Local Resident Provides Support for New County Park
Posted:1/16/2024
Story
Story County Conservation (SCC) is ringing in the New Year with an exciting announcement – one that will bring benefit to the entire community as well as permanent protection to a piece of land just outside Ames.
A local donor recently came forward with a generous gift to permanently protect the Deppe farm. This substantial donation will support the future Deppe Family Conservation Area, for which SCC has been raising funds since 2020.
With this recent donation and the current Partners pledge, SCC has crossed the finish line of what was owed to Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) for land acquisition costs, after INHF secured this property in 2020.
“We’d like to thank the community for its generous support for protection of this property,” said SCC Director Mike Cox. “We look forward to making this land available to the public to enjoy for many years to come."
”As title-holders, SCC can now begin the first of a multi-phase habitat restoration plan for the property to bring back native prairie to the landscape. Other features, like terraces once built by longtime owner Bob Deppe, will remain untouched. Deppe, with a passion for conservation, was early into the game of soil conservation and these terraces were some of the first built in Story County to prevent soil erosion.
With land acquisition complete, SCC will shift gears to raising funds for restoration efforts and the development of a trail system and other site amenities – like a parking area, wayfinding signage and interpretive features. These changes will take time. If restoration and development go according to plan, the park could open to the public in 2026.
Seated just north of Ames, this 124-acre refuge will significantly increase the space available for hiking, birdwatching, and other quiet nature enjoyment near McFarland Park. This park-to-be will permanently protect wildlife from agricultural, commercial, and residential development.
Click here for more information about the Deppe Family Conservation Area. Be sure to follow Story County Conservation on social media as well to ensure you see future updates!
