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July - The Connell Family’s Gift to Future Generations
2007-11-04
The Woodford-Ashland Lone Tree Point Nature Area, on Clear Lake’s southwest shore, includes woodlands, wetlands, and natural shoreline. Besides morel mushrooms, and spring wildflowers, the area is home to red fox, wild turkeys, and Canadian geese. “This is a very special place of peace and quiet,” says Marcia Connell, whose family owns the land. “It’s good for the soul here.”
Marcia’s parents worried about how to protect this area and keep it in its natural state. In 1992, the family found peace of mind when they donated a conservation easement on the property to the nonprofit Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. The conservation easement removed development rights from the property, so current and future owners cannot develop this land. Now the Connell family can look forward to passing the land into new hands, knowing that its natural features are protected.
