Iowa

TNC is established in the state and begins to permanently protect land with the acquisition of Berry Woods, a 42-acre high-quality forest south of Des Moines.

110 acres are purchased in the Little Sioux Valley—a unique geological formation and remnant prairie with wildlife. It is currently the most visited preserve in the state.

After years of leadership from volunteers and trustees, TNC announces Lawrence Cantera, Jr., as the first state director in Iowa.

TNC acquires the Charles and Anna Roggman Boreal Slopes, a 20-acre property of rare habitat in the Driftless Area found in Northeast Iowa.

Sioux City Prairie is acquired in the scenic Loess Hills. The 150 acres of prairie are open to the public for hiking and wildlife watching.

The Savannah Project begins in eastern Iowa with the first land acquisition in the Lower Cedar Valley.

The Anna Beal Internship Trust Program begins. Scholarships are awarded to resident college undergraduates for a hands-on stewardship-focused summer internship on TNC properties throughout the state.

TNC begins protecting Iowa’s largest native prairie, Broken Kettle Grasslands, in the Loess Hills. Without this acquisition, the land would have been converted to cropland and subject to invasive species.

TNC completes the first conservation easement with a private landowner, demonstrating that landowners could protect the Loess Hills while still living and working on the land.

TNC identifies 47 acres of biological importance in the Mississippi River Basin; this leads to the selection of the Boone River Watershed and the Cedar River for conservation work.

TNC acquires the first land portion in Iowa of the Grand River Grasslands, an open grassland home to many species, including prairie chickens.

The land along the Boone River is established as an agricultural watershed project.

TNC joins a committee to help establish a Natural Resource & Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund for Iowa.

American bison are reintroduced in the Loess Hills at Broken Kettle Grasslands. The long-term goal is a herd of 250 bison and 2,500 acres of grasslands.

The Lower Cedar Valley project is expanded to include the entire Cedar River Watershed.

TNC joins Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy (IWiLL) to help establish funding for the Natural Resources & Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund.

In response to recent flooding, TNC converts flood-damaged farmland along the Missouri River into wetlands, which helps cleanse drinking water, expand outdoor recreation and improve habitat for flora and fauna.

At the end of the 6-year-long This Is Iowa Capital Campaign, TNC raised $33,319,622.

The Iowa Chapter hit a milestone of 20,000 acres protected in the Land of the Swamp White Oak.

834 acres are protected in the Loess Hills through the acquisition of the Hummel property. The property connects two state parks, creating 3,000 contiguous protected acres for the region's wildlife.

TNC acquires 356 acres of unique Loess Hills habitat and forms an important partnership with the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa.

Let's inspire more land conservation. Improve the health of our water resources. Promote clean energy and conserve the wild places and animals of Iowa for future generations.