'Parks'

For roughly two years, a blown-out trail bridge on Christiansen Forest Preserve’s woodland loop restricted access to a portion of the park. A project that would require engineering and consume considerable work hours, it simply hadn’t yet made its way to the top of Story County Conservation’s (SCC) project list. That is, until Ross Naylor, owner of local construction business Renomads, saw an opportunity for his business to collaborate with SCC and solve this problem – in memory of a special hiking partner.

Story County voters showed large support for conservation in November, voting to pass the Story County Water and Land Legacy (SCWLL) bond initiative with 77.75% approval! Excited to keep the momentum alive, SCC took no pause between election day and project progress. SCC has matching grants and funding for initial projects, and several are already moving forward...

One function of conservation is “to provide homes for wildlife.” Story County Conservation’s newest park—74 acres of refuge, including prairie and wetland habitat along Ioway Creek, is doing just that. Through a new and unique partnership, homes for people are also being provided at the same area.