During a special ceremony at the State Capitol on Thursday, March 24, families, organizations, and landowners associated with 23 donations from across Iowa will be recognized for their conservation efforts. The Garst Family will be among those recognized by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources during the ceremony for their most recent contribution to the Whiterock Conservancy located near Coon Rapids.
Family members donated four different parcels of farmland which include the Speiker farm that features diverse prairieland, the Pingrey farm and 292 farm which both feature highly restorable oak savannas along with popular bass fishing ponds, and also the Terrill Farm which is known for its tallgrass prairie and wetland habitats. This latest land gift is part of 5,000 acres planned to be given by the Garst family who have donated a total of 3,365 acres to the Whiterock Conservancy since 2004.
The ceremony in Des Moines will honor individual land owners in attendance from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm in room 116 at the State Capitol with Governor Terry Branstad scheduled to attend. Over 4,500 acres in 15 Iowa counties was permanently protected through donations which total more than $10 million dollars.
