultural or urban development. Iowa is in crisis, but there still is plenty to conserve. The Conservancy has worked to conserve and restore more than 9,300 acres in Iowa. The majority of acreage is in the Loess Hills landscape in western Iowa, where rocky, steep terrain made the land difficult to farm. Other priority areas include the Little Sioux Valley, Lower Cedar Valley, the Driftless Area and the Upper Mississippi River basin.

Much of Iowa’s conservation and restoration focuses on grasslands and freshwater. On a global scale, the world’s grasslands and prairies are home to nearly 800 million people and provide food, medicine and economic opportunities to countless millions more. Less than 5 percent of all grasslands on earth have been protected for conservation. These landscapes face ever increasing threats like invasive species, suppression of naturally occurring fires and the conversion of landscapes for agriculture and urbanization.

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.