By Steve Weisman
In late June, I shared a story about protecting a 2020-foot tract of shoreline on the eastern shore of East Lake Okoboji directly north of Elinor Bedell State Park, which had come up for sale in the fall of 2020. At that time, the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) purchased an option on the 50-acre site to come up with the $8,200,000 by Sept. 7, 2021.
Set against open grassland and mature trees, the tract also offers one of the last remaining wildlife corridors between the lake and the vast Spring Run Wetland Complex to the east.
If the goal is not reached, the land will likely be sold for high-density development, meaning the last privately owned, underdeveloped shoreline will be no more. Currently, INHF has raised just over $6 million of the required $8.2 million needed to protect some of the last remaining natural shoreline on East Okoboji Lake, but they have less than a month left to reach their goal.
Last weekend’s Okoboji Blue Water Festival gave representatives of the INHF the opportunity to share their hopes of saving this land. “We talked with hundreds of people at the Blue Water Festival last weekend, and there is a lot of enthusiasm around this project. People want to see this land stay wild,” said Joe Jayjack, INHF communications director. “We have some great momentum right now, but there is still a long way to go to meet that goal. Every pledge to this project counts, and we need people to help spread the word.”
If successful, INHF will own, restore and steward the property‘s shoreline, prairie and oak savanna. The land will primarily be managed to maintain wildlife habitat, protect water quality and allow low-impact public use, such as hiking trails extending from the adjacent state park. INHF will work with Dickinson County Conservation to place a conservation easement on the property, which will ensure the land will be protected in its natural state in perpetuity.
People wishing to join the hundreds of others that have already pledged to the project can learn more or pledge their support at inhf.org/EastOkobojiShore. They can also contact INHF Director of Philanthropy Abby Hade Terpstra at aterpstra@inhf.org or 515-288-1846.
Pledges to the project are conditional and can be paid over three years. If the protection effort isn’t successful, pledges will be voided.
Greg Drees, organizer of the Okoboji Blue Water Festival shared his thoughts on the importance of clean water and the East Lake Shoreline Project. “The INHF is in the home stretch in fundraising to secure the shoreline on East Lake Okoboji, and I hope the people of Iowa step up and help close this deal. It is the last undeveloped stretch of shoreline on the Iowa Great Lakes, and it needs to remain so. This is a rare opportunity to put our clean water prowess to test and protect this cherished site from development. Please help INHF finish this campaign so that future generations can enjoy the splendor of this lakeside treasure.”
